South Dakota & Alliance, NE (8/30/2017)

On one hand, it feels ludicrous to sit here in Colorado, safe from weather hazards, and publish something as mundane as a travelogue, while so many are in harm's way from Hurricane Irma, .  On the other hand, I need some distraction from the constant worry for family, friends and property that are in danger back in Florida.  I am tired of the endless barrage of bad news and warnings from the Weather Channel, but unable to shut it off.  Maybe this will help me, recipients can ignore it as long as they like.
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Badlands National Park is nearly 250,000 acres of gullies, spires, pinnacles and mounds carved from the prairie by erosion.  Only a small part of it is readily accessible by a 27 mile paved road.  A few gravel roads appear to be seldom used.  More than half of the park is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Oglala Sioux tribe, with no public access other than for tribe members.  The Badlands Wilderness Area is another 65,000 acres where motorized travel is not permitted.  This area was used for re-introduction of bison and the black-footed ferret. The Buffalo Gap national Grasslands is another 600,000 acres of protected land with no developed recreational facilities and very few roads, but the public is welcome to visit and enjoy it.

My morning in the Badlands was characterized by more cloudy, overcast weather.  There was no significant color before dawn, and the sun stayed hidden until well above the horizon.  Once a little color appeared in the sky, I frantically searched for compositions that took advantage of it.  I readily admit the color in some of the photos was enhanced somewhat by setting my camera to slightly underexpose the scene, making the color a little darker.  Call it "artistic license".

Leaving the park, I drove through the Indian reservation, surprised to find such high-quality roads.  I even found a General Store and gas station long before running out of fuel.  In the town of Porcupine, a Taco Johns restaurant provided a nice breakfast.  A young Sioux man was very helpful in making the best choices, including some excellent Mexican donut bites and a couple churros for later snacking on the road.  From there it was a short drive to my destination, Wounded Knee.

Some may know the history of Wounded Knee, site of an 1890 massacre of some 150 Sioux, including women and children.  I learned that Sioux spiritual leaders and Chief Big Foot had convinced the warriors that "Ghost Dancing" and wearing "Ghost Shirts" made them invulnerable to the soldiers' bullets.  The cavalry, nearly 500 men, surrounded the village amid high tensions on both sides.  No one knows who fired the first shot, but the superior fire power of the cavalry decimated the Sioux. 

This history, and the resulting mass graves, have made this site sacred to the Sioux.  You may remember the book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, a 1970 book that described  the history of conflict between Whites and Indians in the late 1800s from the point of view of the Indians.  Several Indian protests against poor living conditions have been held at this site.

While there, a Sioux woman approached me and explained some of the history, then asked for "gas money".  Another asked for money, then offered to sell small dream catchers she had made.  I donated what I could.  At the cemetery, two Sioux men sat on the gate.  We introduced ourselves and chatted a bit.  When asked why they were there, the men told me "it's better than sitting at home".  There is a museum and a community center near the cemetery.  One cannot visit this site without feeling sad for the people of this community.

Continuing on into Nebraska, I headed for the small town of Alliance, seeking one of those quirky attractions that can be discovered on the internet, Carhenge.  This site was developed by a fellow named Jim Reinders and his family in 1987.  Jim, a petroleum engineer, was stationed in England for seven years and became enamored with Stonehenge.  After returning home, he decided to create a "replica" of Stonehenge using junked automobiles.  The initial creation was completed in a week (per Jim, 9999 years and 51 weeks faster than Stonehenge), but has been augmented by various artists over the years.  With no admission charge, it's well worth a visit.