Up Against a Wall

Today you can find us in Badlands, South Dakota. When you think "Badlands" you normally think of an area that isn't a good place. A high crime area maybe. Or, someplace that no one would want to live because its "Badlands". Maybe the water is no good. The thought could be that there is too much sun and no water therefore nothing grows here. For 818 people they have chosen to live close by in a small town called WALL.

Main street should really be called, Only Street because it really is the only street in this small community. It has a few shops and restaurants but the big store is called Wall Drug. It is the Pre Wal Mart store. Maybe that's where "Wal" Mart came up with the idea! The store consists of a whole city block. It has 3 restaurants that can feed 500 people in one sitting. The store sells every Nick knack you could ever think of. A small grocery store. An arcade. It even has a small chapel in case you forgot to talk to the big guy upstairs.

Once you get out of this small town the landscape opens up to nothing but open land. As far as you can see hills that look like Ruffle's Potato Chip ridges. During the cold war there was always talk of silo's that contained nukes at the ready. After many years a treaty was signed to reduce these civilization ending bombs. They have since turned this hidden silo into a National Park. Here is one that is only 1/2 mile from a busy Interstate Highway.

In the middle of a huge empty and plain field you can see this gravel area fenced off. Only a few metal poles sticking out of the ground to show that there might be something here.

Once the large metal door opens it would reveal this missile that was capable of flying over the North Pole and striking USSR at that time. There were close to 500 of these scattered around the country with most of them in this northern area. Today that number has been cut down but that number is not told.

Now for the reason this area is called Badlands. The farmers couldn't find any use for the land that lies a few miles south of Wall and the Interstate Highway. With its jagged peaks and soft volcanic soil nothing can be done in this area that encompasses several hundred miles in all directions.

Tomorrow we will hike and explore this area but today we just took time to meet the locals. The buffalo roam free with tons of Prairie Dogs busily digging more holes.

Keep your fingers crossed that the weather continues to stay like it has...warm.