Tim had always planned to attend this year’s Plains Anthropological Conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, so our goal had been to finish our projects at AGFO before heading out yesterday. We almost made it! We left the RV behind, so we will return next week to finish up a few loose ends.
The drive to Rapid City was an easy three hours long, and we checked into our hotel and had a light dinner.
Today, we had the day free since Tim had not signed up for any of the tours. So, we decided to drive to Badlands National Park. On past visits, I had focused on the rugged beauty of the park and its geology. For some reason, I had ignored the fact that these geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. After having met the park’s paleontologist while working at AGFO, I was much more aware of this aspect of the park’s significance.
Tim and I had hoped to meet some of the staff, including the museum curator, but we learned that everyone was participating in the park’s bison roundup. The very helpful ranger at the desk graciously opened the paleontology lab for us, although it had been closed for the season. Tim was particularly interested in seeing how the fossils had been cavity packed.
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| The Paleontology Lab at Badlands National Park |
We drove along the park road on the way back to Rapid City, and I once again admired the scenery. We even had a few wildlife sightings, including a herd of pronghorn and two bison. We were relieved that the visitors photographing the bison were keeping a respectful distance. Although we have seen bison countless times, it was neat to see them today since we had just watched Ken Burns’ The American Buffalo.
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| Wild and Rugged Badlands National Park |
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| Wildlife Sightings Are Always Fun |
We were hungry when we left the park and stopped at the iconic Wall Drug Store where ice water is still free! The burgers were quite good.
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| Wall Drug Store |
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