Badlands Ain't So Bad

I found this incredible boondocking site, overlooking the Badlands. it was in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland.  With my solar, my full water tank and my empty waste tanks, I was all set to be out in the wild. There was lots to explore in the area and Nomad View Dispersed area was a perfect home base. I was six miles south of Wall South Dakota so if I decided to go to Wall Drug, one of the most touristy tourist traps there is - I didn't go.  I was a mile north of the Pinnacles entrance to the Badlands National Park. 

My nearest neighbor when I first arrived

And there I am on the edge

The wind was always blowing, one evening they said it was about 50-60 mph.  Thanks goodness it was always blowing away from the cliff.  If it had been blowing toward the cliff I might have been a little worried about going over the edge.

There was a herd of Big Horn Sheep who hung out in them thar hills.  They would spend the day down on the rocks and then come up to graze in the grassland. They were evidently very used to people. At one point, my car was about 5 feet away from them.. 

You Lookin' At Me?

There were plenty of other wildlife sightings in the Grassland.

This guy evidently thought my lawn chair was his kind

The one day there was no wind, there was a swarm of flying ants who hung out right outside my front window.  

They swarmed and then were gone after about an hour.  

Of course it was cocktail hour and I had to stay inside to protect the wine in my glass.

I did go to the Minuteman Missile National Site, but I found that it just didn't really interest me.  They had some old movies showing how they taught all of us to Duck and Cover under our desks, like that was going to keep us safe in the case of a nuclear attack. There were also maps showing how far the effects of a nuclear blast would radiate out. After looking at the maps, I can definitely say we are all just goners. They did have a disarmed Minuteman missile in a silo that you could go look at. 

An actual Minuteman Missile - not a good photo op if I do say so myself

I drove through the Badlands. I had been thru them before and I guess I really didn't see them before. I always thought I preferred the North Dakota Badlands to South Dakota's. Boy, was I mistaken. There were some amazing rock formations around every curve and turn.  My pictures just don't do them justice.

Doesn't this look like an RV commercial?

Just chilling

And then there are the obligatory sunset pictures

I think this camping site I had was one of the best ones that I have found so far.  I loved, loved, loved being out there in the wide open prairie.  It did my heart good.