"We'll keep pushin' till it's understood, and these Badlands start treating us good."

Day 4

Jackson, MN to Badlands National Park in Interior, SD (367 miles, 1,652 total)

We woke up to farm views...

                                            

that quickly turned pretty shitty.

                                                        

Ba-dum, ching! Try the veal, and don't forget to tip your waiters. 

Yes, for those of you wondering, that is in fact Jon emptying out our black tank for the first time. He was surprised that I didn't want to participate in this fun RV-life chore. I was surprised that he knew so little about me after nearly eight years. It's great to know that we're still learning new things about each other, even after all this time. 

Roughly 240 pounds lighter, we continued on our route to the first National Park of the trip making only a brief pit stop to stretch our legs and see the Dignity Statue at the Chamberlain rest stop, a monument to the indigenous Lakota and Dakota people.


By the time we rolled into the Badlands, it was around 5 o'clock and rather overcast. Though the weather prevented us from seeing the truly vibrant colors for which the park's geological formations are known, it did nothing to lessen the impact of seeing this breathtaking landscape in person.

 

As we hiked through the (very) muddy terrain, we were struck by its vastness and other-worldly quality. Particularly because it is the off-season in the middle of a pandemic, we had the park largely to ourselves which only served to add to the stark impression of the place.





With sunset upon us, we hiked back to the RV and set off for our campground a few miles deeper into the park, eager to wake up to a Badlands sunrise.

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