DAY 8

Before leaving Wall and starting on our way, we took one more ride down main street fro another picture. It was a little early and yet the street was filling with visitors. We really enjoyed our stay but it was time to move on.

 Just up the road is the sign that we were looking for. We had decided to take the Badlands Loop out of town and then back up towards Rapid City. This was the first day that was more sightseeing and liesurely driving than trying to get to a destination. We had plenty of time to get to our daily stop.

What a fantastic place!! The Badlands are absolutely breathtaking.

 As far as the eye can see, the scenery is awesome and the road wasn't very crowded so we were able to stop for photos along the way. There are plenty of turnoffs but sometimes there was that perfect shot that you just have to pull over to get.

It reminded us somewhat of the Painted Desert in Arizona but this seemed to cover a lot more area. It seemed that we drove for many miles and we were still loving the drive. There are times when you're down in the valleys looking at the mountains and then you climb and look down from atop them.

Along the way you will find a restroom here an there. Usually in a beautiful area that doubles as a rest stop and a photo op.

Taking a little break along the Badlands Loop.

 After the Loop, we got back onto I90 for a bit and then turned north up to Pierre SD. Besides being the state capital, we had a dealership to visit.
The ride up to Pierre was not a very enjoyable one. We were getting buffeted by the winds as we drove along 90 but when we turned north towards Pierre we were heading directly into the wind.
Between the winds and the upgrades along the highway, I was fighting all the way. By the time we got to the shop, we were both tired and windblown.

But we made it to our hotel in Custer and relaxed a bit before going down onto Main Street for a well deserved dinner. Just knowing that we were going to be staying here for a few days was a relief. We had put in some long days and now we get a chance to take in the sights and start slowing the pace down a little.

172 miles and hopefully the last rough day for a while...