Their website makes the ridiculous-sounding claim that Whitewater State Park, in spite of the river & streams, was mosquito-free. I didn't see a single one the whole time I was there.
I took a short hike up a bluff and did see some really pretty butterflies.
After my hike and dinner, I hopped in to my tent just as the skies opened up - it thunderstormed the whole night long. My little tent did just fine, and I was dry as could be come morning.
Much like "South of the Border" (for those who've driven through South Carolina), there isn't so much along the highway in South Dakota, and the smallest attraction seems to get a huge amount of publicity. The first of such locations is the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.
There's not much more to it than that, but hey, even that's exciting in South Dakota.
My next destination was Badlands National Park, but it was a little too far to drive in one day from Whitewater State Park - I spent a night in Pierre, SD. I quickly learned that it's pronounced "Peer" and that if you blink, you might miss "downtown Pierre."
From Pierre, I made my way to the Badlands. As you drive across route 90, it's open farmland & prairie for miles, and then all of a sudden, you see...
The Badlands.
I set up camp with this amazing view.
Though it's prairie, there's a large bird population that likes to wake up really early in the morning and sing. The two loudest are the killdeer...
...and the meadowlark. I learned to love earplugs in the Badlands.
The Badlands really feel like another planet, especially since they're so isolated. But they're beautiful.
Some of the layers are fossilized soil - the yellow mounds have a specific fossilized organism that gives the vivid color.
I saw a herd of what I think were bighorn sheep. To me, the horns looked much too small, but I can't find out what other animal this could be.
On the ranger-led walk, I learned about this awesome feature of the Badlands. During a rainstorm, small chunks of the clay-based hill can break off and begin to roll down a gully. As it goes, it becomes more and more spherical and collects small rocks and pebbles. What you end up with is an armored mudball.
I was also treated to a spectacular twilight and sunset in the park.
