After having survived the extreme winter of Minnesota this year, we decided to plan a summer trip for the Memorial Day weekend. Going through various travel blogs for vacation ideas and getting disheartened by the inflated prices of the flight tickets, we settled for the idea of going on a road trip. I mean it was pocket friendly after all!
Arguing over which place to choose so as to make the most of our time, we spent some time researching itineraries of places such as Duluth, Milwaukee, Taylor Falls etc. The pictures of South Dakota intrigued me the most and we decided to make a five day long trip to "The Coyote State". We included the top eight curated places in our itinerary and started on our road trip. Our first destination was a massive park - Badlands National Park.
Into The Badlands
Considering that it is a nine hour drive from Minneapolis to Badlands, we divided our journey into two segments. The first segment was a roughly five hour long drive from Minneapolis to a small city in South Dakota named Mitchell. After spending the night in Mitchell, we drove for another three hours till we reached the Badlands National Park.
The Badlands
Badlands is a popular tourist destination that leaves its visitors awestruck with it's breathtaking view. The park's unfriendly environment, especially the paucity of water and vegetation, is the inspiration behind the name.
Badlands was formed as a result of geologic activities that occurred about sixty nine million years ago. Particles of soil and clay deposited due to wind and water started to accumulate and ultimately solidified to form rocks. These rocks were then subjected to erosion caused by rivers and streams resulting in the rugged landscape.
One of the first things you notice is that the rocks have various layers of different colors. These colors correspond to the time period of when the deposition occurred, providing a geological timeline of the formation. These pictures give a glimpse of the rugged pinnacles and buttes.
Our Experience
We were so excited to have a summer trip and I had packed all the summer trip essentials. But guess what! Even though we packed every bit of what can be categorized as summer wear, none of them were actually put to use. The weather refused to co-operate and we found yourselves in the middle of Badlands clenching our fists and shivering right under the Sun. Yes! Hot and cold at the same time. But, the stunning vistas of this region made it all worth it in the end. Our only regret was that we couldn't stay longer and hike deep into the badlands.
Coming up next is our detour to Mt. Rushmore. Stay tuned!