Big Trip, the Badlands

The Badlands was our first national park & it was very, very cool. 

Leah kept asking for her photo to be taken in various locations & poses: 

Sam took a lot of nature photography: 

I wore my hat: 

Amelie wore Sam's hat. We went on a short, kid-friendly trail & also another hike that had us go from post to post. 

The kids could climb around on parts of it. 

There was another lookout that didn't seem too safe without a railing, so the kids lay down to look over! Doesn't look quite as dangerous from this angle, though: 

We randomly ran into friends from college - Kara & Dan Smith - on their family vacation. We'd gone for a drive & stopped at a picnic area (so the kids could climb around some more) and there they were! They came to the sunset lookout point where we were, too, but we failed & didn't get a selfie together. 

It was very beautiful! And a little cool! You see Leah & Amelie are in their blankets in the photo above.  

There was a sign saying the prairie dogs carried bubonic plague. But they were very cute - and there were a lot of them! They make chirping noises. 

Leah posing in Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota. We visited the Badlands 2 days, but stayed the night at a hotel in Wall in between. There was a tour bus of Amish/Mennonite people staying at the hotel, who we also saw at Wall Drug. Several of them traipsed by to look at us swimming in the pool! The kids swam both days in the indoor & outdoor pools - I got in but it was too cold!

Mountain goats - there were some perched on nearly 90 degree cliffsides. 

This bison was RIGHT BY our van. We took the photo right out the window of the stopped vehicle. 

I had to be restrained from buying all the buffalo-related knickknacks (I did get some!) James picked up this magnet: