US Trip.....Badlands National Park

We woke up early, anticipating the view out of the RV door. Firstly, we needed coffee. The flights, the driving and the jet lag were taking their toll! The coffee was terrible, it wasn't what we were used to but coffee is coffee.

We didn't know what to expect when we opened the door, arriving in the dark left us not knowing exactly where we had parked. In our typical style, we followed a marker on the map. We did well, the view was amazing, but nothing in comparison to what the rest of the day would reveal.

We agreed to do the entire Badlands Loop and stop off at any points that looked particularly interesting. We set off early, as we always do, approximately 7:30am. We wanted to make the most of everyday we had.

Within a few minutes, we came across our first overlook. It didn't look anything special. We quickly learned every viewpoint would offer something different but equally stunning. The landscape looked like it didn't belong on earth; rugged, barren, yet stunning.

Every direction we looked offered a different insight into how this spectacular landscape was formed.

It was very peaceful, no other person in sight! The sun was shining and only a few clouds in the sky. We headed back to the RV and continued on the Loop. Our next stop was the start of a few different trails, each trail offered a different perspective. We walked into the Badlands following one of the most interesting trails we have been on. The ground looked wet, it looked like we would easily sink into the ground. Surprisingly the ground was very solid and very white, this is not what we were expecting. We followed the trail, we walked down into a canyon, from here we were able to view the sheer height of the rock formation. Tall, jagged and extremely vast.

Our next stop was very different and our first real sighting of the amazing wildlife we were excited to see. The landscape was very different; hilly grasslands littered with bison. We were amazed how enormous they were, we have all seen 'wild animals' in a zoo or safari park but this experience was totally different. Bison roaming the plains where they belong, going about their everyday life.

From one of the largest animals we would see on our journey to one of the smallest. We knew Prairie Dogs were settled in the area, we didn't think we would have the opportunity to see them up close and playing.

We spent the rest of the day following the loop, experiencing what the amazing landscape had to offer. We stopped and had some lunch at one of the higher viewpoints, where we witnessed newly weds having a photoshoot. What we didn't know at the time, we would be camping next to them later that night. What an amazing place to have your official photos, a photoshoot you would never forget.

The rest of the day was spent completing the loop. We stopped at too many points to list them all. So, here is a selection of our favourite photos from the rest of the day.

And no trip to Badlands would be complete without a visit to Wall Drug! We finally found decent coffee!

Next stop, Rocky Mountains National Park. So if you want to continue following our adventure, head over to our website and subscribe https://www.straighttothesummit.com/ and don't forget to follow us on social media xx