
A Couple Days Exploring Badlands National Park

I continue to rack up the miles in the poor old Prius driving the roads through the park.

The sun rises very early here on the eastern edge of the Mountain Time Zone, so I am out the door by 6AM and head west through the park with the sun at my back.


The colors are constantly changing depending on time of day and weather.



Sam is still active enough to want to accompany me out to spots to take photos, but is left in the dust by her new companion Pearl.

Stormy skies to the west change the feel of the landscape. Daytime temperatures have been in the high 80’s but the evenings cool down fast for comfortable sleeping.

Gorgeous cumulus clouds cast shadows on the landscape

I encounter a small group of Bighorn Rams each morning …


… and again as I return back to camp in the afternoon.


There are numerous Prairie Dog communities throughout the park and the surrounding cattle grazing land.


Some of these communities must contain hundreds if not thousands of individuals.



If you scan these Prairie Dog “Towns” carefully with some binoculars, often you can spot a Burrowing Owl or two.

Shaky images taken at a very long distance.

I have encountered a few Bison bulls, but have not seen any cows and calves.


I had hoped to do some boon docking at the site just south of the town of Wall when I leave here Friday, but the weather is calling for some nasty weather ( possibility of large hail with violent thunderstorms ) and the road accessing those sites can get too sloppy for my rig after heavy rains, so I will continue to head west to Yellowstone and hope I can find a place to stay.
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