The Badlands and Beyond

Russ and D’Angelo in the Badlands. I assumed that the Badlands were named for outlaws who hid out there but learned that they earned the name for being such an unforgiving and inhospitable landscape. Just like at Yellowstone and Devils Tower, the stark rock formations illustrated the earth’s  dramatic geologic changes over the years. 

It was mind-boggling to think that early white settlers literally took apart their haying equipment, hauled it up to the top of the rocks to cut what little grass was up there, then hauled the hay and equipment down to their farms. 

Russ shot this photo of me in Art Alley, Rapid City, South Dakota. The Alley was covered in some fun and funky graffiti. With all the road time and sightseeing we've been doing I haven't had much time for my own art-making but I've been taking photos to use as references for the artwork I'll be making in the future.

The guys next to a T-38. Russ and D’Angelo share a strong interest in planes and aviation so they both enjoyed our trip to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB outside Rapid City. The museum had an interesting collection of older planes and artifacts.

D’Angelo’s favorite excursion while he was visiting was Bear Country USA. In addition to the adult bears, cougars, wolves, and deer, they had at least 18 baby bear cubs.

We had a great time with D'Angelo during his visit and were sorry to see him fly back to Austin. He showed us some amazing card tricks, won quarters from us when we played Blackjack, and kept us laughing.