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A bike's eye view of negotiating the roads that wind through this rugged
country. There is a circular, "scenic drive" that meanders through the park.
It is great fun on a motorcycle, and a pleasant enough trip by car. |
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The low formations identify this as one of the more geologically mature
areas of the park. The closer formations are only a few feet high. The formations
in the distance are not more than 10 feet high. |
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Though not quite a desert, this area is considered to be semi-desert.
There is virtually no rain for most the year. In the spring, and the fall,
there are torrential rains, which must sustain what life there is, for the
rest of the year. |
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A chance rock, or inconsistency in the bedding has allowed for part
of this formation to resist erosion, and maintain a bit more material, causing
it to rise above the surrounding rocks. It is a resistance which will be
proven futile, however, as is demonstrated by the worn down formations around
it. |
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A thin rib, or wall, of rock. Formations like this are where the city
of Wall got it's name, and where the old "Hole in the Wall Gang" got it's
name from. This is not coincidence, but is the actual area where these famous
outlaws hid out, and settled. |
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This picture is a bit blurred, not because my focus was bad, but because
it was taken from a moving motorcycle. Photos like this remind me just how
foolish people can be when they are young. |
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A parting shot of the Badlands, from one of the scenic pull outs. The
ultimate fate of this area can be seen by the flat area at the bottom. This
is a more resistant layer of rock, which has held enough of the soil, from
the constant runoff of mudstone, to support some hardy vegetation. |
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A steep sided formation, it's height, and extreme grade indicate that
it is a mid sequence formation. This structure will thin out and collapse,
leaving a low, heavy base, which will indicate a mature formation. This base
will wear away relatively quickly. Of course, in the context of the geological
time of the Badlands, we are talking about hundreds, or thousands of years. |
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The parking lot of Wall Drugs in Wall South Dakota. Look at all of those
old cars form the seventies. The place was, and continues to be, a tourist
attraction (trap), but I loved it. I was more of a purist on this first trip,
and took no pictures of Wall, or Wall Drugs, wishing to save my film for
nature, and scenic wonders. |
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The attraction of this picture is obvious. I would have liked to have
met the couple, and said hello. The optimist in me says that, after over twenty
years, they are still married. |
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Four horses "outstanding in their field". Being a city boy, I was not
really used to seeing large animals just wandering around, and horses were
something that you saw in stables, or pulling circus wagons during the parade. |
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I assume that the farm off in the distance, is where the owner of the
horses lived. Probably all of the land I could see in every direction was
owned by these people. The barbed wire kind of discouraged a visit, which
I suppose was the idea. Who needs a bunch of tourists milling around and being
a nuisance? |
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The horses seemed to have taken some notice of me, as I stood by the
fence taking pictures. The black horse in the background seems to be trying
to make up his mind about me. The brown, way in the distance, seems a bit
more jaded, and uninterested than his companions. |
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Off in the background of this shot, just short of the rise, you can
barely make out four shapes. These are pronghorns, and this was I close as
I was to get to one of these rapidly moving animals. |
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What a truly "nosey" horse. these were some of the friendliest horses
I ever saw. They walked right up to the fence, and pushed their heads at me,
letting me know, in no uncertain terms, that they needed to be scratched,
and patted. How could I say no to an offer like this? |
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Horses in the sun. They seemed quite content, and I was quite content
to spend some time with them. |