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After yesterday's temps of 28 C, we were disappointed that it was only 15 C and cloudy when we started out on our exploration of the Badlands.
We decided to do the 36 mi scenic drive through the south end of the Park. Bison greeted us almost immediately on our drive….actually they had no interest in us and often walked right across the road in front of us. The prairie dogs, which really look like gophers, were abundant. They seemed to stay every close to their holes but would "yell/chirp" at us while we stopped to watch. We saw a number of wild horses, magpies and pheasants. Towards the end of the drive, a coyote ran onto the road in front of us, stopped then headed back into the bush. We stopped numerous times on the drive to view the incredible scenery.
Our last stop was the Petrified Forest on the west side of the park. These forests were buried by flood deposits or volcanic ash. The organic compounds in the wood were dissolved and replaced by very small crystals of quartz. It was a 3 mile hike to get to the area but well worth the effort. Bikes are not allowed in the park.
We decided to bike the Maah Daah Hey Trail which goes south of the Park. Unfortunately the trail was very sandy and we had a difficult time with our cross bikes.
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