Day 23 From Badlands to the Cold War, from Rushmore to Wyoming

After a nutritious breakfast of orange juice and Wall Drug’s homemade donuts 😂, we headed into Badlands early.  Between the beautiful geologic formations, prairie dogs, and getting to hike around the rock, we had a wonderful morning.  At most of the viewpoints, we were the only family there.  The girls enjoyed the peaceful morning overlooking one of the canyons while working on their Jr. Ranger books.  We then headed back to the ranger station to be sworn in, view the fossil lab, and hike around a bit more.  The girls all wished we had more time there to explore.  After the heavy rains, the rangers told them that there would be a good chance of finding fossils.  My little paleontologists really wanted to stay, but we had to move on.

(Click on the first picture of the gallery below to step through the photos at full size)

Just outside of Badlands is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  We decided to stop in, learn about the missiles hidden in plain sight, and the role these silos played during the Cold War era.  It was definitely all new to me and eye-opening in it’s magnitude.  For 30 years, Air Force airmen descended underground into the silos for 24 hour shifts ready to deploy the missiles if needed.  To my surprise, there were one thousand of these silos all throughout the Great Plains.  It was a humbling experience to be at the site, learn about the assignment and even meet a former airman who, when the silos were deactivated, became a park ranger.

For many, this would be a full day!  For us, we had miles to go.  We also were not going to travel through South Dakota and miss Mt. Rushmore.  When we arrived, many of the parking structures were mostly empty.  We were fortunate to experience this breathtaking site without huge crowds.  Between the magnitude of the sculpture, the historical significance, and the beauty of the Black Hills, the site was magnificent.  We took some time to hike around, explore the exhibit hall, and watch the movie.  Our only regret was not being able to stay for the evening lighting ceremony.

We reached our destination of Gillette, Wyoming, tired, but excited by what we experienced today.  This was a triple-junior-ranger-badge-day and we all know that doesn’t happen everyday.  Excited to head into Yellowstone tomorrow!