Badlands Buffalo and Birds

An unexpected visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park allowed us to see and photograph great wildlife and scenery.  We were driving through North Dakota on our way to Glacier National Park.  Near Medora, North Dakota we saw the entrance sign for this park.  We unanimously agreed a quick visit was in order and a break from the rain would be welcome. This trip was filled with days of driving in the rain and though we were unaware at the time, more were in our future.  We decided to stay at a campground near the entrance.  We loaded the jeep with our camera and binoculars and were off on the adventure of this new place we had found.  This park is known as the North Dakota Badlands. The Badlands National Park in South Dakota is not green with trees and grass like Theodore Roosevelt Badlands. We loved our time here and I personally would love to see more of it and do more birding on another visit. We viewed prairie dog towns, coyote, Buffalo, feral horses, Pronghorn, White-tailed deer and Mule Deer. More than 185 birds may be seen in the park at different times of the year.  Most of the park's birds are migratory.  Some birds have adapted to the cold North Dakota winters and are found year-round in the park. The Coyote was a fun sighting and the Buffalo were happy to stay on the move paying no attention to us. The feral horses were beautiful.  They were far off the road so photos are not detailed.  We saw the Western Meadowlark standing in the road. I would certainly recommend this as a wonderful wildlife stop if you are in the area. Blessings!

The Common Loon

Cattails, Cranes and Candy!

I have remarked many times to J.G. on this trip, "more Cattails".  They are profuse along much of the highways in upper Michigan and today I also saw them in Wisconsin.  I do not believe I have ever seen so many at  once.  I love the natural beauty of Cattails, I dry them and use in my flower arrangements at home.  I also noticed the Queen Ann's Lace is abundant. I see it along almost every road.  The wildflowers are just plain beautiful this year  in every state!

We have found fun, excitement, much natural beauty and hard times for residents of this beautiful state.  Over 100 inches of snow a year in this upper peninsula, I said over 100.... Amazing! The snow sports should do well.  We noted many abandoned properties, businesses and many properties for sale. House after house for sale, much of it waterfront.  Sad!

We loved Mackinaw City and Mackinac Bridge.  The Island with its Grand Hotel and Old Fort as well as well-groomed homes and storefronts was beautiful. The gorgeous Draft and Percheron Horses used on the Island take us back to a simpler time.  Everything is done by horses. You will see wagons and carriages being pulled on every street.  There really isn't any motor traffic.  There are scores of people on bicycles.  You can rent them when you arrive.

Fudge Candy is advertised much!!!  We decided to partake, of course, we were an easy target. I must say as we watched it being folded and mixed on a huge marble table,  I was not prepared or could I imagine how smooth and creamy it would be. Wow! Delicious!  The favorite for us was Chocolate Walnut. I bought two huge pieces.........Yum Yum!

Our next day was spent at the Painted Rocks National Lakeshore.  We enjoyed the colored cliffs and monuments formed by the erosion of nature.  The bedrock is constantly eroding and because of how soft some of it is the erosion causes fractures.  The colors of the ancient deposits are really something to see. This is along the south shore of Lake Superior. We saw Grand Island and the East Channel Lighthouse.

One more fun surprise awaited us on our trip back to Newberry.  Two Sandhill Cranes were walking along the roadway.  J.G. turned our jeep around and drove back to where we had seen the Cranes.  Photos were taken and we will share at the end of this post.  These are such large and majestic birds.  I love the red on their heads.  Blessings!