Wednesday, July 27, 2011

North Dakota

The Dakotas are two very interesting states. I didn't expect to like either one, but I actually ended up loving both of them. (Although I'd love them more if they were closer to an ocean!). Anyway, the North Dakota State capitol is a really beautiful building, towering statuesquely above the prairie.


The capitol grounds also feature some neat artwork, including these two sculptures of iconic NDak symbols: the buffalo and Sacajawea, the Shoshone guide to Lewis & Clark.

     

Lewis and Clark spent more time in what would become North Dakota than in any other state, so naturally, you can see tons of L&C-related sites. My favorite was the L&C Interpretive Center near Ft. Mandan. Due to historic levels of flooding on the Missouri River, many of these sites were partially closed. But the Interpretive Center has some informative exhibits and programs, and most importantly this really cool, larger-than-life statue of L&C:


Another sort-of related L&C site is the Knife River Indian Villages site managed by NPS. These archaeological sites preserve several Mandan & Hidasta villages along the banks of the Missouri, including the village from which Sacajewa hailed. The sites themselves are basically just earthen mounds, but they have a model of an earthen lodge into which you can actually go.


My final stop in North Dakota was Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is in the badlands. The badlands sound scary and foreboding but are actually serene. Following the death of his beloved wife Alice, Teddy Roosevelt sought solace in the ND badlands at his Maltese Cross ranch. His cabin has been preserved at TRNP, including some the original furnishings, such as TR's desk.


Prairie dogs are the cutest little animals in the badlands. There are several prairie dog towns along the park loop road, allowing plentiful opportunities to observe the little rodents. They stand up and chirp to each other. I noticed that often several of them will be foraging or grazing while one stands up on his hind legs and keeps watch. If a bird or a car comes too close, he yips a warning and all the other pd's dive back into their burrows.

The little Missouri river runs through the park, bringing life to this rugged land.


In addition to bison, wild horses also roam the park, grazing alongside the road.


North Dakota may seem like a place you would never want to go, but it actually has a lot to offer. I enjoyed my time there and would like to go back to see some more northern sites such as Devil's Lake and Minot.

Pics of the Day(s): July 23-26

July 23, 2011- I've totally given up on one photo per day-it's definitely two now! This first shot is the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, AZ. So beautiful. The second is the watch tower at Desert View in Grand Canyon National Park.



July 24- Two shots from the Grand Canyon. The first was taken at Yavapai Point in the morning and the second is a sunset shot from Pima Point on the Hermit's Rest road.



July 25-Kind of a random day today. Drove through Lake Havasu City in Arizona to see the London Bridge. No joke. Some zillionaire guy actually bought the bridge, had it dismantled, shipped across the Atlantic and reassembled in the desert. The other shot is a Joshua tree, which I've been obsessed with seeing in person since the U2 album came out.




July 26- Sunset over Huntington Beach, CA, where I enjoyed a yummy dinner from the deli at Bristol Farms and a cupcake from the famous (well, if you watch Food Network anyway) Sprinkles.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Pics of the Day: July 20-22

July 20- Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. This formation is part of the Fiery Furnace.




July 21-This is Cliff Palace, one of the largest cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Ancestral Puebloans (also called Anasazi) lived here from about 1200-1300 AD.


July 22- The first picture is from Newspaper Rock at Petrified Forest National Park. These are petroglyphs left by the ancient Puebloans of the Puerco Pueblo. It is so amazing that they survive in such detail after all this time. The second shot of my foot may not look like much, but it's actually me standing in Colorado, Arizona, Utah & New Mexico all at the same time, at the Four Corners Monument  on the Navajo Nation lands.


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Pics of the Day(s) July 14-July 19

July 14- Mama moose & calf along Soda Butte creek in the northeastern corner of Yellowstone.


July 15- The grand canyon of the Yellowstone River, near sunset, as seen from Artists' Point. One of my favorite painters, Thomas Moran, has an amazing work of this image.


July 16- The first shot is of a baby elk nursing on his mama, taken near along the Madison River near the west entrance of Yellowstone. When I pulled over, this mama had been on the other side of the road near the river, while the baby was with a bunch of other elk. Then the baby started howling, so the mom came across the road (out of nowhere, right in front of me-I hadn't even known she was there because she was down an embankment) and waded across the river to get to the baby, who ran for his mama and latched on right away. The second shot is of Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin area of the park. The color changes and brilliance are amazing, making this my favorite thermal feature.



July 17-Grand Teton National Park is absolutely beautiful. As gorgeous as the Tetons look in pictures, they are even more impressive in person. I kinda wanted to stay there and stare at them for the rest of my life. This first shot is a reflection of Mt. Moran in an oxbow lake of the Snake River. The second shot is of some wildflowers, taken from near the top of Signal Mountain. It amazes me how, even in such extreme climates, things will stretch out anyway they can to grow towards the sun.




July 18- Rocky Mountain National Park is also pretty high on my favorites list. The first shot is of a Stellar's jay, taken near Bear Lake. There were a ton of these beautifully blue birds and I was able to spend about fifteen minutes observing and photographing them. The second shot is of Bear Lake itself, with some mountains in the background. It had just stormed pretty violently, hail and all, so I was surprised that the lake surface was so calm. Long's Peak is in the background here as well, but obscured by the clouds.



July 19- Driving Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the country with a maximum altitude of over 12,000 feet, is breathtakingly beautiful. I saw tons of elk along the road, including over fifty females and babies in an alpine meadow, but this guy was really neat to watch. There were about ten male elks (not sure if they're called bulls or bucks or what) right near the road. This shot was taken without any zoom, that's how close they were! I kept waiting for him to pick his head up, but he didn't, so I had to be satisfied with this shot.


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Slow Uploads

I have, of course, taken a ton of pictures, and some of the campgrounds I'm staying at have really slow WiFi. I'm going to try to hit up a Starbucks or B&N today that will probably have a faster connection so I can get the rest of the pics uploaded to share with you all!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Pic of the Day: July 13



This little guy was the cutest prairie dog ever. He (or she) gathered up all that grass over a period of several minutes, shoved it all in his mouth, and then dove down his hole to do who-knows-what with it.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Two National Lakeshores

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire, MI



The legend of the Sleeping Bear Dunes is so sad. You can read one version  here, but basically a mother bear and her two cubs were swimming across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin and the two cubs drowned before they reached the shore. Overcome with sorrow, the mother laid down on the edge of the shore and died. The Great Spirit put two islands in the lake and a sand dune on the shore to mark their final resting places.

When I visited, I wanted to get a close-up look at a dune and also get a good view of the "mother" and her two "cubs." I was able to do both of those things, so I was excited. If you have a whole day, you can also take boat rides out to either of the islands or go tubing or paddling on the Platte River. The highlight of the park, though, is the Pierce Stocking scenic drive, created in the 1960s by a Michigan lumberman to both show off and protect the beauty of the dunes he loved.


Most of the scenic drive is in woodland; you emerge every so often onto the dunes.







They call this Alligator Island. Can you see why?


That's me!


A close-up of the dune grass, which is so important in protecting the dunes from erosion. The park service encourages people to stay off the dunes, but of course they don't.

 
This is the sleeping mother bear, with one of the Manitou Islands in the background.


Even though there were a decent number of people around, there were some secluded, peaceful spots like this one.




This is the "Dune Climb," which the park service has provided so people can experience climbing a dune safely. I was too scared to try it, not so much going up but coming back down!


The Glen Haven General Store, which has exhibits about the dunes area and lots of neat, old, store stuff.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising,MI


The Pictured Rocks stretch along the shore of Lake Superior from Munising to Grand Marais for about 40 miles. While mostly sandstone bluffs and cliffs, there are some stretches of beach in which, believe it or not, people actually swim!

The best way to see the rocks is on a boat cruise. I went with Pictured Rocks cruises and had a great time. You can take your lunch or some snacks on the boat, and the tour is narrated. Basically, you see some neat rock formations and,of course, the "pictures."

Caused by spring water running over the rocks and reacting with different ores, the pictures are basically use-your-own-imagination. Much like looking at the clouds, people reportedly see all kinds of images in the rocks.  Here are a few of my best shots.

Bridal Veil Falls


Castle Rock


Indian Head Rock


Lover's Leap


Check out the tree on top; its roots are stretching back to the rocks behind it to reach the soil.

And now for some of the pretty colors:




We also got to see an old lighthouse on Grand Island in Lake Superior.


I hope you get to check out both of these great national park units for yourself one day!