Black Hills and Badlands

This weekend I had a mini-vacation seeing the sights in the Black Hills and Badlands areas.  The main attraction was Wind Cave National Park, which I had never visited before.  It is one of the longest cave systems at around 145 miles, and is still being explored.  It is pretty unique for a structure that can be found there called boxwork.  Mineral deposits left in cracks became all that remained when the soft limestone was washed away.  So boxwork is basically just the cracks of ancient stone.  It was my first time beyond the entrance of a cave, and I loved it.  I find myself more and more entranced by things that are unique, fleeting, or incredibly detailed.

In spite of the possibility of a tourist trap, we stopped by Reptile Gardens.  I'm glad we did.  It was basically a small zoo focused on reptiles, with some birds and prairie dogs on the side.  I never knew how many different kinds of crocodiles and alligators there are, or how much they vary in size.  I was also thrilled to see so many kinds of snakes, including a massive anaconda and 2 gigantic Burmese pythons.  My absolute favorite in the park was Tank the giant tortoise.  He and I became quick buds.

We passed through Badlands National Park on our way back, and glad we did.  We found Yucca and Prickly Pear cactus and learned they are native in South Dakota.  We also did the Notch trail, and it made us realize just how beautiful Badlands is.

So all in all, I belive I have gone to 17 national parks now, and Gabb has gone to 19.

• Wind Cave
• Badlands
• Rocky Mountain
• Capitol Reef
• Canyonlands
• Arches
• Redwood
• Lassen Volcanic
• Yosemite
• Sequoia
• Joshua Tree
• Death Valley
• Zion
• Bryce Canyon
• Rainier
• Olympic
• Cuyahoga