We said goodbye to our Custer friends and headed east on Thursday, October 1. We had a pleasant surprise in Rapid City when we found that Rick and Linda, who had been visiting family in Minnesota for several days, were also headed for WalMart to provision. We had a chance to exchange hugs with them and say yet another goodbye before heading east. A drizzly late afternoon found us in Wall, SD. Since the weather was expected to remain cloudy and dreary through Friday, we elected to stay at Shady Hollow RV Park in Wall instead of driving into The Badlands. Shady Hollow has a nice dog park, and the Bagley Pack had a good time chasing balls.
Surprise, surprise! Friday morning dawned partly cloudy and promised at least a possibility of some good photos in The Badlands. I rolled out of bed, made a quick cup of coffee and headed out with Rue and my camera. Our trip was delayed by construction on the road leading into the park. I couldn’t believe it, but the crews were on the job shortly after 6:30 a.m. when we passed through. I made a quick stop to photograph the sunrise over the prairie.
And then Rue and I pressed on to the first overlook. The wind was blowing so hard I had to keep my hat on with my hoodie, and I didn’t dare to set up a tripod for fear it would blow over. Nevertheless, as the beautiful morning light flowed over the peaks and into the valley, I managed to get a few shots while Rue explored and looked for bunnies.
We drove a short distance farther into the park, for a couple of additional shots. It was amazing how the colors changed depending on the direction of the light.
But the early-morning light was soon gone and we headed back to Wall to pack up for another day of travel. We'll return, though. No matter how many times were visit, the landscape changes with the light and the seasons, and is forever new.
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