Good Times in the Badlands

The Badlands reach across the Dakotas and down into Nebraska – rumored to contain hidden pockets of agate (maybe even the elusive Fairburns!), and without doubt composed of magnificent landscapes.  We spent a couple of weeks camping there in several locations, exploring far and wide and always with an eye to the ground.  (For the rocks, you know….)

Outdoor life, while the best way to enjoy this area, is not without its perils.  In some places, bears can be a real threat.  If you don’t believe it, take a look at the side of this shelter where an unwary camper accidentally left some food.

Yikes!

Fortunately, the worst time for mosquitoes and biting black flies is past, but your garden-variety fly can be a real pest.  When brute strength didn’t seem to faze them, we resorted to sticky fly strips, perhaps a cowardly way out, but effective.

Our remote camp site in Buffalo Gap Grasslands had a conveniently-placed deep hole in the ground that became a very scenic …. comfort station and place of contemplation…..

Damp weather and a lack of kindling became a challenge that Henry met with the simple expediency of tossing fuel on the fire (a trick that would come in very handy nowadays if he were active in politics!)

A day-long canoe trip on the Little Missouri River yielded no rocks worth toting, but we did find an impressive bighorn sheep skull…  which will soon grace the wall of Henry’s barn at home.

Generally, the wind was way too strong to take up the powered parachute, but a brief opportunity presented itself one evening….. revealing a great perspective on our camp site.

The 4-wheeler, or ATV, was key to rock-hunting and exploration in the further reaches of the parks, where of course the best specimens were to be found….. and lots of fun sometimes too.

The search for the finest agates dominated many of our days….. and it’s sometimes a back-breaking endeavor – picking up stones and rinsing them to determine if they are worth keeping.

Saw a little wildlife along the way… lots of prairie dogs, and often bighorn sheep (live ones this time).

Just a few of many dazzling sunset shots……

Our camp near Badlands National Park was right on the rim of the canyon…..  quite beautiful…  but a bit scary one night when the winds kicked up.  Henry arose at 3 am to chain the trailer to the truck (so a sustained gust wouldn’t blow us off the blocks and down the steep slope!)

We now have several hundred pounds of rocks (none a true Fairburn agate) to bring back for the Douglass, Texas garden.  As it turns out, some of the best rock-picking was….. not in the distant reaches of the badlands, but……… in the parking lot of  the Holiday Inn in Chadron, Nebraska!

Gosh, it’s gotten cold here!  Weather is crazy all over (and still hot at home), but the trend seems to be turning.  We will wander across Nebraska, through Kansas and Oklahoma (with a few stops along the way), anticipating returning home around mid-October.

Hope you are happy and healthy!