We left Michigan on Thursday (8.18) and decided we were driving straight to Badlands. All I really knew about Badlands at the time was that it looked like where they could have possible filmed the moon landing (assuming that was a thing that was actually filmed) and that it was like 13 "google hours" away (meaning it was actually more like 20 hours away).
Aaron had a sprained ankle the size of my head and we were on a mission to GTFO of Michigan. On August 20th, at around 8:30pm (MT), the mission had been accomplished and I snapped the photo below. The landscape had started to change into rolling hills and things were getting interesting, we had finally made it into South Dakota! Well... things were getting as interesting as they could possible be. The sun was going down and we, yet again, had nowhere to sleep.
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| "our first glimpse at the changing landscape" |
08.20.2016
Scenic Overlook - Kadoka, South Dakota
It was dark, our backs hurt, Kalie was at the point where she refused to get back into the truck after being released for any reason... things seemed bleak. It was finally decided that we would forgo our individual rooms and stay together in the fantasy suite... no no that's not right. Um...we decided to skip the rest stops that allowed kinda, sorta, overnight stays and went to a scenic overlook instead, that sounds more accurate.
We pulled directly passed the "NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING" sign and parked in the darkness. We didn't really know where we were, but it was quiet and we needed the sleep. A few semis parked with us throughout the night which made us feel a little more at ease and everything turned out fine. The view we woke up to was definitely worth the risk.
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| "the view from our scenic overlook" |
Nomad View - Wall, South Dakota
Arriving at Nomad View was a strange experience. Most of the time Aaron knows where we are headed and I am just along for the ride, probably not the best way to live ones life, but here we are. Picture it, we're driving along, fields of grassland on both sides, me looking out my window: I'm just as unaware as a newborn baby when it comes to what our campsite is supposed to look like. Aaron opens a barbwire (what campendium users called) "gate" and we proceed down our new driveway. Seriously though, I don't know the brain capacity of the animals behind this "gate," but I don't see how anything is being contained.
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| "our driveway" |
Back to the story, we are driving along (all of this happens over seven minutes probably, but feels like forever because Kalie hates being "off road"), Aaron parks, we get out to see if we want to call this particular place on the side of the road home, and then BAM: vast nothingness and Badlands National Park right off the edge of our camp. Just try and tell me that doesn't look like another planet. So frickin' weird.
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| "our new home on the edge of Badlands National Park" |
Not only was our new home beautiful and free, we also had some wildlife visitors the first day. This was before they realized that Kalie was around. After the brief interaction, they never came back... I tried telling her that she comes on too strong but she never listens. We actually ended up closer to the Bighorn Sheep at our site then we did while visiting the national park, but only on that very first morning.
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| "sunrise came and we noticed a new friend had come to hangout" |
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| "unfortunately, our new friend and Kalie didn't really mesh so we had to give him the boot" |
I would definitely recommend camping at Nomad View, but I don't think you really need to spend an entire week there. I can't imagine having enough to do to fill the time if you aren't working a 9-5. There just isn't all that much to do besides Wall Drug and the national park (I'll be sharing those photos in another post). The temperatures got well into the 90s and it was a little unpleasant at times, but overall it was a beautiful spot.
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| "our first sunset at Buffalo Gap" |
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| "the sunsets continued to be beautiful the entire time we were at Nomad View" |
South Dakota Travel Overview:
August 20th - August 25th
5 nights free camping
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