Alaska Trip 2011: May 9 - North Dakota Badlands Revisited

This is page 3 of our Alaska 2011 blog. The first page is here. Still clearing up some loose ends from the 2009 Glacier trip - We missed part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park due to road construction, so we thought we would take a day and see the rest of it.

Roadside Overlooks

It was another wet and rainy day today, making the badlands a little grayer than last time we were here. There also did not seem to be as many animals out and about as before. Still, it was a good drive, and the badlands always provide some interesting scenery.

Cannonball Concretions

These round rocks are formed by silt deposits around a central core. The description sounded similar to an oyster making a pearl. There were some that were more round than these - they called them cannonball concretions because they resemble cannonballs made of concrete. I thought this broken one was interesting.

Oxbow Bend

The Little Missouri River had changed course some time in the past and this bend in the river is normally dry. The only time you can see water in the bend is when the water is high, which it was the day we were here.

While at the Oxbow Bend overlook, I turned around and took a picture of the plateau behind us.

I also got this shot of a trailhead. Looks like the bison wanted to use the trail too. I called it the Bison Poop Trailhead.

More Views from Road

We did manage to see some wildlife while here - some bison and deer. Remember you can click any of these pictures to see a larger version.

Another interesting rock formation - looks like a giant flat-topped mushroom.

Last but not least, a nice shot of the road on the way out.

More Badlands and Indian History

We stopped at a couple other sites in the ND badlands, but did not take any other pictures. The weather was pretty dreary and wet today, but I guess you can't expect nice weather every day.

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