Viewers of ABC’s Good Morning America got an eyeful of stunning Badlands scenery with their coffee this morning. The ABC News morning show featured South Dakota’s Badlands as the fourth Wonder of America.
The segment included video shot from a helicopter coasting 50 feet above the spires. The crew also interviewed Badlands National Park Superintendent Paige Baker and other park staffers.
GMA examined some of the geology and paleontology of the park. They even produced a very cool animation that showed how the Black Hills emerged from the inland sea millions of years ago. That animation, by the way, is part of the display at the Badlands National Park Visitor Center, according to Judy Olson, chief of interpretation.
The program also delved into the lives of the Lakota people and reconciliation efforts that are going on in western South Dakota.
Judy said the GMA crew did quite a bit of filming two weeks ago. And a lot of filming the day before the show. They put it all together quickly, and Olson was amazed at the final product.
“It was wonderful,” she said. “They did such a good hob. I was very pleased,” she said.
Check out the very funny video blog on the GMA website. In it, Baker confirms — mostly with a straight face — that Ranger Aaron Kaye had personally carved all of the Badlands formations that flank Sheep Mountain Table. “Two weekends,” Baker tells the producer.
There was no prior warning that GMA was going to feature Badlands National Park. That’s because the park staff kept it quiet until the day of the show. “We were sworn to secrecy,” Olson said. That’s because GMA wants to reveal its Seven Wonders of America one at a time.
What are the other Wonders of America? So far, GMA has featured the National Mall in Washington, the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve and the Grand Canyon.
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