Yesterday’s westward travels on I-90 was fun. We were in the minority of travelers NOT destined for the Sturgis Rally, yet the excitement was contagious with all the convoys of various motorcycle rigs rolling along, harvest time is near for huge agricultural fields of sunflowers in bloom, and of course spotting the numerous Wall Drug billboards.

* We found a campground spot in Interior (the oldest badland town) situated within a few miles of the Badlands National Park itself. Crossing over into Mountain Time Zone now allowed for a longer day to jump in the car and head out!

* Drove the 31- mile Badlands Loop Trail; spectacular!!! To add to the drama, a nasty thunderstorm was approaching that we could see miles away. Although we had a few sprinkles here and there, the lightning bolts and heavy cells were quite a distance away and moving away from us.

* oh, and of course, had to stop and recreate the same tutu pic from last year

* Driving towards Wall, we passed by our favorite boondocking spot, “Nomads View” just outside the Park. Surprisingly, there appeared to be spots available! However, with todays rains and more on the way, we’ve chosen to forego that exceptional camping opportunity on the cliffs. Seeing firsthand during last years visit how vulnerable one can be due to weather conditions gives you a very healthy respect for Mother Nature.

* Wall Drug is something you just can’t pass up while in the area. We made it into town before closing and of course had to grab a 5 cent coffee, cherry pie, and a fresh doughnut. Yum!

* Finishing up the Loop to get back to camp was estimated to be 40 minutes. It took us 2 hours, LOL. We decided to be adventurous in Lois and take the dirt road “short-cut” of Bigfoot Pass through the Park. By this time darkness had set in. Such surreal settings! We encountered a herd of free range cattle that were in no hurry to leave the road, so we stopped to enjoy their nighttime grazing (including a Mom and nursing calf). Storms were much further in the distance now, but the light show of pink ball lightning was super cool to see while stopped.

* Starting from the Missouri River in Chamberlain this morning ending at the White River in the Badlands made for a very long but EPIC day!

We South Dakota.