Badlands & Minuteman Missile Nat’l Site; Oct. 4, 2017
Since we were traveling along Interstate 90 through South Dakota, on our way back to North Carolina, we decided to make a stop at the Badlands National Park. Neither of us had ever been there. We were anxious to get home, so we allotted only a few hours for the visit.
We parked the RV at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The Museum is just north of the Badlands, at Exit 131. Between 1963 and the early 1990s there were 15 launch control facilities in South Dakota. They commanded and controlled 150 launch facilities holding Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. This museum preserves two of these facilities in their historic site.
After our tour we unhooked the Jeep and drove down the road to the Badlands. The land surrounding the Badlands is primarily flat. As you approach the park you are awed by the massively large and colorful geologic deposits which make up the Badlands. It is certainly a unique site.
We enjoyed our drive through the park. If we ever visit again I would love to spend a couple nights. Capturing a full moon, or the Milky Way, over the geologic deposits would be fantastic.
On our way back to the Minuteman Missile, to pick up the RV, we stopped by Wall, SD. We saw a lot of signs about the Wall Drug Store and figured we should check it out. It is quite the tourist spot. We buzzed in and out of the gift shops in record time and got back on the road quickly. There wasn’t much for us in Wall.
After picking up the RV we worked our way to Mitchell, SD where we spent the night in a Cabella’s parking lot. It was our first time overnighting at a Cabella’s. It was great. This particular store has one large lot dedicated to RVs and Trucks. The parking spaces are long and wide. They even have a dump station and water. Additionally, there are a few restaurants within walking distance. In the future, we will be looking for a Cabela’s, over Walmart, for on-the-road overnight parking.
The following day we drove 645 miles to O’Fallon, IL. We spent the night at a Walmart. Like a horse to its barn, we were ready to get home so we got an early start the next day too and drove 670 miles to our home base; Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort in Lake Toxaway, NC. We made it there right as the sun was setting.
We had been gone for only a month and had visited with friends in St. Louis, enjoyed Aspen, Ouray, Silverton, Durango, and Telluride in Colorado. We spent a great week with friends in Moab, UT. We visited Yellowstone, the Tetons, the area around Cody WY and the Badlands. Whew, that’s a lot of adventure in one month! We loved it all!!
Until next time……