The Good Badlands
| These arid places of clay and shale are the backdrop to harsh, desolate, and infinitely beautiful places. Few hardy plants manage to eke a living here and trees only thrive along scant waterways cutting through the parched landscape. On rare years, wildflowers burst into stunning display of color, transforming the desert into a veritable garden for but few precious days. This area is also coveted for off-road motorized travel, in many places despite legal closures to protect the fragile ecosystem. This is a place where humans always struggled, yet always fought for. |





