I was sure we should have arrived at our destination by now. However, Google Maps is telling me there is still over an hour and a half left to go before we reach the trading post. So when we left Mount Rushmore this morning, the first leg of our journey was supposed to take an hour, and we'd already been on the road for an hour and fifteen minutes.
“Badlands” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
The Badlands are beautiful, and we've seen a good deal of the rugged landscape up close and personal as we have wound our way across South Dakota. Although I realize it is easy to call this rugged landscape beautiful as we cruise along blacktop roads in the air-conditioned truck, the grit it would have taken to carve a living out of this other-worldly place is beyond comprehension.
I begin to suspect that Google Maps, after I updated the route this morning to include the badlands visitor center and trading post, opted to take us on the scenic drive rather than a more direct route. I'm okay with the delay; however, grandma sitting next to me (and driving) is anxious to get to Minnesota to see her new grandbaby, and the hour delay borders on mutiny in her eyes. As a result, I view the landscape differently when asked if I want to stop and walk around. Worried that this might be an attempt to rid herself of the "sight-seeing" mutineer keeping her from her new grandchild, I decline.
“Trail view Cliff Shelf Nature hike” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
Finally, we reach the Badlands visitor center; it is crowded and overflowing; so we decide to continue driving before reaching the raised platform walkway of the "Cliff Shelf Nature hike." The hike is long and eventually climbs up next to one of the rugged faces of the rocky spires that exist in the badlands. Hiking the entire distance would take longer to complete than we want to spend at this time, but the raised platform offers some fantastic views after only a short distance. Signs warn us to beware of rattlesnakes, and the sun burns directly overhead as we realize it is noontime and we are a fraction of the distance we wanted to cover this morning.
“Linda Trading Post Shopping,” copyright BrickBarnBlog2022
After a short stop at the trading post, we are back on the road and making good time as rugged spires of the badlands are replaced with corn fields and beans. We'll arrive at our daughters' house before 8:00 pm tonight if nothing else goes wrong, as we finally spot a place to grab a quick bite to eat.
p.s. The quick bite to eat was anything but, and we finally arrived around 10:00 pm.
Visited: July 10, 2022
Written: July 22, 2022