Bighorn sheep, west side of Wolf Creek Pass. April 24, 2017 |
Bighorn sheep, west side of Wolf Creek Pass. April 24, 2017 |
Some antelope in western Nebraska. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
Heading up the seemingly-endless highway 85, in Nebraska or South Dakota. April 25, 2017 |
My first wild turkey! Crossing the road in the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota. April 25, 2017 |
You know, some states have odd signage, like South Dakota feeling the need to state the obvious at every hill. April 25, 2017 |
Emily taking in the view in the Badlands National Park. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
No snakes out today! 27F and an incredible wind chill. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
That snow was slippery! I almost went down 10 times. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
It was so windy the icicles couldn't form straight down. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
We saw lots of deer, and occasionally had to dodge them while driving. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
Bighorn sheep in Badlands National Park. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
This was the side of the outhouse I unfortunately had to use! April 25, 2017 |
We stopped at every overlook, in spite of the cold and time pressure to get on to North Dakota later that evening. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
Emily had never heard of Wall Drug. Really? Really!? How can anyone grow up in the western US and not have heard of Wall Drug!!? Anyway, we stopped in for dinner, figuring that 'Capacity 530' would accommodate us. April 25, 2017 |
Suppository machine. April 25, 2017 |
April 25, 2017 |
Emily and I literally had 530 seats to choose from. We were the only customers there for dinner at the time. April 25, 2017 |
Finally! The main goal of our trip was to get here and visit this park. And it's only 2 days away from Phoenix by car! If you don't mind driving 1600 miles to get there in 2 days. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Sharp-tailed Grouse. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Don't speed around corners in this park. Never know what you'll find on the road, though it's usually bison. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Up close and personal, but don't try to pet them. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Nice scene with wild horse in the park. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
We saw several wild horses in the park, including this one. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Looking over the Little Missouri river. April 26, 2017 |
Looking over the Little Missouri river. April 26, 2017 |
There is a Great Horned Owl with chick in that small hole. Nests there every year. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
There was one lone antelope near the road in the middle of a very large prarie dog town. He wasn't happy we stopped and wandered off. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
They sound like birds when calling out danger. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
There were at least hundreds of prarie dogs in this one town alone, probably several hundred acres in size. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
Driving south on highway 85. Maybe in North Dakota, or South Dakota. April 26, 2017 |
Can't really see it here, but at the horizon there is a small mountain. April 26, 2017 |
Now that we are closer to the mountain, you can see it. It's actually Bear Butte, a little ways north of Sturgis. April 26, 2017 |
Rocky Mountain goat at Mount Rushmore. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
You can see they were right outside the parking garage for Mount Rushmore. April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
April 26, 2017 |
It was foggy when we got there, but we thought perhaps we might see something (besides the unexpected goats.) April 26, 2017 |
Nope, was not to be. Way too much fog. April 26, 2017 |
On Friday, we returned early in the morning for a quick photo-op. And we were rewarded with a magnificent view. April 27, 2017 |
I'm told the holes in the eyes are big enough to stand in - 6 feet tall. April 27, 2017 |
April 27, 2017 |
When driving to Wind Cave, the road takes you almost behind the carvings and you can see Washington from the side. April 27, 2017 |
April 27, 2017 |
April 27, 2017 |
Ranger Lauren demonstrating wind flowing into the cavern. This is the original hole into the cavern, and the earliest explorers crawled through it. April 27, 2017 |
April 27, 2017 |
99% of the world's Boxwork formations, like this one, are in Wind Cave. April 27, 2017 |
April 27, 2017 |
That bumpy mass in the center is fossilized coral. April 27, 2017 |
Early explores viewed the cavern by the dim light of a candle lantern. April 27, 2017 |
Mural in Walsenberg Colorado. April 28, 2017 |
View toward the Great Sand Dunes National Park. April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
Emily and I were stopped from walking to the dunes by a shallow stream. We didn't feel like going barefoot to wade it. April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
The dunes are big! And a photo from 1881 shows that they are essentially the same as now. April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
April 28, 2017 |
One last deer to dodge on our trip. This guy in Great Sand Dunes National Park. We saw dee, antelope, bison, rocky mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, pheasants and that sharptailed grouse on the trip. Oddly, no elk. April 28, 2017 |
(Some More of Craig and Connie's Photos) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20