I find it difficult to verbally explain the Badlands. It seems silly to simply say they are "bad", but that would be an acceptable word if one were driving a mule team or a wagon across the prairie and came upon them. Such an excursion into the west would promptly come to a halt.

They aren't mountains, but they are up and down and steep and rugged. There are peaks and valleys and crevices and colors in the rock. There is not much vegetation though they say that they come alive at dusk and dawn, the cooler hours.

We entered and drove the loop. Much of the national park is not accessible by road, but the road, like most of our national parks, is where the people stay. There were numerous overlooks and the loop ended, for us, at the visitor center. There was lodging of some sort near the visitor center and a store and expensive gas and a video at the visitor center telling about the park and a ranger lady that I talked to for awhile because I want to be a park ranger at a national park. It seems rather unlikely though being a campground host is attainable.

Leslie, the kids, and I walked out some into the Badlands. There are many places to sit and contemplate alot of things.

While in the park at the first stop, the Pinnacles Overlook, I met a young man and struck up a word with him because he rode up on a bike.

"How long have you been riding?"

"What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

" Then, we have been riding four weeks yesterday."

Silence.

They started from New York City. Three friends, attending three different New York colleges, all turning twenty years old, and they thought, "If we are going to do it then now is the time."
They were headed to Seattle by way of Glacier National Park. They camped everywhere though they made a stop in Chicago and somewhere else I don't recall.

After the park, we headed back the way we came, Interstate 90.

Next, the Needles Highway and Custer State Park.