We decided to visit a number of National Parks in August and spent eleven days going to The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Little Big Horn, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons...the following are a few pix from our trip.
I always wondered why they called them "The Badlands" and when we saw them the reason was immediately apparent...dry, barren and foreboding rock formations, carved by ancient rivers, seemingly rise out of nowhere in the otherwise bucolic plains of South Dakota
It was at first somewhat disconcerting walking around the hot springs, geysers, and mud pots of Yellowstone realizing that you're walking atop the largest, active "super volcano" in North America which could "blow" at any minute in the next 30,000 years or so...but sometimes it's worth playing the odds to experience natural beauty
The vibrant colors of the Prismatic Hot Spring are caused by bacteria which have adapted to extremely high temperatures
Old Faithful was faithful, erupting approximately every ninety minutes
Lower Falls, aka Artist's Point, lived up to it's description
Bears Tooth Pass in Montana, on the way to Yellowstone, was impressive
Of course, the Bison herds and other wild animals also make Yellowstone a special place...here's a cool shot of Bison crossing a river...
and then crossing a road
Could have filmed a Hartford Insurance commercial
In Grand Tetons, one of the highlights was a scenic raft ride down the Snake River which provided this view
Mountain reflecting on a lake
We are all fortunate that our country has such natural wonders.
