Back to Nebraska

Tags

badlands national park, camping, nebraska, omaha

So, after a beautiful first day in the Badlands, we were in for a real surprise. Somehow overnight the weather went from this

to this!

I should have known that something was wrong when we saw people leaving early in the morning. Apparently, a tornado storm was rolling through the midwest. The park ranger informed us that the storm would be there in a few hours and that we needed to leave due to the golf ball sized hail and tornadoes that were touching ground. Considering we were camping in a large, open, flat land area, it wasn’t exactly the safest place to be. We tried to think of another park to visit/camp but the storm was passing through several of the surrounding states. Then, we thought of maybe getting a hotel for a night but the storms were predicted to remain for a few days.

This is where you need to be flexible with your travels. We decided to pack up (and rushed to do so since it started to really storm) and drive back to Nebraska to figure out what to do the rest of our time there. Sure, I could be bummed that things didn’t work out as planned, but that wouldn’t change anything. Instead, I’m glad that we got out of there before things got worse and we still had a great time hanging out. So we went back to Omaha, NE and found some fun things to do there!

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Tags

badlands national park, camping, road trip, south dakota, travel

Driving through South Dakota, the land is mostly flat. So, it’s easy to see the Badlands as you pass through. Eric told me great things about his camping experience here which made me excited to finally enter the National Park and set up camp. My cousin reserved a nice spot right in the park. We arrived as the sun started to set so we hurried to set up camp and began heating the grill for dinner.

We had such a pretty view from our site. This made me even more excited for all of the hiking and camping we had planned for the next few days. It was relaxing admiring the beautiful scenery and we enjoyed playing a few games as we waited for dinner. You are not allowed to have an open fire pit but that didn’t stop us from making smores over our coal grill. It amazes me how clear the night sky can be once you are away from civilization. Sometimes all you need is a break from the city to remind you of how vast and calm the rest of the country still remains. Once the sun was gone, I fell asleep looking out at the stars with a cool breeze coming through our tent. 🙂

Mt. Rushmore

Tags

camping, mt rushmore, nebraska, south dakota, travel

Wow, summer seems to just be flying by! It is already almost mid-July. I feel like it was recently that I was planning for our trip to the Midwest and now it has been quite some time since we came back. Overall we had a great time but I was reminded of a very important lesson. No matter how much you plan, things can change and you need to be flexible!

Eric and I flew out of Atlanta with plans to arrive in Nebraska and go camping in the Badlands in South Dakota. My cousin and his wife live in Nebraska so we were meeting them to begin our journey. Flying in the summer is very chaotic, especially with the frequent storms we have been having lately. After a few delays, we made it to Nebraska late at night.

The trip started after we loaded our car with all of the gear and left for South Dakota around 4am. Since this was my first trip to South Dakota, I convinced the group to add the extra driving time to go see Mt. Rushmore. Realistically, I wasn’t sure that I would be back in this area any time soon so this was my chance.

Driving through South Dakota is so different compared to our usual holiday drives of Georgia to Maryland. Everything is so flat and open. Once you approach the Mt Rushmore area, you first drive through a little town that was clearly developed for all of the tourists. Then, after winding up the road we entered and I could see the carvings from a distance. I was excited to see the monument (and get out from sitting in the car).

It was amazing to see this in person and really think about how it was created. Most of the carving was done using dynamite. Can you imagine this level of detail and the amount of control needed to use the explosives?! While there, I learned that the carvings were actually made to become more defined over time as erosion took effect. Now that is some serious forward thinking! I could have spent hours just sitting there, staring in awe. I was so happy we made the last-minute decision to come out here and it was a great way to begin our trip!

Camping/Hiking Rabun Bald

Tags

bartum trail, camping, goal list, hiking, rabun bald

Goal #9 Go Camping

With November fast approaching, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to squeeze in my goal of going camping at least once this year. Luckily, it all came together last weekend! Eric, Sura, and I (plus 2 friends and their dog) decided to rent an SUV, drive up to Rabun Bald (near the TN border) and spend the night camping. So, why did we rent an SUV? Well, I’ve been wanting to hike up Rabun Bald but our small cars just aren’t able to auto ford through water or handle the rough terrain. While there was minimal water that we had to drive through, the SUV still came in handy for the rough bumps and for holding 4 adults, 2 dogs, and camping gear.

One person in our group never went camping before so Eric was excited to introduce him to all the outdoor fun. After setting up camp, they went looking for wood to build a fire while I stayed back with our other friend to prep for dinner and plan for our hike. You can either backpack up Rabun Bald (5 miles) then camp at the top or camp on the bottom and do the 10 miles round trip the next day. We decided on the latter because it’s a pretty steep hike up and asking someone to backpack on their first camp trip up a steep trail seemed a little demanding.

We enjoyed all the wonderful parts of camping: eating dinner, roasting smores, sitting by the camp fire, and enjoying the silence of nature. Eventually, it was time to rest up for the hike. The next morning, we woke up early to clean up our campsite and start our hike. It was beautiful watching the sunrise through the trees and there was not a cloud in sight. As we made it to the top, you could see the colorful trees and feel the fresh autumn air. I love fall!!

View from the top:

We even found a little side trail that led to an open area with this vista view:

It was a beautiful hike and the perfect day to spend outside. We completed the hike in pretty good time and hopped back in the car to head back to Atlanta. Maybe next time we’ll try backpacking up and camping at the top since the views were amazing!