I spent a couple of days exploring Badlands National Park.
Again, little Miss Literal could never wrap her head around why there would be a park dedicated to “Badlands”. But, just driving through, you are struck by the splendor of the land and the natural forces that shape our world.
The colors, shapes and textures are amazing.
They seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see.
Yet, you only needed to shift your gaze to see the prairie that also stretched far into the horizon.
I guess what you choose to look at is what you see.
For instance, some people chose to see popcorn when they looked at this formation.
According to the information at the site, this is made up of “bentonite”. It is a clay that includes volcanic ash. When wet, the grains cans expand up to 20 times, creating an extremely slick surface.
Around every turn in the road, new vistas popped into view.
While the landforms were dramatic, the skies gave them a run for their money.
Some people chose to hike to the tops of formations. I was not one of those people.
Taking extreme closeups of plants was more my speed.
It’s a wonder what you can capture with an ordinary smart phone.
There is a lot of color out there to be found.
There is also wildlife.
Wherever the goats decide to put in an appearance, cars pull over for the visitors to look and snap photos. Incidentally, if you look carefully, you can see the radio collar some of them wear to keep track of the herd.
Some seem to know just where to go to pose. I’m surprised they haven’t designated one of the herd to go around and collect donations.
One of the most amazing sites I saw at the park wasn’t the land, the plants or even the goats. It was a friend from Kalamazoo!
I was walking around, looking for good shots of the goats when I heard someone call out, “Kim!”
I turned around and it was Toni, a former co-worker from Discover Kalamazoo. She and her husband, Dave, were on their way to Alaska. We chatted a bit, took advantage of the photo op and then we were off in our separate directions.
The grasslands are dotted with these prairie dog towns. Sometimes you see them pop up, but mostly they are hard to photograph.
Judging by this path, however, there are some animals that try to get closer. I imagine this path was worn down by people, but they are also of interest to badgers, coyote, foxes and bobcats. I’m sure at least some of those animals are found in the park. Golden eagles and hawks are also interested in prairie dogs, who rely on their excellent vision and hearing to avoid these predators. They also let each other know about danger with their warning calls, which is said to be similar to a dog’s bark. I didn’t hear hear them, though.
Everywhere you look there is something interesting. Wait, what does that sign say?
Hmm. That is about all the warning I need to keep my on the path.
I did manage to get this close to an edge. I had someone take my photo.
It was better than the selfie I tried to take by myself.
The first day I visited, the wind was fierce.
There was all sorts of interesting information in the Visitor Center.
For instance, did you know that a square-yard chunk of grass sod can contain twenty-five miles of roots, rootlets and root hairs. According to the information in the visitor center, below ground, the root systems can be twice the length of the plant above ground. These roots lock in precious soil, catching fine dirt, called loess, and trapping decayed organic materials that feed the earth.
Roots also store energy to produce new plant tissue. Since the growing center of a grass is at the base of the leaf where it joins the stem, growth can continue if the leaf is cut. If the top of a shoot is bitten off or burned, protected young shoots hidden inside a series of wraparound tubes soon emerge.
Plants are amazing! And it explains why my lawn never stops growing.
There were all sorts of other-worldly formations.
And the goats seemed to enjoy putting on a show.
These darker structures are called “clastic dikes.” They are thin ribbon of rocks that are composed of a harder substance than the surrounding butte, the clastic dikes erode at a slower rate. According to the information at site, they can take on the appearance of a spine running through the strata.
The geologic forces are still at work. This formation was labeled “slump and bump.” Of course, sometimes they work slowly. Thousands of years ago, a massive block of stone broke loose from the cliff. It fell with such force that it compacted this area, changing the underlying layers to less porous materials and slowing drainage.
The cliff shelf continues to slump in less dramatic stages today. Slump areas can be seen throughout the park where high, year-round patches of green contrast with the stark cliff faces of the White River Badlands.
I took one of the trails and came across this survey marker.
It’s amazing how much the surrounding land has eroded. I wonder when it was placed?
After my Badlands National Park adventures, it was time to head back to Wall. Isn’t it amazing how close the erosion is to the town?