Our Route Home from the American West

Part 1

Spring in Badlands National Park

On each of our trips, our last night in the American West is spent in Wall, South Dakota, since it is about 15 minutes from the bison we visit at Badlands National Park.

There is not much to Wall other than a jumble of small shops, worn-out museums, and lower end lodging surrounding Wall Drug, a mostly tacky tourist destination. The town is depressed—financially and spiritually—and yet, it is so close to our bison.

We visit the park in the afternoon, return at sunset to be with the bison, and rise before the sun to enjoy the prairie songbirds at dawn, which provide a stunning soundtrack to our final sit-down with the greatest American beast.