Before I even start I have to go backwards a bit. While we were in Wall we found a quilt store. It has to be the tiniest quilt store in the world.

This is half the store. Sorry, I thought I got a picture of the entire store but it was just next to the sign. In this tiny store–which was probably about 20×16–she had a longarm machine. She had one or two shelves with fabric and some fat quarters and panels. The lady was super nice–will stop again if I am ever in the area.

We left the Badlands and headed to McCullough Peaks where we will be until the 29th. John and I had two gps’ going–because we like to see the different routes. His was taking us from I90 to HWY 14 whereas mine was taking us I90 to HWY 16. My route was shorter so we opted for that. In addition there were several large billboards making note that HWY 14 to Yellowstone is less steep and more scenic. This was a no brainer. That is until we went to make our turn and there was a sign stating there was road damage and it advises you take another route. Though it was really scenic–it ended up taking us about 2 hours longer. We did stop along the way at a scenic overlook to have lunch and enjoy the view.

We arrived at McCullough Peaks and there was a truck blocking the entrance so we went up ahead to another location. Though the other location was quite beautiful, it was going to be a pain every time we went out. That location did not have any roads that led deeper into the area–it just led to a great campsite. We waited until the truck moved and went back to the main entrance. We found the site we used last year and dropped the trailer, then headed off to look for some wild mustangs. Naturally we went to all the areas we searched last year–where we saw them–but there were no signs. I know John loves driving around on these dirt roads but let me tell you ladies, wear a sports bra. I had to hold these puppies down, they were bouncing so hard I was afraid I would get a couple of black eyes.

After our off road adventure, John wanted to go into Cody to get some Huckleberry ice cream so we took a drive into town. Cody is only about 30 minutes from here.

We went to the Bigg Chill downtown and John got his White Chocolate Huckleberry ice cream and I got the Bourbon Maple Pecan. Not that I needed it-but it was worth it.

We came back to camp about 10:00 and I was ready for bed. It had been a long day. I know my kids are laughing at this–me going to bed at 10:00 but, I hardly fell asleep on the drive here so, I was exhausted. John went outside and I could hear him calling me but more at a whisper. The horses were right next to the campground. I could hardly see them but, John was like a little kid–he was so excited. And he is snapping away with his phone.

If you zoom you can kind of see them. Hopefully we will get some great shots today.

We made it to the Badlands in one day- Ok, let me set this straight. After leaving Indy and driving a few hours we spent a night at a rest area in Iowa. John set the alarm for 3:00am. When the alarm went off I asked, “what time is it?” John told me it was 3:00. I asked why he set the alarm for 3:00 and he told me he couldn’t sleep. Of course he couldn’t sleep–the alarm was going off at 3:00. He was ready to go, so off we went. I don’t care, I am going to sleep in the car anyway.

On our way we made a stop at the statue of Dignity of Earth and Sky. Don’t miss this Welcome/Rest Area on I-90 between exits 263 and 265.

This beautiful sculpture was designed by Dale Lamphere to honor the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people. She stands 50′ tall and is wrapped in a star quilt. How fitting that one of our first stops was to see this magnificent sculpture wrapped in a quilt. And once we arrived here we realized we had stopped on the other side of the highway to visit a quilt store the last time we were in the area. There is a lovely walkway that takes you to these beautiful views over the Missouri River. To learn more about Dignity of Earth and Sky click here.

Because of the time changes as we traveled west, we arrived in the Badlands about 5:00 PM. We set up camp and headed into the park.

Bison greeted us at the entrance and we saw some deer playing a little farther out in the fields. We noticed as we got deeper and deeper into the park, the sky was noticeably getting darker and darker. We realized there was a storm on the horizon and it was slowly coming our way. Before we could get back to our camp, it was pouring and then hail was hitting our truck.

It made no sense to go back to camp and grill so we went into town to the Badlands Saloon and Grille.

I had a Raspberry Moscow Mule–Yummy! And Whiskey Steak tips with mashed potatoes!!

The rain had stopped by the time we finished our meal and we headed back to camp.

Rather than try to write everyday, I am covering a few days with one post. The next morning we headed to Wall for their famous donut and nickel coffee. John opted for a caramel pecan bun.

After breakfast we headed back into the park to find some animals. We didn’t have much luck so we headed back to camp and made lunch. After lunch we headed back into the park. We had another storm brewing and some very ominous skies but, it just rained a little. After the rain the animals came out.