Badlands National Park, South Dakota

(8/26) The Badlands aren't bad--they're beautiful!

Visible in these jagged hills are layers of sediments deposited as far back as 75 million years ago, first by an inland sea, then by rivers carrying sand, silt, clay, and volcanic ash from the emerging Rockies.

The area of badlands is gradually moving northward as tributaries of the White River erode away the sediments from the south.

Within the park, the prairies adjoining the badlands have prairie dog towns. Judy discovered that she has a soft spot in her heart for prairie dogs!