Narration Here.After 2 successfully brewed cups of coffee Theresa got the honor of posting the state on the brag wall on the RV slide out since it was her first time ever in SD.
With the new breaking system it only took about 15 minutes to ready the vehicle and Toad for departure. The route was a little over 200 miles on I90 and into the Badlands National Park. Two stops were made on the trek, one at that rest stop in Minnesota that included memorabilia of the Louis and Clark expedition. The second was a lonely Pilot Gas stop to fuel up. It was shortly after noon (CT) when the exit was made of of I-90 and into the Badlands National Park.
Immediately after the turn to the south there was a lit sign warning of road construction ahead, it flashed between that message and one that the road was not suitable for RVs ! Yikes what's up with that? Kevin pulled over just outside the park entrance and Theresa called the campground office. The advise was to ask the person at the entrance if they think the Smitanic would be OK. The park ranger explained that there was only about 100 feet of gravel that would have to be navigated. The go ahead was given by the ranger and Kevin felt a bit more confident once oncoming big rigs were spotted coming out of the park.
About 3 miles down the road The Smitanic was stopped in a line of vehicles waiting for a single lane stretch of gravel road that was monitored by a worker. The flagman who would release the line of cars once it was clear to switch directions. After about 45 min of waiting the Stop sign was turned to a Slow sign and the line of vehicles began to move once again.
Reservations had already been made for the park campground using Kevin's Senior Park Pass, so the camp host just directed Kevin to the designated site. Only 50 amp electric hook up was provided at the site so the campers would need to conserve water, as well as use the camp restroom facilities as much as possible. Kevin let the automatic leveling system try to level out the coach but it ended up lifting both driver side tires completely off the asphalt ! Not good! The jacks were quickly retracted and manual deployment was applied to get as close to level as possible with all tires on the pavement. Ahh success!
Over a quick lunch a choice for an afternoon hike was discussed. Already into the high 90's, hats, water, and sunscreen would be required for the selected Saddle Pass Trail. Once at the trail head it displayed the difficulty as 'Strenuous', which was the most difficult in the 3 scale rating system that also included lesser choices for Easy and Moderate.
The three hikers had high hopes for some step counts on their fitbits so they all started down the path. Meeting two young men with packs on the team inquired where the trail went and how difficult it was. The young men pointed to the tallest peak and claimed, “We made it all the way up there”. Mary Jean was fearful of her problematic knee so she told Kevin and Theresa to go on and she would just hike around the foot of the climb. “Give us 30 min and we will meet you back here” Theresa suggested. Up she and Kevin continued following the trail signs. The strenuous rating was indeed accurate as the pea size rock denied any sure footing as the incline progressively got steeper and steeper. It was only a short .25 mile to the 'saddle' where the trail intersected with 2 other trails. At this spot the rough terrain turned into a wide flat grassy prairie. Kevin felt inspired to climb to the peek that the young men pointed to, and once there hollered down at MJB below.
The three hikers had high hopes for some step counts on their fitbits so they all started down the path. Meeting two young men with packs on the team inquired where the trail went and how difficult it was. The young men pointed to the tallest peak and claimed, “We made it all the way up there”. Mary Jean was fearful of her problematic knee so she told Kevin and Theresa to go on and she would just hike around the foot of the climb. “Give us 30 min and we will meet you back here” Theresa suggested. Up she and Kevin continued following the trail signs. The strenuous rating was indeed accurate as the pea size rock denied any sure footing as the incline progressively got steeper and steeper. It was only a short .25 mile to the 'saddle' where the trail intersected with 2 other trails. At this spot the rough terrain turned into a wide flat grassy prairie. Kevin felt inspired to climb to the peek that the young men pointed to, and once there hollered down at MJB below.
The decent from Saddle Pass was faster but still treacherous on the loose rock. Sweat was pouring off all team members. Back at the car the AC was turned on to take the edge off of the now 98 degree heat.
Venturing by car further down the Badlands loop road there were several breath taking overlooks each with a unique panorama of spires, buttes and color. The road curved in and out of the formations and up thru open grasslands riddled with mounds that were home for the native Prairie Dogs.
Returning to the campground it was time (now on Mountain time) to prepare dinner. Parkerburgers (made with hamburger from Dave Parkers beef), cowboy potatoes and salad were on the menu as well as some beverages of choice.
Once the sun completely set the camp chairs where set up so that prime star gazing in this remote area could commence. The big and little dippers where IDed as well as Cassiopeia. Several shooting stars slashed across the sky with very visible Milky Way setting the backdrop.
Plans for early hiking tomorrow were made to avoid the heat of the day as everyone settled into bed.
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