We got on the road at 10am; we were expecting to drive about 7.5 hours this day to Bowman, North Dakota, but since we also factored in an extra few hours to visit the Badlands and Mount Rushmore along the way, we knew it was going to be another long day. After driving 3.5 hours through completely flat prarie, we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone and reached the Badlands a half hour later, and they did not disappoint. The incredible formations are on either side of a valley featuring a slowly eroding “wall” on the north side that separates the northern upper prairie from the lower prairie to the south. The structures were magnificent; pictures cannot capture the beauty of them. The only disappointing thing was the constant sound of motorcycles interrupting the stillness as they traveled the route through the park. 

After a late lunch at Wall Drug, which has grown into a multitude of attractions and turned the small town of Wall (named after the Badlands Wall) into a local tourist mecca, we continued on to Mount Rushmore, reaching the site in the Black Hills around 5:30pm Mountain Time (the number of motorcycles surrounding us on the road increasing all the time). The carvings were smaller than one is led to believe from pictures and television, but still impressive. There is a small amphitheater at the foot of Mt. Rushmore, and we stayed a little while to enjoy music by a few choruses, but there were still miles to go before we slept, so we soon continued on north to North Dakota. Along the way, we found the source of the motorcycles; apparently we were traveling through the area at the exact time of the Sturgis motorcycle annual rally! After passing through Sturgis, we quickly, and thankfully, left the motorcycles behind and continued on through completely deserted terrain lit by the setting sun to North Dakota and the only hotel within 50 miles.