A few pics from the badlands

5 SHOTS · March 20, 2011, 02:50:37 PM

I went for a short drive today and took a few pix of the badlands. I only went to the park today because of the muddy roads out in the hills. They haven't opened the road to the top yet because some of the tourists don't know how steep the road is. Pitw has been up it. The gate at the bottom.

A few pix from close by the gate.

On the way back to the visitor center. This pic will give you an idea of the size of the hills. The building in the bottom of the pic is the group picnic area. I think it is designed for about 100 people.

To be continued......

5 SHOTS · March 20, 2011, 02:52:05 PM

And now the exciting conclusion....

This pic is a little blurry but it is the best one I got, (from about a mile away) I zoomed as far as the camera would go and rested on the car to take it. The shale, clay, sand mix that makes up the ground here has eroded around the sand stone rocks sitting on top leaving this.

And finally a few from inside the visitor center.

Sorry it is so long. I hope I didn't bore everyone to death here. I did get a little book about the park that I can send to anyone interested.

Jeb · March 20, 2011, 02:52:49 PM

Sweet ! Would like to see this myself one day.

FOsteology · March 20, 2011, 03:03:25 PM

Like Jeb, I too one day need to make the pilgrimage. As a student of Anthropology, I obviously find paleontology absolutely intriguing and fascinating.

Carolina Coyote · March 20, 2011, 03:24:46 PM

Thanks for the tour Art, That would be a great place to visit. CC

Hawks Feather · March 20, 2011, 03:55:32 PM

Thanks for the pictures. I have to say that the Badlands are one of the starkest areas and resembles the desert with hills. I guess I just think of the salt flats when I think of desert areas, but the colors are about the same. It is a nice place to visit.

Jerry

Bills Custom Calls · March 20, 2011, 04:29:17 PM

About time it sure looks cold there yet

Pretty neat pics that place has a bit of history to eh

HaMeR · March 20, 2011, 06:59:43 PM

Definitely a nice place to visit. Thanks for sharing Art!!

msmith · March 20, 2011, 08:24:06 PM

Very cool pics Art! I don't much care for that toxic white stuff, but other than that, very cool. I may have to do a vacation in that area sometime.

pitw · March 20, 2011, 09:11:15 PM

Quote from: Bills Custom Calls on March 20, 2011, 04:29:17 PMeh

Jeez that sounds weird with your accent

.

great pics Art

. Yep I was up there with my personal guide

, who I would recommend to anyone

. It is some neat country but Art told me a story about a snake which kept me close to the vehicle

. I saw more fossils there in one day than I have ever seen in my three lifetimes.

iahntr · March 20, 2011, 09:30:45 PM

Cool pics Art !
Thanks !

5 SHOTS · March 20, 2011, 11:10:32 PM

People have commented on the lack of plants here. This area is a mixture of clay, shale and sand. When it rains, the soil gets saturated fast so most of the rain runs off. Add to this the fact that the soil doesn't release the nutrients easy and that the topsoil is very thin to nonexistent in some places, make it very hard for trees to compete against the native grasses. The average annual rainfall is about 20 inches.

FinsnFur · March 23, 2011, 10:20:20 AM

Me and the youngest daughter were awwing over these this weekend and I never got a chance to get back to them and comment but I think they are interesting as all get out.

I'd like to be able to visit the place also, one day.
I wanted to ask you if you knew what actually caused that land to become so impervious and useless, yet beautiful. Maybe beautiful only cause it's so different but still.

After finally getting through all the replies, I'm wondering if it's the ground quality and the way it reacts to rain as you described. But why only in that spot? Interesting stuff.

5 SHOTS · March 23, 2011, 04:57:31 PM

I will get a new photo in a few days, (when the snow melts enough,) that will show the depth of the topsoil in most places. The hills are from erosion. In those photos I am in a creek bottom that is about 500 to 600 ft below the hill tops, a little like a canyon. This whole area doesn't get much rain, so the grasses choke the trees out before they get a good root system going. Here is a link that can explain it better than I can.

http://makoshika.org/