7/12 Badlands National Park

Hot, hot, hot!  I had been worried about the heat here at the Badlands, but it has been in the 80s and low 90s most of the last few weeks.   When I arrived yesterday, however, temps were 102!  I had reservations for two days in the national park campground with electric, so at least I had my AC, but even running full-blast, it would not cool the inside below 85 degrees, so it was really miserable until the sun went behind some clouds around 7:30 pm.  I cannot imagine what it was like for the many tent campers. 

The campground is pretty basic, but the scenery more than makes up for it.

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Sleeping was OK because the lowered evening temperatures meant that my AC finally caught up and cooled the inside temps down to where I like them.  I got up very early this morning and drove the loop to Wall.  Very pretty drive with lots of places to pull over.

 

It has been 35 years since I was last in this area and remember it as being a lot less green.  Apparently, as I was told, they had a drought last year and a dry spring, but a lot of rain in the last month, so there is a lot of green grass and even some water in a few of the creeks in the surrounding area.  The next few pictures show how green it is in the surrounding plains and some of the little valleys in the Badlands.

I have decided NOT to spend another night in the heat expected this afternoon, so will be heading up the road to somewhere just a bit cooler.