valley of 1000 devils

Suddenly the terrain changed, and Golden felt herself descending. Cautiously, she made her way down into the valley. The hot sun beat down on her, and she fanned herself with her hand.

Everywhere she looked, there were hills upon hills of layered earth with alternating layers of black coal, red clay, and dirt that appeared white with fossils from prehistoric times. In some places, the layered hills formed long ridges that spread out for miles. In other spots, the layers formed an isolated hill, ranging in size from a small mound to a massive elevated plateau. The rest of the valley surrounding these majestic formations alternated between grassy expanses and shallow sandy and/or rocky patches, often intersected by meandering streams.

- Excerpt from Dagger of Urachadh: Attack from the Underworld, p. 31.

One of the most amazing places we visited was the Valley of 1000 Devils in the East Block of Grasslands National Park [1,2]. The badlands landscape is absolutely amazing. There is also a parkway that visitors can drive right around the badlands and stop any of the many pull-offs to enjoy the view and have a picnic lunch [3]. I never realized that we had such breathtaking places to visit in Saskatchewan until I started writing my book. The pivotal scene in the beginning of my book when Golden is rescued by Button occurs in the Valley of 1000 Devils and this sets the stage for the beginning of their beautiful friendship and many adventures. 
 
Karen E. Mosier

References:

1.    Jenn Smith Nelson and Doug O’Neill. 2019. Big Muddy Badlands and Castle Butte. Grasslands National Park. P. 120-122. Firefly Books.
2.    Robin and Arlene Karpan. 2017. The Great Saskatchewan BUCKET LIST. The Baddest of Them All Killdeer Badlands. P. 32-25. Parkland Publishing.  
3.    Parks Canada. Grasslands National Park. Valley of 1000 Devils Route. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/sk/grasslands/activ/experiences/randonee-hiking/arriere-pays-backcountry/dvls
4.    Parks Canada. Grasslands National Park. Badlands Parkway – East Block. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/sk/grasslands/activ/experiences/badlands