Rugged Beauty

Heading east this morning, from Rapid City to Badlands National Park, on a closer look at the map, I realized that there was another national historic site to visit, without going far from our original route! Another stamp for our passports! So our first stop was at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

Established to illustrate the history and significance of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, the site is a tribute to the vast number of nuclear weapons that were placed in the Great Plains. Under the START, 80% of nuclear weapons were reduced, and the Minuteman Missile II in this area of South Dakota were among the first to be eliminated.

Stephen, Minuteman Missileer, takes a call from the President

 Later in the afternoon we went out to visit a deactivated silo.

The dramatic landscape and sprawling grasslands of Badlands National Park makes for a surreal experience. 

A scenic loop takes you through the park. Despite the desolate look, we're told there's an abundance of wildlife, although we only saw a few signs of that. Those prairie dogs sure are cute, but tough to photograph! And we did see one lone bison, not close enough for a meaningful photo.

Fortunately, there's always a wildflower or two!

Here's today's picnic spot:

Yes, it was 104 here today. We ate in the car, with the air conditioning on. During a brief rain the temperature dropped to 89, and after the rain went right back up to 104. But it's a dry heat . . .

We made a quick stop in Wall, at the Wall Drug Store, which, according to the road-side billboards, is a must. Elizabeth did make a new friend.

Also in Wall, we visited the National Grasslands Visitor Center.

And that's a wrap on this trip. Stephen's flight to Dulles via Denver leaves at 6:05 am and our flight to Richmond via Minneapolis leaves at 6:40 am. Over 1500 miles in four days, and we're still talking to each other! As always, the time spent together is the most meaningful part of the trip. Except now Greg has 50 states!!! and I have 49!!!! Yay!