October 10, 2015 at 07:34PM by advodna_dave

We let Mae nap before we left camp, partially because It was Saturday morning and Wynne had found a few kids from the Class C across the campground road to play with and partially because we only had an hour drive up to Mt. Rushmore, not enough time for a decent car nap. At the monument, we walked up to the viewing area, letting Mae stomp around in her new yellow Crocs and taking our obligatory family pic, before stopping in for ice cream and a magnet to add to our collection. By the time Wynne checked in at the ranger's desk to claim her twelfth Junior Ranger badge - she was baffled when the ranger only requested a handshake instead of the usual stress-giggle inducing Junior Ranger pledge - it was time for Mae to go to sleep again. We didn't leave the parking lot until a little after 5:00 pm with an hour and a half of driving to go, but we passed the time FaceTiming with some family and watching an amazing purple and orange sunset envelope the seemingly endless fields on either side of I-90. No matter what the signs said, we'd have to skip Wall Drug for the time being as we cross-referenced GPS coordinates and reviews on @campendium to find the turn off for the National Forest Road out to our boondocking site overlooking the Badlands. It was nearly dark as we optimistically pulled off SD-240 onto a dirt road that lead to two radio towers. I was sure to close the barbed wire gate behind us - even though it had been open when we got there - remembering stories from other travelers about visits from irate ranchers. For posterity (that means "to post on Instagram," right?), I ran towards the back of the trailer to get a picture. Nope, needs more perspective. With hungry and tired kids fading fast, I quickly back peddled for more depth. I'm not sure which I felt first, the sting of the barbed wire on the backs of my knees or my back hitting the dirt on the other side of the fence. It's dark now and there's blood running down the backs of my knees, but I have a feeling this site is gonna be worth it in the morning. #airstream #liveriveted #myrivetedlife #badlands