#trnp

Get a spectacular view of the Badlands color with this simple move

Watch the western sky Looking northwest we hoped the break in the clouds on the horizon would reveal a last glimpse of light on the landscape Weather changes west to east.  So on a cloudy, overcast day, keep watching the western horizon to get an impressive view of the badlands. Look for a break in the clouds right at the horizon.  When the sun gets down to that point, be prepared. The badlands…

Reward — wildlife come out at Dusk in the National Park

Sunday Snapshot

Just about the time that most people pack it in, is when the wildlife comes out into the open at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We’ve got some of our best shots at sunrise, or sunset, such as early morning migration to drink from the river. Wildlife at dusk are harder to see, but they’re there!

This week, I took a leisurely tour through the North Unit at the other end of…

We somehow got lucky once again. We went to the Cottonwood Campground in the park the night before to scope it out. The camp host told us it was half first come first serve so if we come back in the am before 11 we should get a spot. When we arrived right at the gate at 11 am the ranger told us all large RV spots were full. We decided to take our chances and headed to the camp anyway.

They were indeed full, but Kevin has a way of convincing people to help us. And when he does it he is totally being sincere, and usually we end up with a spot. It's like he is Dale Carnegie or something. Anyway, the kind camp host called a no-show from the night before and sure enough their plans changed and we could have their spot for one night only. Perfect! We were super grateful. AND it only cost us $14 for the night! I love the US National Parks system.

The park is small, so we were able to do it in one day. And come to find out if really isn’t conducive to back country camping so that wasn’t an option after all. We spent the day doing short hikes and driving the scenic drive. We saw a ton of animals and I kept singing this song much to everyone chagrin.

We went to the welcome center to get our coffee mug, Christmas ornament, pin for Day’s hat and a premium T. We also took in the informational video. I love a good video on a park. I am a visual learner.  We also toured Theodore’s cabin.

Come to find out ol’ Teddy was a huge conservationist, and he is the one responsible for starting our national park system. The Badlands of North Dakota was where he came to mourn when on the same day he lost his wife and his mother. It is a tragic story, really, and truth be told the Badlands of ND, beautiful as they are, do kind of have a loneliness to them. Perhaps it is because there isn’t much around and it is pretty desolate place. He sought solitude, and that is was he found here.

After taking in a ranger talk at the campground on the park animals, we headed back to our home. We love our home. She had been our loyal steed for the past 70 days, providing shelter and transportation. Is it wrong that I am already mourning having to sell her?