Tag Archives: National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

View of The Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Our original plan was to stop at the visitor center at for a stamp in Kathy’s Passport book, take a few photos and move on.  But even though the weather was iffy when we got there, the scenery was so captivating that we decided to stick around until dark.  And we’re glad we did!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
View of The Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
View of The Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
View of The Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

The visitor center is situated at a rest stop along I-94 and is one of the few interstate rest areas where you can actually see bison.  We didn’t see any at the rest stop, but did see a lot of them in the park, both up close and from a distance.  The best way to see the park is to drive the loop road, which is what we ended up doing.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

A portion of the loop road through the park was closed due to some aerial spraying being done, but the road was open enough to get some good views from within the park.  “Prairie Dog Town” was a lot of fun, with hundreds of the cute little critters popping their heads out of their holes to peek at us.  We got a little “up close and personal” to some bison that wandered through a parking area right behind our car.  I was very glad to be in the car and not out wandering around with my camera!

Bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Our visit could have been longer had we gotten there earlier or if the weather had been better, but it was longer than we intended, and that is a testament to being open to change and flexible in our plans.  It was a worthwhile detour, for sure!

Our Visit to Rocky Mountains National Park

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado

I sent a postcard earlier but have now processed a few of my photos from our visit to RMNP.  We were only there for a day, it was a Saturday, happened to be a free admission day and the colors were starting to get good.  So we were a little “over-peopled” but had a great time regardless.  As much as I love our Smoky Mountains, there is something about this vast Colorado landscape that keeps calling me back.  That, and a chance to hang with our good buddy Monte! 😉

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Longs Peak from Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Elk along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Coyote along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado