2010 Winnipeg 6 (Wall to Minneapolis 7/20/2010)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Up early, because of another long day, plus we lose an hour going back into the Central Time Zone today!

Headed directly into Badlands National Park, passing through the surrounding Buffalo Gap National Grassland, a mixed-grass prairie.

Oligocene fossil beds yield evidence of creatures from 23 to 35 million years ago. Once under the sea, this area shifted and rose above water in the time the Rocky Mountains were rising. As the water drained away, it led to erosion and shaping of the badlands.
Some views from the Pinnacles Overlook at the canyons, peaks, ridges, gullies, buttes:

The Yellow Mounds Overlook:

Layered deposits of sediments:

Conata Basin Overlook:

Homestead Overlook:

Prairie dogs are everywhere!  

Burns Basin Overlook:

Pronghorns:

Prairie Wind Overlook:

Panorama Overlook: 

Bunny: 

White River Valley Overlook, to the north: 

White River Valley Overlook, to the south:  

Fossil Exhibit Trailhead Overlook:

Pickup truck with a big antenna:

Prairie Homestead and white prairie dogs: 

Large Longhorn: 

Large Prairie Dog: 

Next stop: Mitchell, SD: 

Home of the "Corn Palace," known as the World's Largest Bird Feeder.  The 1892 Moorish building has minarets and turrets,

and murals made out of ears of corn, local grasses, wild oats, grain and straw. 

We had lunch in Mitchell at a Ruby Tuesday, then headed to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, SD. The zoo pass gave us free admission, saving $7 each.

A Ring-tailed Lemur hugs his tail:

A King Vulture: 

Waiting to be fed: 

Learning to milk a cow: 

Asian Cat Exhibit: 

Scarlet Ibis and chick: 

Friendly turkey: 

Stopped in Belle Prairie, MN for dinner at Emma Krumbees Restaurant & Bakery.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

We return the rental car and fly home to Jacksonville from Terminal 1 - Charles Lindbergh Terminal in Minneapolis.