July 14th, 2026
After spending Tuesday morning and afternoon packing and running last minute errands, the time finally came to say goodbye to the Midwest.
It was a late start. The objective for the night was to reach Sioux City, IA – only a four hour drive north. That way, Badlands National Park (the first fun stop of the trip) would only take another 5-6 hours to reach, so I’d have plenty of time to explore the park after arriving.
Nothing exciting to report from the first night of driving. It was still far too hot out in Iowa to sleep in the Element, so I stayed at a cheap hotel when I made it to Sioux City.
The next day would be an I90 cruise across South Dakota until I hit the Badlands. Unfortunately, South Dakota wasn’t any less hot. It was under heat advisory, with temps exceeding 100F during the day. It’s a dry heat at least.
I arrived at the park around 4pm and was greeted by cute prairie dogs.
This water pump was out of order, which was a bummer. I still hadn’t filled up either of my water tanks yet. I chose not to fill them up in Kansas because heavy storms made the tap water taste like paint.
Badlands is awesome. It reminded me a lot of the southwest parks. I drove through the park’s main road and stopped at most of the overlooks.
I wanted to get in a hike while I was here too. At this point, the sun was lower in the sky and less oppressive, so it didn’t feel as hot anymore. It’s also pretty windy there (foreshadowing for later), and the arid climate allows sweating to actually function properly and cool you down – something midwesterners can’t take for granted.
I decided to hike the Notch trail – one of the most popular in the park. It was a good hike up to an overlook – maybe a 90 minute round trip. There was a sketchy ladder/staircase thing that was a little awkward to traverse with my waterbottle sling.
Hiking this trail reminded me of Bryce Canyon, with all the rocky spires and narrow corridors.
After the hike, it was time to decide where to stay the night. Right outside the park, there’s land for boondocking that overlooks the Badlands. Beautiful spot to camp, but I knew the heat wouldn’t make for a great night’s sleep. I tried calling a motel in Wall a couple times but they never answered, so I decided to spend my first night in the Element. I parked up near the edge of cliff and enjoyed a peaceful evening.
I also used the opportunity to film a short tour of the Element camper which I posted separately here.
Unfortunately, as soon as I climbed into bed, the wind really started to pick up. Howling winds were extremely loud, and rocked the car back and forth all night. Between the wind and the heat, I got maybe a couple hours of sleep. Oh well. The adventure continues.