Stranger and Wilder Than Ever

It's been a while since I've posted anything here, partly due to the fact that I had a gap in adventures, other than a couple of short overnight visits from some cool people and a road trip with two of my brothers (and my nephews, for a portion of the trip!) to attend my sweet Uncle Andy's funeral. 

Dan and I took a long July 4th weekend trip to the Badlands of North Dakota, a place that Teddy Roosevelt credits for his presidency. The National Park Service compiled some good Badlandsy quotes of his, including: 

"I grow very fond of this place, and it certainly has a desolate, grim beauty of its own, that has a curious fascination for me."

"After nightfall the face of the country seems to alter marvelously, and the clear moonlight only intensifies the change. The river gleams like running quicksilver, and the moonbeams play over the grassy stretches of the plateaus...The Bad Lands seem to be stranger and wilder than ever, the silvery rays turning the country into a kind of grim fairyland."

It was a great trip, full of wildlife sightings from my campsite and bike seat, including bison (good to see them from a distance from my bike seat; terrifying as all hell to try to cross the herd via bike), elk, wild horses, turkeys, prairie dogs with their cute little chirpy noises and butts in the air, magpies, and other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting. The icing on the cake was getting to see our friends Dave, Ann, and their kids. Without further adieu here are some photos.

Panoramic view from our campsite

Little Missouri River - from our campsite

The remnants of a 200-300 bison herd that moved through the campground

We learned that dogs are allowed in the campground and near the visitor centers,
but not on any hiking trails, even with a leash

I love the layers in the rock that carry over from one mound to another,
illustrating the definition of sedimentary rock

After navigating the bison, I did two pretty similar rides through the park.

While the elevation isn't like what you'd see in the mountains,
it was fun to be on some hills bigger than what you find in most of MN

Couldn't resist taking this one, which reminded me of Aslan's stone table

Panoramic view of the Maah Daah Hey mountain biking/hiking trail that Dan explored

In short, the fracking infuriates me

I already posted this on FB, but I cannot stop laughing

View from the other side of the campground

Same side, just before dusk (photo credit Dave)

From downtown Minneapolis when
my cousins Nat and Jeri visited

In 10 days, I'll be packing for the 5-day MS TRAM bike ride, and am looking forward to being on the move for a good cause. Thanks for all of the kind words of support. One of the people for whom I ride is my cousin's wife, who I was lucky to see at the funeral. Thanks for helping me make a difference.  http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieTRAM2016