July 13 The South Unit

View from Sheep Mountain

From Red Shirt overlook.  Miles and miles making you wonder about the pioneers and those who crossed here-
Were they nuts?  

 The South unit of the park is spectacular as well as the north.  Today I was in the company of a wonderful young woman, Natalie, who is our Junior Ranger Ambassador for the park this year.  She accompanied me on a trip to the South Unit which is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We traveled through our wilderness area, spotting bison and lots of prairie dogs.  We stopped up on top of Sheep Mountain the highest point in the park and took in the view.  Then off down along the bottom of the unit, collected a few samples of chalcedony ( a quartz). 

No fear! Natalie is fantastic at soaking in new things and her
enthusiasm is contagious.

Our final vista was at Red Shirt Overlook.  Amazing miles and miles of the terrain that earned the area the name of Badlands.

Wish my camera could do justice to the colors of the sky.  This was the sunset this evening.  Our reward
for a long day of professional development.  

   We returned home via Rapid City where we stopped for a very late lunch and a quick stop to get gas and then back to the home base.  OHHHH, one last stop for icecream at the local gas station.  We were rewarded with a full sun in the sunset.  A great day!  Thanks Natalie for joining me and experiencing your park and for your eagerness to learn about and share the park with others.  It is so wonderful to work with talented people that have a passion.

July 7 A Day of Adventures

Sunsets in the Badlands are amazing. I continue to marvel at the sky and colors as the clouds explode in oranges, pinks, purples and reds.  It is never the same and tonight the sky every where was lit up with color. Every cloud in the sky was painted in splendor.  WOW!

Three different nights but all
beautiful.

Home sweet home.  

No, it is not done with the red button.
Lots of procedures in an actual fire.

The blast door was painted, note the guarantee
that your next would be free. 

The capsule is suspended on shocks 30 feet underground,
amazing.

Parts of Dances With Wolves was filmed in the area.  

Our guide actually worked on the missiles when he was
in the service. He had wonderful
stories to tell and details about the site.

Today was my day off. I traveled out and about doing the "visitor" thing.  I attended a tour of the Minute Man missile control station, went to the 1880's town, the petrified gardens, the pioneer sod house and the National Grasslands visitors center.  Then Ranger Larry and I barbecued some corn on the cob and ribs in the cool of the evening out on the "quad".  The temperature stayed under 80 today, a pleasant change from the over 100's we have been having.  We had a shower or two but all in all the breeze was gentle and I actually had to change out of shorts and into my jeans and a ligth jacket by sundown.  Busy day, but terrific!