We woke up on Monday morning at the Badlands Inn, which is situated less than a mile from the entrance to Badlands National Park and its Visitor Center. After eating the free continental breakfast at the hotel, we took the quick drive over to the Visitor Center to talk to a park ranger and get the low down on the trails and other places we should consider seeing at the park.
Our next stop – and perhaps the biggest adventure of the day – was to our 11:30am appointment for a horseback ride. I had never ridden a horse before (with the exception of a pony ride as a kid), but Marshall has done it a number of times. So we thought we’d take this opportunity to ride horses among the amazing backdrop of the Badlands. The day before we contacted the Hurley Butte ranch to set up a private horseback riding experience. We lucked out and they had two spots available for us at 11:30am.
We learned that Marshal Kruse is the guy who guides riders (of all levels) through these experiences. Since we had one Marshall already, we thought it was a funny coincidence we would have another Marshal (this one with only one “l” in his name). Upon getting there we also learned we were the only two riders for the 11:30am guide. So, Marshall and I had a private ride guided by Marshal (sorry if this gets confusing – but I was now surrounded by two Marshal/Marshall’s – or maybe we can say I was outnumbered!)
Along our ride, Marshal Kruse, who is probably in his mid-30s (or so it seems) told us about his family’s history in South Dakota, along with a lot of the history of the area, as well as some of the conservation and land issues and the history, as we just took in the beauty around us. We had a moderate ride around some hills and then up one big hill and down it. It was all privately-owned land that we rode on.
The day was perfect. It was warm, but not as humid as Florida, so it just felt nice to us. A completely clear, blue sky day. This is big sky country, as it’s very flat, other than the rock formations of the Badlands along the horizon in front of us. So we could see very far. Marshal’s dog just ran around the fields as we strutted along. At one point, the dog must have been a quarter mile or so away from us out in the great country fields, but then caught back up to us as we mounted the hill.
My horse was named “Sweetheart.” She was a beauty. My friend Marshall’s horse was named “Pinky,” which was Sweetheart’s son. We did a ride for about an hour and then came back into the ranch. They only take cash for the ride, but I had accidentally left the cash back at the hotel room, so I left Marshall as collateral as I drove the 12 minutes each way back to the hotel. I told Marshall Kruse, “If I don’t return, at least you’ll have another Marshall here to help you on the ranch.” Everyone laughed.
While I drove down the road for the cash, Marshall got to hang out a bit with Marshal and his parents (who live on the large property). They were really nice people. Apparently good Christian people too, as Marshal told us he had attended a Christian college in Colorado and then came back to work the family’s ranch. He takes people out on horse rides all the time. He told us that as much as he takes people out on this land, the view of the Badlands never gets old.
Once I returned, they gave us a great lunch recommendation: Red Rock restaurant, which was about a half hour drive away in Wall – and a half hour drive is like going up the street in these parts. At Red Rock restaurant, I had a buffalo burger and Marshall had buffalo steak. We then completed it with homemade apple pie. Delicious. From there, we got back in the car and began the driving loop around Badlands National Park.
We went a little to the west side of the park, where we saw everything from prairie dogs to buffalo! I told Marshall: “Are you hungry for more buffalo?” He answered: “I hope they don’t know we just ate their cousin.” There must have a been a hundred or so buffalo in a herd we saw. They were probably about two hundred yards away from the road we were on.
As we continued around the Badlands loop, we just kept seeing so many amazing views. There were so many “overlooks” to stop off at with small parking lots. They were easy to stop at, get a quick photo and get back in the car, or just relax and take in the view. We stopped at quite a few overlooks, but also skipped many of the overlooks along the way. “There are too many overlooks,” Marshall said to me. Then we’d pass another one. “Wow, another overlook?” he said. “Don’t overlook any of these opportunities,” I said as we both laughed.
Once we made it back to the road that intersected near the Visitor Center and the Badlands Inn, it was nearing around 5pm. We decided to go back to the Inn and take a little nap. After an hour or so, we got back up and headed back out. The temperature was pretty warm most of the day, but now as it approached 7pm, with the sun still out for quite some time, the temperature had cooled off a bit. This is the time of day I think the Badlands looks the best. As the sun sinks low to the west, it starts creating a lot of neat shadows over the many diverse-shaped sediment-formed structures that make up the Badlands.
We decided to do the “Door” hike, which was amazing, especially as we neared sunset. It was a 30-minute moderate round trip hike. As we hiked around it, I kept saying, “Is this Mars?” or “Is this another planet?” It just looked so… weird. In some ways, it’s almost like we were walking on the bottom of the sea, without the water of course. We have a beautiful earth and I’m fortunate I have been able to explore so much of it, including this part of it on this beautiful day.
After our hike, we got back in the car and drove the 10 minutes back toward the Badlands Inn and the “business district” of Interior, South Dakota. On our way back, the sun was setting on these Badlands, and the view was just one of a kind. Marshall (who has become my favorite travel DJ) turned up a song on the speakers of the car. He was playing the song “Golden Dream,” which is the song that closes the presentation of the “American Adventure” experience at EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World, in the Orlando area where we live. As we looked at the frontier scene in front of us, with the sun setting on the iconic Badlands, I was filled with such emotion. “I love America,” I exclaimed. What a beautiful land we have.
We ended the evening with dinner at the Wagon Wheel bar & restaurant (yes, really). There wasn’t much left on the menu at this time of night, so we settled for a chicken sandwich and some fries. We were exhausted but fulfilled. I can truly say we had a badass day at the Badlands of South Dakota. But, of course, our Independence Day week still had a few incredible experiences remaining.