GART Day 2 - Touring Teddy Roosevelt Park

We hit the north unit of Teddy Roosevelt Park mid-afternoon, after a wonderfully scenic drive that I thought wouldn't take us anywhere near the mountains, then took us so close that we saw giant slabs of rock balanced on nothing but imagination. The sun was hanging high above us and felt as hot and angry as a pail of flaming assholes. Given the chance, I'm pretty sure it would have beaten us with a lead pipe and stolen our wallets.

There were some suggested things to do if you had a few hours to kill posted at the ranger station, so we filled up our nalgenes and went for a drive, followed by a hike. This was my first time in the Badlands, and I'm sure Tamara got sick of me saying, "Wow, look at that!" and, "Holy smokes! This is so awesome!" But it really was awesome, and my only apology is that I don't have the language to convey how swept away I was by the scenery. I don't think the photos I took will really do it either, but maybe the sheer volume of them will be the evidence that tips the scale.

We ended up driving an hour to get up to some crazy lookout way up on a hill that afforded a spectacular view of the Little Missouri river, then went for a far too brief hike on one of the shorter trails. While scenic, the park didn't really offer much in the way of excitement. I'm looking forward to getting to the south unit tomorrow, because I really want to see the painted canyon and petrified forest!