The Magic of the 100th Meridian: Byebye Humidity, Hello Badlands
In the late 19th century, explorer John Wesley Powell wrote at length about the dividing line that separates the humid growth of the eastern U.S. from the arid sparsely-vegetated land of the west. After months of traveling east of that line we literally had a countdown to the date we’d cross back. Despite growing up and spending the first 31 years of my life in the Northeast I have found myself increasingly uneasy at the prospect of spending any length of time on the eastern side of that line; I do not enjoy the bugs or the humidity of course, but what I really don’t like is the claustrophobia I feel amongst the overgrowth of trees and weeds, and the inability to situate myself in the surrounding landscape. I hate not being able to see. So I began to feel relief as we traveled west through the plains of South Dakota, watching the horizon open up before my eyes. Soon enough the lush prairie grasses of Eastern and Central South Dakota began to dull and the rocky badlands began to punctuate the landscape; this was our cue to stop.
Badlands National Park was the first destination on my initial 2013 road trip that led to me being a permanently-mobile person and I remember being immediately enthralled. Upon returning I was again captivated by the eroded forms and the abundance of space. Because I’d already been there – and also because we were eager to get into the ponderosa forests of the Black Hills – we only spent one day exploring the pinnacles, buttes, bison, and prairie dogs but we certainly crammed in a lot. In addition to the obligatory stops at all the overlooks and pulloffs we took a few short walks and hikes resulting in us feeling thoroughly satisfied by the time we returned to our boondocking spot located just outside the park. From our campsite we enjoyed fantastic views of the sunset across the prairie as well as an impressive drop into the eroded canyons below.
Views from our campsite:
Love the Badlands. Hoping for a return visit this June. Beautiful pics!
I really enjoyed our return, much more so than I thought. Somehow it was even prettier than I remembered!
Yes!! I always felt like there were way too many hills and trees out in New England, and most everyone else I’ve ever said that too doesn’t understand. Like you, I’m all about the wide open skies and the views. Also, I’ve never heard that saying about the 100th meridian, and I have to admit to not even knowing where it is, but that’s interesting that it’s such an effective dividing line. Beautiful photos too 🙂
I think living under so much tree cover in the east or living under open sky in the west is just something you never give much thought to until you experience the opposite. I just met some volunteers from NJ and I finally found someone to agree with me about the claustrophobic feeling I get when I go back to the northeast.
Yeah, I think you’re right. Pat spent his whole life in New England and the first time he came to visit Montana with me, he had the exact opposite response… he missed the trees!
wow, your photos are truly stunning!
Thanks so much!
This is a park I’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t made it yet. Those wide open spaces and rugged geography look incredible. I really like the composition of the 3rd to last photo – the grass in the foreground, rocky formation in the center and sky with clouds in the top/background is not only beautiful but creates a sense of depth.
Thanks, Jeff! The Badlands are a really interesting place, and the contrast between prairie and rock formation is quite incredible. I hope you get there soon.
Meghan, your first paragraph provided such a thoughtful explanation of why you travel and love the west. It is a prime example of why I enjoy your blog so much. You provide clearly stated ideas that I had not thought of before.
And then there are your incredible pictures!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your thoughts about your travels.
Thank you, Janet! It’s difficult to explain sometimes why I feel so at home in the open space and so uncomfortable in the east. I never really knew why but I’ve always had that feeling of being crowded- way before I ever experienced anything like the open spaces of the western states. Thank you always for reading! I hope you’re well!