Badlands are busy!

We had a long drive today made longer because Phil and I didn't notice that the route we were taking included 11 miles of unpaved road. The next quickest route had 27 miles of unpaved roads. So we backtracked 30 miles to Valentine, NE, to take the third route. I dont mind unpaved roads when I am familiar with them, but today there were thunderstorms on and off. I didnt want us getting stuck somewhere, not to mention the mud or dust.

We are at the Badlands/White River KOA. Its expensive, but very clean and only 4 or 5 miles from the Park Visitor's Center. We had reservations on the park last week, but had to cancel due to our condo closing date. No open spots for this week at the National Park campground.

Its cooler today. Like "long pants and a jacket" weather, plus there is a fine mist which makes it seem even colder! We made a trip to the Badlands Visitor's Center. We watched the park's movie about the Badlands, looked at exhibits, drove part of the park loop, and then decided we'd save the rest for tomorrow.

For supper, instead of cooking in the rain, we ate at the park's lodge cafeteria. We had hot soup and salad. Now we are lounging the the camper waiting for the rain to stop. We'll have an early night. We are in Mountain Time so it seems later to us anyway.

One little rant...we read about how the National Parks are suffering with staffing cuts and how entry fees are increasing. Today we saw that with parking lots full of visitors there was no one to take entry money at the gate. People were all getting in for free. We also saw this last year at Crater Lake. Not enough staff to even collect the increased fees. We have a lifetime pass so it didnt impact us personally, but I am sure that lots of other visitors would have been charged $25 or $30 per car (or more if they are international visitors). The park service could surely use that money. I am glad people got to see the park, but it does take money to keep the infrastructure functioning.Read more