The Badlands and the Midwest

The Badlands in South Dakota are a unique place.  It’s a relatively small area of the state marked by beautiful wind and water erosion.  Think Zion meets Salt Flats, where light colored deposits have built upwards over millions of years like a layer of cake and are now being eroded down at the rate of one inch per year to create beautiful landscapes, exposing fossils, and colorful rocks.

Our plan was to spend 2-3 nights boondocking on a ledge overlooking the Badlands, just outside the National Park.  It was another spot we found on Campendium that many reviewers ranked as one of the best boondocking locations in the US and we were blown away, figuratively and literally.  After visiting the iconic and kitschy WallDrug, in Wall, SD, we drove about six miles south on Highway 240 and turned east on a gravel road through a rolling grass pasture.  As we climbed up the road, we spotted RV’s perched up on a ledge higher up.  Coming around a corner, we were surprised to see a herd of big horn sheep grazing in the grass feet from our truck!  The wind was still howling and it was a bit nerve racking pulling up next to a giant chasm that drops off 750 feet to the rocks below, but we found a nice and level “site” with a view to remember.

This is BLM land and part of the National Grasslands.  The beauty is remarkable and to think you can camp here for free and have herds of bighorn just wandering through your camp is pretty unbelievable.  The first night we watched the bighorn play and fight perched on the ledges below us and then cooked up some burgers on the outdoor grill and watched the sun go down.  The wind died down a bit during the night, but we chose to pull in the slide outs to avoid any possible damage.  I am sure the wind always blows fairly consistently across the Badlands, but tonight there was actually a NOAA advisory for high winds, gusting as high at 45 miles per hours.  Those sort of winds don’t mix well with RV’s.

Fortunately, we had great cell phone coverage on our high perch, so the next morning, we pulled up some National Park videos on the geography and animals in the park to be well prepared for a drive through the park.  The day was beautiful and warm day in the low 80’s, which made for stunning vistas and good hiking.  In the evening, pending any bighorn standing in our way, we decided we would climb down the ledges below our camp to explore the bottom of the basin.  It was a rockhound’s dream come true.  Crystals, clear agates, red rocks, blacks rocks, petrified wood, and on and on.  We all felt like we were on a treasure hunt collecting and inspecting rocks that we thought were worth keeping in the small little canyons.  As the red sun set over the cliffs the nearly full moon rose in the east and it was time to climb back out.

Once back on top, we all decided we would pull out in the morning to avoid another night of being a flag in the wind and to search out a better night’s sleep.  We made a quick stop just down the road at the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center, which is its own National Park site.  Kieren and Maren got to learn a bit about the Cold War with Russia and how close we nearly came to World War III.  They watched videos of kids ducking under desks and families running down the street in search of cover, although we all weren’t sure what good that would do in a nuclear attack.

That night we rolled into our third Harvest Host location, Humble Hill Winery in Sioux Falls, SD, near the Minnesota border.  It was a small mom and pop winery and we enjoyed talking with Robert, sampling his wines, and hearing his origin story.  It seems wines in the Midwest are more fruit based and sweeter, which isn’t something we care for as much, but we did end up finding two different wines that we enjoyed.

The next day we crossed into Iowa and spent the night at Harvest Farm RV park in Creston, Iowa.  There was only one other transient camper staying the night which made us feel like we had the beautiful rolling park all to ourselves.  We could imagine how fun and lively the park must be in the summer with a river nearby and tube and canoe rentals.  We also had our first frost that night, but the next day was bright sunshine, but still brisk.  There was a nearby rails to trails path in Lanesboro, MN, so we drove back over the border and found a place to park the RV and unload the bikes.  Lanesboro is a small town that you could imagine in a Hans Christian Andersen book.  Old farmhouses and historic commercial buildings dotted the main road with little restaurants and ice cream stands.  The brisk ride was a blast, as the trail followed the Root River through the changing fall colors all around us.  We managed to make it to the even smaller and quainter town of Whalen that literally felt like you stepped back in time.  There were very few cars and literally not a sole on the streets.  I am sure the late season and Covid had something to do with this, but when I tried to add a little air to my bike tire at the bike station near the trail, the pump turned out to be defective and deflated my tire to nothing.  Now keep in mind, we were over 5 miles away from our truck and no one was around – not good, especially considering we had two tired and hungry kids. 

A bit earlier, we had spotted a small, family run resort, called Cedar Valley Resort, at the end of a dead-end road.  I asked Juli to ride back the way we had come to see if she could track anyone down and see if they might have an air pump to get my tire re-inflated.  Sure enough, about ten minutes later, here comes Larry Johnson in his side by side four-wheeler and loaded up my bike and took be back to the resort.  Fortunately, Larry did have an air compressor and was able to track down a “presta” fitting for my tube and we were back on our way to Lanesboro for lunch and some white cheddar cheese curds at the Pedal Pushers Cafe.

We have heard stories about how friendly people in the Midwest are and we have only had similar experiences since we have been travelling through Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.  Life is a bit slower; towns are a bit small and people truly do care about others.  It’s been a good lesson for our kids and a good reminder for Juli and myself.