Park 28: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND:  We headed north out of South Dakota on US-85, the CAM-AM Highway, rarely turning the steering wheel for a bend in the road!  Within a few hours we were in North Dakota and turning into the Park dedicated to the memory of President Roosevelt, the President who did the most for our National Park System.  This area was where he came for peace, solitude, rejuvenation, along with his mental and physical toughening. 

Badland mounds and vegetation near
Little Missouri River

Panorama of the Badlands

This area is again known as the “Badlands”, but with a slightly different character than the Badlands in South Dakota.  Here in ND, there are not the dramatic pinnacles seen in SD.  Instead the area appears as more of a series of bumps, sculpted by the wind and waters of the Little Missouri River.  Coal seams underground have caught fire in several areas from natural causes as recently as one fire between 1955 and 1971, baking the surrounding clay and sand into a natural brick hardness.   Erosion of this ancient seabed exposed the varying colors and stratifications of rock.  Wildlife, such as bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, and prairie dog abound in this Park. At one point, we came to a stop for about 10 minutes when about a dozen bison grazed next to the road.  Eventually they crossed the road in front of us and we continued on our way.

Traffic jam on the scenic loop

There are two units to TR Park, North and South, separated by approximately 50 miles.  We visited the south unit and drove the 36 mile scenic loop, stopping along the way for the vistas and several short hikes into the country. 

We thought visiting this Park was a fitting end to our National Park journey, paying homage to one of the earliest land and resource conservationists in our country.  We now begin our eastward trek in earnest – through North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, until finally arriving home in Virginia.


As we’ve learned, it’s been the journey that has told our tale, and along the way, it wasn’t the great time we made getting from point A to point B, but it was the time we took to see a great country. 

Odometer: 12,267 miles!

Taking the time to experience the journey!

Park 27:  Badlands National Park, SD:  Heading east out of Rapid City on scenic highway SD-44, you drive through miles of prairie until you cross into the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands which encircle the Badlands.  Far off on the left as you continue driving, you see what appear to be rock formations, but as you get closer, you begin to see what makes the Badlands unique – a magnificent array of pinnacles and gullies formed by Nature for over a million years.

National Grasslands looking towards
the Badlands

Sharp peaks and pinnacles highlighed
by stratified layers of rock

These formations, framed against a clear blue sky, were reminiscent of Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos and rock formations.  As you drive through the Park, you can’t help but be enthralled by its beauty, almost surreal.  The colors and stratified layers are remnants of an ancient seabed before the Rockies and the Black Hills were lifted up exposing the ground to water and wind erosion.


Landscape gouged out by water and wind

Miles of canyons

The Park is divided into the north and south units, with the north being the most developed and visited.  We drove along the scenic loop pulling off at overlooks and taking a few short hikes among the various rock formations.  One of the fun things to see was a prairie dog town – acres of prairie dog mounds and prairie dogs poking their heads above ground. 
Even though this is park number 27, we both continue to marvel at what our country offers with its beauty and diversity for us and all the world’s visitors to enjoy.

Odometer:  11,945 miles.

Park 26: Wind Cave National Park, SD:  Visiting this park is like visiting two – one buried hundreds of feet beneath the Black Hills and the second above ground comprising prairie grasslands in the Black Hills foothills populated by bison, pronghorn antelope and prairie dogs.

Yes...narrow passageways!

The cave structure is one of the most complex in the world.  There are still many areas, holes, yet to be discovered and mapped.  Although the park prairies cover 44 square miles, the 100 miles of known passages in the cave only cover 1 square mile of ground!  All cave tours are escorted by rangers and once in the caves you understand the need for an experienced guide.  This is not Carlsbad!  These caves are small with narrow passages and dim lighting.  They are not for the claustrophobic. 

No large caverns like other caves systems

The cave passages were formed by the uprising of the Black Hills and the separation of the underlying limestone into fractures and cracks that eventually eroded by water into a system of cave passageways.  Over the eons, drainage patterns changed and subsurface water levels dropped such that now these cave passages are dry.

Very few areas to walk upright

Driving into and out of the park, the prairie vistas go beyond the horizon.  When the country’s bison were decimated in the 1800’s, the park’s numbers were zero.  In 1913, 14 bison were loaned to Wind Cave by the Bronx Zoo and Yellowstone; they now number over 350 today and are increasing.  We drove within a few feet of several bison grazing by the road.  Unbelievable!

Prairie vistas above ground

Odometer:  11, 730 miles.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, SD:  We decided on Rapid City as a central location to visit Wind Cave and Badlands National Parks.  Even higher on our list though was Mount Rushmore, the enormous granite sculpture in the Black Hills commemorating the foundation, preservation and continental expansion of the United States.  President Coolidge dedicated the site in 1927, commencing 14 years of work; only six years were spent on actual carving.  Surprisingly, money was the main problem, not the carving itself!   

Gutzon Borglum, the American born master sculptor behind the carving on Stone Mountain in Georgia, chose to carve four U.S. presidents who epitomized our country’s leadership: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.    After making sketches in plaster using life masks, paintings and photographs, Borglum sized the models at a ratio of 1:12---one inch on the model equaled one foot on the mountain.  Ninety percent of the carving was done by dynamite as the granite was so hard.  After blasting, the features were shaped by workers suspended by cables in swing seats using pneumatic drills and chisels.  To give you a feeling for the enormity of the relief, Washington’s head is 60 feet high, the length of his nose is 20 feet, and the width of his eye is 11 feet!

The entire Visitor Center is modern and inviting, and the flag lined promenade leading up to the shrine perfectly showcases the memorial.  We were moved by the very patriotic program put on by the Park Rangers at sunset in the outdoor amphitheater at the base of the mountain; veterans of all US services were recognized and asked to join in lowering the flag at the conclusion of the program.  There were easily 60 service men and women who were introduced and thanked for their service.  John assisted in folding the flag. 

When we all rose to sing the National Anthem at the conclusion of a movie on the American experience, spotlights began to grow on the darkened granite mountain until the faces were softly illuminated against the blue-black South Dakota sky.  It was certainly a night to remember.   

Odometer: 11,600 miles. 



Park 25: Grand Teton National Park, WY:  What better time to see the majesty of the Tetons for the first time than at sunset?  The short drive from Yellowstone to bed down in Jackson, WY, just south of Grand Teton NP, took twice as long as we kept stopping to admire the “grand” view which changed with every mile as the brilliant colors of sunset faded into evening.



Sunset - first view of Teton Range

The peaks of the Teton Range have no foothills to gradually build to their impressive height as other mountain ranges.  Instead, they just rise dramatically up to 7,000 feet from the valley floor dominating the whole landscape!   The highest of the peaks, Grand Teton, rises to 13,775 feet and can only be accessed via mountain climbing.  The base of the mountain range runs along a fault line of two overlapping tectonic plates, causing the drastic uplifting of the ground to form the relatively young Tetons. 

Grand Teton in its majesty

A string of sparkling lakes and several rivers, most notably the Snake, back up against the snowcapped mountains and provide countless activities for visitors of all ages.  We availed ourselves of short hikes and picnics along the lakes.  Peggy’s clapping as we hiked the wooded trails must have worked because we never saw a bear while hiking.  What we don’t know is how many bears saw us because they were certainly out there! 



Looking at Grand Teton from
top of Jackson Hole Ski Resort

In addition to enjoying the charming western town of Jackson, reminiscent of Santa Fe with its grassy town square, we visited Teton Village, home of Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Resort and rode the tram to the top of its highest mountain at 10,450 feet!  The tram rises over 4,100 feet, the most of any tram in the world, and transports 100 skiers to the top in just 10 minutes.  We left the sunny valley floor at 70 degrees, and arrived at the top at a cold and very windy 48 degrees!  

Local elk wildlife

From here, we continue our travels eastward in earnest with stops in South and North Dakota for our final group of National Parks.  Stay tuned . . . .we’ll be home in a week!

Odometer:  11,001 miles.



Park 24: Yellowstone National Park, WY:  We set aside two and a half days for Yellowstone and needed every minute to begin to appreciate its 2 million plus acres.  We entered through the west entrance and drove directly to the Canyon Village area to check into the “frontier lodge” where we had a small cabin for the first night. Our second night was a small splurge in a lakeside room of the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel along with dinner in the dining room overlooking the lake at sunset. 


Spacious frontier cabin rooms

Up close and personal with bison

Yellowstone’s history began only a blink of an eye ago in earth time, about 640,000 years, when a cataclysmic eruption left a 45 by 30 mile caldera, a collapsed crater, similar to Crater Lake and Santorini, but much, much larger.  What remains are hydrothermal areas teaming with hot springs, boiling mud pots, fumaroles, and geysers.  What is amazing, though, is the plant and wild animal life living in these extremes.  In our walks and drives, we encountered bison, elk, deer, antelope, mountain sheep, and bears - several times rather close! 

On the brink of Lower Falls

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
and Lower Falls

Yellowstone’s 142-mile Grand Loop Road forms a figure-8 with roads from the five entrances around the park intersecting the Loop. The highlight of the north loop is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River with its Upper Falls (109 ft drop) and its Lower Falls (308 ft drop).  The park has trails that take you to the brink of each fall for a dramatic and breathtaking view.  Further around the north loop is Tower Fall, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Norris Geyer Basin.  No extended hikes were done our first full day because of the raw, wet weather.

Old Faithful

We awoke our final day in the Park to bright sunshine.  We drove the south side of the Grand Loop past Lake Yellowstone and over the Continental Divide twice to reach Old Faithful and its geyser basin.  During the day we were fortunate to see Old Faithful erupt three times from differing viewpoints around the basin.  The three mile boardwalk next to Old Faithful took us weaving through the world’s greatest concentration of hot springs and geysers.  We visited more geyser areas on the south loop and late in the day were astonished to catch the Great Fountain Geyser erupting (approximately once every 11 hours) simultaneous with the adjacent White Dome Geyser!



Great Fountain Geyser eruption

White Dome Geyser eruption

We completed the Grand Loop and proceeded to the south entrance for the short drive to Jackson, WY.  Fortunately for us, our first glimpse of the Tetons was at sunset – but that’s a story for another day!

5 o'clock rush hour! Look carefully!

Odometer:  10,783 miles.


Passages along the way:  A note must be made of our drive from Glacier to Yellowstone via Montana’s scenic highway, US-287.  This was a beautiful drive as we tracked south along the eastern edge of the great Rocky Mountains.  The scenery awed us for over 500 miles, giving full meaning to the “Big Sky” motto of Montana! 

Even though two lanes, the highway is practically a straight line through rolling grasslands and hills at a legal 70mph.  As we approached Helena for the night, US-287 merged with Interstate-15 for a few miles.  We passed more cars within one mile of entering I-15 than we had seen for the previous 250 miles of US-287!

South of Helena the weather turned gray as rain and snow showers greeted us.  We picked up US-191, parallel to -287, and followed the raging Gallatin River for over 40 miles as we climbed towards the western entrance of Yellowstone in West Yellowstone, MT.

This drive reinforced an observation from this trip - when you have the chance, get off the interstate and see the USA!

Odometer: 10,503 miles.

US-287 between Glacier and Helena, MT

US-191 between Helena and West Yellowstone, MT

Park 23: Glacier National Park, Mt:  We broke up the long drive from North Cascades NP to Glacier by stops in Omak, WA and Sand Point, ID following WA-20 and ID-2, both scenic highways flirting often with the Canadian border.  At Kalispell, MT, the spectacular Rocky Mountains loomed before us like we have never seen before, stretching across the horizon as far as our eyes could see!  We entered at the Apgar entrance of Glacier and were disappointed to learn that the Going-to-the-Sun Road was partially closed because of snow; they had 3 inches of fresh snow yesterday. However, we were greeted by bright sunshine and radiant blue skies over Lake McDonald, where we were staying for the night!

First glimpse of Glacier and
Lake McDonald

Our cabin-only the left side-front!

Glacier peaks from our cabin

Avalance Creek on our hike

After checking in to our small cabin, emphasis on small, we changed to hiking boots and set off to hike the trail to Avalanche Lake, at the end of our drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road.  This breathtaking 2.5 mile trail, not only for scenery but altitude, wound close to the river part way then snaked into the quiet woodland evergreens. I carried my bear bells and my hiking stick because we had been seriously warned about the possibility of bear along the way.  We did see three grizzlies feeding along the lake, but from a safe distance.  We had a great meal at the historic Lake McDonald Lodge and then strolled back to our cabin along the lake shore.  

First grizzly of the trip

Avalance Lake

Glacier and Lake Mary on the east side

We awoke to rain and cold temperatures, but no fresh snow, and decided to travel to the east side of the park where the weather might be nicer.  Glacier is a huge park with over a million acres and only one road through it, so our ride around to the St. Mary entrance was 2 1/2 hours.  On this side of the park, the terrain of gently rolling plains was remarkably different with the mountains stopping the rain.  The highway took us through the huge Blackfeet Indian Reservation with open range cattle and horses.  Although the clouds still obscured the high summits and glacier carved walls and horns at their peaks, we could enjoy this drier eastern portion of the park with vistas of St. Mary Lake and numerous waterfalls.   

We must return again when the weather will allow us to make the full 50 mile Going-to-the-Sun drive, plus include the Canadian side of the park, now known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site.  We learned that the 22 glaciers remaining today, down from 150 in 1870, are expected to be gone by 2030, so we can’t wait too long to come back!
Odometer: 9,939 miles.

Park 22: North Cascades National Park, WA:  From the Olympic Peninsula, we traveled by ferry from Kingston to Edmonds to begin our day heading north to Camano Island where we visited a USNA classmate just north of Seattle.  His lovely contemporary home was perched on a bluff overlooking the Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey Islands.  After a lengthy Happy Hour reliving old aviation stories, he grilled Copper River Salmon in the drizzle without a hint of concern for the clouds blowing in.  Guess you get used to that in the Pacific Northwest!   The next morning, after a delicious breakfast at his favorite local diner, we turned EAST!    



Sunset over Saratoga Passage

Ferry from Kingston to Edmunds, WA

North Cascades National Park is bisected by WA-20, a scenic highway that crosses Washington.  There are trails for hiking, but because of snow and rain, our tour was mostly car bound on 20E except for a few short hikes to overlooks of the lakes and dams across the Skagway River.  Three amazing dams provide over half the power to the Seattle area.  

Waterfall along WA-20E

This park is nicknamed the American Alps and you quickly understand why the mountain range is called the Cascades, as countless waterfalls from melting glaciers create icy cold blue-green creeks and rivers.  When we crossed the final two passes, we descended into a drier, less forested scene of grasslands and pastures.  It was only then that we could look back and glimpse a few of the snow covered mountaintops that had been obscured by clouds as we drove through the Park.  Just out of the mountains, we passed through Winthrop, WA, a small town whose entire downtown architecture is a throwback to the old West of the 1880’s.  We were now back in high desert country.  What a change!

Diablo Lake

Odometer: 9,480 miles.

Driving across Diablo Lake dam

Looking back on the Cascades