Devil’s Tower, WY to Badlands National Park (Interior, SD)

We left Devil’s Tower this morning on our way through to the Badlands, SD. First stop was Rapid City, SD to get supplies. Little towns are great, but they don’t always have the things you’re looking for. We stopped at Rushmore Mall and then had lunch in the RV in the parking lot before moving on.

The Story of Wounded Knee is a Must-See Museum in Wall, SD

Next stop was Wall, SD as we wanted to visit the Wounded Knee Museum (which isn’t at Wounded Knee which we were surprised to learn when we visited the actual massacre site). It was quite a moving experience. Chuck was moved to tears at times I could tell (as was I), and both of us were disgusted at the travesty of it all. It still sickens me to learn of the way the Indians have been mistreated throughout history. I learned of more atrocities today that I had never heard of before – from when Columbus first came to the Americas. Indians being misled, then butchered and tortured – for the fun of it. It makes me sick. Why aren’t these facts more well known? Why isn’t this taught in history class? Why hasn’t the government righted the wrongs they’ve committed? Why did any of this happen in the first place? I know after seeing the museum that I want to learn more about Wounded Knee – the massacre and the Indian Movement there in the 1970s as well. Everyone should see this museum. The sad thing is, there were other people there, but I don’t think they really did more than casually read the displays. It took a long time for me to read them all, and I’m a fast reader. Even so, I was ‘speed reading’ a lot because there was just so much information. The other visitors were in and out and we were still there. They couldn’t have really taken it all in in that short time.

Wounded Knee MASSACRE

After the museum, we headed to the scenic loop of the Badlands National Park. We decided to drive through with the RV and get to the campground (Badlands Ranch and Resort – a Passport America campground at $14 night) and drive the loop again with the truck tomorrow to really see things. It looks fascinating so far. Like another world! We’ll hit the visitor center and a few trails tomorrow, and go back over the 28 mile road again after my 5 mile run in the morning. Should be nice. I think I’ve found a good trail to run. It’s the Castle Trail and it’s 10 miles round trip. I can run from the Visitor’s Center to the Fossil Trail (5 miles) and have Chuck pick me up. I’m looking forward to it. There are lots of warnings about cactus, rattlesnakes, bringing a compass and lots of water, and to watch out for the wildlife (like coyotes and bison). But it’s an established trail, so hopefully I don’t have to worry too much…

Wow! Tonight we had a heck of a storm roll through just minutes after setting up camp! The winds were the worst we’ve had yet, and we’ve had some bad winds, especially at Devil’s Tower. We could see the black clouds and lightning coming our way, but had no idea it would be so bad. The RV was REALLY rocking and I was worried we needed to get out and seek shelter in a real building. Fortunately this campsite has free WiFi so we got on the net and checked for weather alerts. Sure enough there was a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and Warning just for our location. It said we were in for up to 70 mph winds and 2” hail with lots of lightning and possible tornadoes and to seek shelter in a strong building. By the time we had read all this, the winds seemed to die down. We checked the online doppler radar and it looked like the worst of it had just passed over us so we were in the clear. Whew! The worst part of RVing so far to me is the vulnerability to the weather and not really knowing what is coming our way. We’re in some out of the way backwoods places, and our weather radio hasn’t been much help as it hasn’t picked up any stations. It’s scary when the winds are blowing so hard and the RV is rocking and we’re not sure if it will stay put. I want to look into some kind of better system. There must be one for serous hikers. Maybe we can find something more dependable to feel safer.

This campground seems nice so far. We didn’t get a chance to explore it much with the storm coming in and nightfall, but it’s better than I expected as Interior, SD was a bit of a shock. I expected a small town, but this one is REALLY small. If it didn’t say it was a town, you’d never know. Two pretty sad looking buildings or so. The signs to this campground all looked old and really faded and the road to it was a mile long dirt road. But it’s a little oasis out in this desolate prairie with some nice people as well. Full hook-ups and lots of amenities. Not a fancy resort, but not a bad little campground. Looks like trail riding as well, though I don’t know if we’ll try that this time. The free WiFi is a nice touch that we didn’t think they’d have.

Well, time for sleep and rest for my run tomorrow. Only five miles after my 18.6 on Saturday, but I don’t know how recovered I’ll be, and for some reason five miles doesn’t seem as easy as it should seem at this point. I think I’m getting worried about the marathon as it gets closer. Hopefully the taper phase of my training will make me feel better about my conditioning. Right now I feel a bit beat up by all the miles. But I manage to do them, so I guess I should be thinking more positive.