Weeks 33 & 34: Surrounded by All My Favorite Colors in North Dakota

Author’s Note:

Hi there friend!

Before we get started on another episode of the Gap Year, I just wanted to take a quick moment and ask for your help.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is holding a photo contest! And, seeing as this post will be about our time there, there’s no better time to ask you for input on what you think I should submit :) The link to the contest is here, in case you’re curious about all the little details, but all you really need to know are the categories:

1. Landscape – From the rugged wilderness to the rolling buttes, the Badlands are filled with a treasure trove of gorgeous scenic views. The winner of this category will be a photo that truly captures the beauty of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

2. Animals – A wide diversity of animals make their home in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. What you see depends on the season, your patience and luck. The winner of this category will be a photo that captures animals in their natural setting.

3. Take a Hike – Theodore Roosevelt National Park is known for its natural beauty and wildlife. There is so much to explore when you leave the comfort of your car, we want to see pictures of you hitting the trails. This can be photos of people, the trails, signs, whatever you enjoyed most on your hiking adventure.

4. Flowers and Plants – Theodore Roosevelt National Park is full of beautiful flora and we want to see your amazing photos. Get out your camera and capture these colorful plants that enhance our badlands view!

If you’re interested in helping a photobean out, then all you have to do is point out which pic you think I should submit and for which category. In the next post I'll let you know which one(s) I end up choosing before the deadline, which is August 31st.

Disclaimer: I am horrible at submitting to photography contests. Usually I can admit when a photo is good or not, but there’s something about contests that scare the pants off of me. I can never choose a file to upload, which means I never actually compete in these things and the opportunities just pass me by.

So, even though the light conditions were subpar, my camera is slowly killing me, and I barely have any sustained reception, I really would love to hear what photos you think are good enough. Who knows, it might just give me the courage to actually click “submit.”

As always, thank you for all your love and support.

Kes the Photobean

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Theodore Roosevelt

National Park, North Dakota

by Kes the Photobean

June 6th, 2022

I was born and raised in the West. Yet, despite the inherent knowledge in my bones that western states are large, our time in the Northeast really skewed my perception of distance and size.

To get from Isle Royale to Voyageurs? 7.5 hours of driving.

From Voyageurs to Theodore Roosevelt National Park? 9.5 hours, with the border between Minnesota and North Dakota right in the middle.

On a map, I could have sworn these states were smaller.

Although 17 hours of driving in two days may seem painful, Sam and I are, understandably, used to long drives by now. Our sanity is closely linked to how fed we are, so meals are held sacred between us. As long as we don’t starve ourselves, the drive will almost always be pleasant.

About halfway through our second day of driving towards Theodore Roosevelt NP, we stopped to do some much needed thrifting. The main reason was to find myself a bridesmaid dress, but when that hope quickly dissolved, I couldn’t help but buy myself some clothes for the summer. Sam was so supportive, just look at him! Not even a hint of misery.

We also stopped at Olive Garden for dinner to make use of an old hand-me-down gift card. It was weird sitting down to eat dinner when we still had countless more hours of driving to go, but sometimes you have to enjoy the journey, too.

Finally, the time came to cross the border into North Dakota. Of all the new states we’ve entered and all the new welcome signs we’ve seen, this one was special because it was my last.

That’s right, North Dakota is my last new state! I can now proudly say that I have finally visited each of the 50 states in this beautiful country, all by the age of 23. Although I hate to brag, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride with this milestone. So few Americans get the opportunity to say they’ve done the same, and I am grateful to have seen so much so early in my life. I actually have so much more to say about this topic, but I’ll save the essay for another day.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my own little happy dance.

We finally reached camp just before midnight after following this red dirt road for a few miles. If the road is this colorful and pretty, I can’t imagine what the rest of this landscape will look like in the daylight.

So. Much. Rain.

We tried to let ourselves sleep in as much as possible, but the rain sprinkling in from my open window made it difficult. Unfortunately, no amount of sleep could wish the weather away. Normally, this gal from the desert loves any and all kinds of rain. But, as I stepped out and almost immediately got drenched, even I had to admit that it was pretty miserable outside.

As if the buckets of sky water weren’t enough, the slippery wet clay underneath our feet made any hope of staying clean impossible. Since we set up in the dark, we knew we weren’t going to have the best campsite. Indeed, we were wedged on a ridge between a car camper and a skoolie (a schoolbus-turned campervan) and felt very exposed. I’m sure you’ve realized this by now, but Sam and I really value our solitude. So much so that we decided to take the Jeep through the pouring rain and slick mud to go scouting for another spot.

Our search took us through roads thick with red mud. We were hopeful that we would find the best campsite right around the corner, we just had to power through the grime to get there. Well, that mentality quickly dissipated when we turned down a road that was completely inundated with sticky mud. Within minutes of driving through the dirty ooze, we knew we were in trouble. I kicked the Jeep into reverse and drove towards more stable ground, all the while flinging clay in every direction. For a moment, it felt like we were swimming rather than driving. Deep ruts formed where the tires dug into the mud, and I silently apologized for marring the road so heavily. I couldn’t even see out of the sideview mirrors because they were caked with mud an inch thick. Thankfully, the thought of getting hopelessly stuck came to mind only after I wrangled the Jeep away from this sea of mud.

Sam and I shared a few victorious hoots and hollers before we collectively decided to quit our search. The other end of the original ridge will do just fine.

Though we could still see the skoolie from where we set up camp, this new spot was so much better.

At least all this rain was good for something. Around every hill wildflowers bloomed, dressing the prairie in a gown of life.

Okay, one more. I couldn’t resist adding this one because Sam looks like he’s starring in his own Netflix show. Any thoughts on what to call it? . . . I’m thinking Prairie Dog Whisperer.

Our brilliant plan to tackle the day began with a stop at the national park’s visitor center. We bought our obligatory stickers, took advantage of the bathrooms, and were pointedly ignoring the rain outside. With any luck, the storm would pass by the time we were done exploring the museum.

Because there are so many little facts I’d hate to get wrong in retelling ol’ Teddy’s story, I’m going to directly quote a little history from the national park’s brochure:

“Theodore Roosevelt first came to the Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt bison. A year later, devastated by [the simultaneous death of his wife and mother], he returned to grieve and lose himself in the vastness. He became a cattle rancher and, in this broken land, found adventure, purpose, wholeness. Though his ranch ultimately failed, his love for the rugged beauty of the land brought him back time and again for the rest of his life.

Roosevelt credited his Dakota experiences as the basis for his ground-breaking preservation efforts and the shaping of his own character. As president 1901-09, he translated his love of nature into law. He established the US Forest Service and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 national monuments. He worked with congress to create five national parks, 150 national forests, and dozens of federal reserves -- over 230 million acres of protected land.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was not the great man’s own creation. It was established in 1947 as a national memorial park to honor President Roosevelt and to provide a place for us to experience his beloved Badlands in our own ways.”

I left the visitor center with an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Theodore Roosevelt. During an age where wild spaces were seen merely as untapped resources, this political man understood that wilderness was rapidly disappearing. In what almost seems like a rare stroke of luck, he used his political influence as president to signal to the world that nature deserves to be protected. Thanks to Theodore Roosevelt and people like him, the United States is home to the world’s first national parks. And now, over 100 years later, there are more than 4,000 national parks scattered throughout the world.

If you love national parks as much as I do and want to know more about their importance, I highly recommend watching Netflix’s Our Great National Parks.

Fun Fact: The section of prairie pictured here has never been plowed. To show you why that’s such a big deal, I’ll quote the Park Service, “Entirely native, never-plowed grasslands are rare in the Great Plains and rest of the world . . . More than 70% of native prairie on the Great Plains have been lost to development.” Without Roosevelt’s vision and protection, I can only imagine what those statistics would be.

In case you wanted to know what I was quoting from.

Finally, the rain finally slowed down to a sprinkle. The drive to the northern unit of the park was beautiful despite the lack of sun. I actually couldn’t even take many photos when we first drove across park boundaries because the rain kept falling on my camera and fogging up my lens. As frustrating as that was, I was floored by how beautiful the North Dakota badlands were.

The Little Missouri River cuts through the Plains like a knife. I love how you can really feel how damp everything is in this photo.

Here’s another reminder of how muddy the day was.

Did I mention that, at one point, I tried to hike in sandals? I am indeed the smartest bean.

One more fun fact that I love: Grasslands are one of the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems, second only to rainforests!

As wet as our conditions were, no grumpiness could really stick around. Slipping around in the mud is actually kind of fun once you accept your fate.

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In a stroke of luck, we woke up to a blue sky the next morning. Of course, remnants of yesterday’s storm hung in the air like huge cotton balls, but we would stay dry for now. As we drove towards another day of hiking amongst the prairie covered badlands, I felt like a kid waiting to ride a rollercoaster. Maybe it was the fluffy clouds overhead, or maybe it was the feeling of sun on my skin, but I felt inspired. This was the day to make up for lost time and take some photos to be proud of. No rain, no excuses.

At the very least, I can say mission accomplished.

Sam and I fell in love with visiting prairie dog towns. Their cuteness will always, without a doubt, make us melt into babbling idiots.

Here from the parking lot you can see people standing atop a viewpoint overlooking the Little Missouri River. For such a simple photo, I really love the way it came out.

Soon enough, those people were us!

I just love how rivers twist and bend in mysterious ways, as if they have a life of their own.

Okay, I had to throw this in, not because I think it’s a spectacular photo, but because this captures such an odd phenomenon. The black dirt you see in the ditch, piles, and hill strata is lignite coal. Here, a coal seam caught fire and the park service dug ditches to mitigate how it burns. Apparently, the various coal seams exposed throughout the badlands will naturally catch fire, sometimes baking the surrounding clay into what looks like pottery shards. How cool is that?

A lot of the clay can be really colorful, whether its baked by coal or muck under your boots.

Buffalo roam within the park boundaries freely, actively making the ecosystem healthier in a variety of different ways. I can’t begin to explain how funny they sound when they’re scratching off their winter coats.

This was one of my favorite viewpoints we visited. In the distance we could see herds of buffalo and wild horses scattered across the landscape, framed by endless hills of green.

My favorite part of this photo is how the buffalo trail leads up to the herd.

For some reason, seeing these guys never gets old.

Our day of explorations ended with a short walk through another prairie dog town. Although the sky above us was relatively clear, we knew that rain was coming soon and fast. The not-so-distant storms turned the horizon a vibrant baby blue, stark against the greens and browns of the badlands.

Our friends the buffalo didn’t seem to mind the encroaching weather. We, on the other hand, were eager to jump into the warmth of the Teardrop.

We pulled over at a viewpoint seconds before the rain finally hit. I absolutely loved listening to rain as it got closer, awestruck at how the faraway buttes simply disappeared behind that wall of water.

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Our third and last day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park was spent in search of an ancient forest.

Millions of years ago, volcanoes were a lot more active on this continent. The ash from an explosion could travel thousands of miles before settling to the ground. In fact, a lot of the clay that makes up these badlands came from those eruptions.

Picture a swamp like Congaree National Park. A long time ago, a distant eruption covered the base of a cypress forest in ash, encasing and preserving the bottoms of those trees. Though the land and climate has changed dramatically since they were alive, some of these trees still stand where they once grew.

Here lie the remnants of a past I can hardly imagine.

Many stumps, however, are scattered about the clay hap hazardously. Some simply topple to their sides while others are shattered, nearly indistinguishable.

All I see is blue, green, and a little sprinkle of orange.

Along the way, we encountered a few friendly buffalo. They sought out the tastiest grass right there on top of the trail, not a care in the world. The two of us just stood there for a moment, as close as we’ll ever be to wild bison. Hopefully.

This small gorge drains into the red stream below. Water carries reddish minerals from the black coal vein.

I love seeing the border between grasslands and badlands. Sometimes that delineation is easy to see, like in this photo, but most of the time it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.

Further down the trail, we realized we wouldn’t be able to go much further past these buffalo. Scattered about the valley, one decided to lay on the narrow trail. We took the hint and resigned ourselves to turning back . . . but only after a few snacks.

We sat on a small hill overlooking the buffalo so we could watch them as we ate. Perched on a petrified stump, we started to dig in. A guttural crunch came from the closest buffalo, a sound that was getting louder. Uh oh. The huge furry beast turned in our direction, following the tastiest greens right towards us. Thankfully, we moved before he had the chance to notice us.

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Our time in Theodore Roosevelt may have been wet, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Tumultuous skies make the best backgrounds, unless of course there’s water all over your camera. That being said, I really did cherish our time in the grasslands of North Dakota.

Way back during our time at the Oglala Grasslands in Nebraska I felt called to the Great Plains. I really couldn’t put my finger on why I had this feeling at the time, but I’m beginning to get an idea.

The Great Plains touches 17 states and is home to an incredible amount of biodiversity. Not a sea, but an ocean of grass lies in the heart of this country, able to withstand freezing temperatures and sweltering heat, tornadoes and droughts.

Yet, despite this resiliency, the Great Plains needs our help.

To quote the Parks Service again, “Of all the world’s major biomes, grasslands have experienced the greatest human impacts, yet receive the least protection . . . 60% [of native prairie on the Great Plains] has been plowed and converted to agricultural lands. Another 10% has been lost to land uses including construction of roads, buildings, parking lots, and human-made lakes . . . What remains exists in small, isolated pockets. The ecosystem struggles to function in this highly fractured state.”

I understand the history and the reason behind such heavy use of this land; without the fertile soils of the Great Plains and the farmers who feed us, the United States would not exist as we know it today.

Our needs, however, are different now.

The Great Plains today looks like a mosaic of disconnected tiles, isolated and small in comparison to the whole. But what if I told you there are projects devoted to connecting these dots of land into great islands? American Prairie seeks to create the largest nature reserve in the lower 48 states. The Conservation Fund also buys land for the purpose of preserving ecosystems for the benefit of everyone, and they do this all across the U.S.

We need our ecosystems to be healthy, or else we will grow sick ourselves. Natural spaces purify our water and clean our air, all while granting us the opportunity to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts. Aside from the physical and mental gains, there is also a huge economic benefit to big, intact ecosystems, from tourism revenue to better agricultural and marine harvests. The sooner we understand how crucial these healthy ecosystems are to our own well being, the better our lives will be.

For sitting through another rant of mine, I reward you with this calming photo of a rainbow in a passing storm. You deserve it.

Glacier National Park, Montana

June 11, 2022

Our journey to Glacier National Park was long-awaited. There, we met up with my parents and siblings for a weekend of Rocky Mountain hiking. After looking back at all the photos I took of our time together, I can’t stop laughing.

My family is weird, which probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you know me. We make stupid jokes, talk way too much about politics, and play a lot of board games. So, when I talked my mom into meeting up in Montana, I was excited to share the national park experience with them, too. Yes, I’ll admit, forcing my siblings to spend some of their summer outdoors with me sounded especially delightful.

Alas, the weather was not in our favor. With all our preparation for the Gap Year, we somehow planned this year’s Glacier trip on the exact same time of year as our first visit to the national park a few years ago. That is to say, both times were very cold and wet. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Despite the subpar conditions, we were determined to have a good time, and I’m happy to say we did just that. I got to watch my brother throw countless sticks into the roaring rivers, and I happily listened as my sister excitedly told me about all the mushrooms she’d seen. My mom was hellbent on getting the most out of our hikes, and my dad seemed to enjoy the ride. When we weren’t hiking we were watching the new Jackass, discussing the world’s events, and really just enjoying our time together. It’s honestly hard to remember everything we did, all I know is that I’d gladly do another family trip like this again.

Aww, they're so cute when they aren't trying to kill each other.

Hands down, this is my favorite photo of my sister Shea. My mom's gas station cowboy hat really is the cherry on top.

Yes, Keaton gets his own epic lake shot, too. I love how thoughtful he looks, like he could stay in that one spot for days.

That dang hat is going to haunt me.

Look at lil' Keats go!

This better hang on my parents wall by the time I see them again . . .

You can tell Shea and I are related because we both apparently love to hike in flip flops.

Don't let his miserable face fool you, Keaton secretly had a good time, I swear.

Family photo or bluegrass cover band?

So. Much. Water. The rapids were really crazy here.

I had to keep a close eye on my dad to make sure he didn't get too excited about the creek and fall in.

We left my siblings by the waterfall to hike a little ways up the mountain to a nice little viewpoint. The hike up was sweat inducing, and the top had a heavy wind chill. My mom clearly enjoyed it as she took the moment in for herself.

Thanks, Dad, for taking this shot of us.

My parents are so cute in this photo.

When the weather was clear enough to see the mountains, I could trace the path of water all the way from the snow-packed crevices

Aaand time to turn back and see if the kids got eaten by a bear.

As we neared the end of our time in Glacier, we had to prepare for our next great leg of the trip, one that was going to be the longest and probably most painful yet: Sam and I were going to bum a ride to New Mexico. Back in Los Alamos I was going to be a bridesmaid / groomsman for two very special friends of mine. But, since we were in Montana, getting there was a little . . . complicated.

Sam and I drove 10 hours, dropped off the Jeep and Teardrop in Boise, Idaho, then hopped in my parents’ jam-packed car and drove the rest of the 17 hours back to New Mexico. Yeah, it was about as exhausting as it sounds. If it weren’t for my mom and the crazy trucker blood coursing through her veins, I’m not sure we would have made it back in one piece.

Oh, and did I mention that we left late from Glacier because we were under a flood evacuation order? The rains that plagued us came from the same system that caused the Yellowstone flooding, although the flooding in our area wasn’t nearly as heavy. All we had to do was change our route slightly and leave a little later in the morning, but it sure was an exciting way to end our time in Glacier.

Although I won’t be writing about the wedding we were a part of, I do want to very quickly say congratulations to Morgan and Evan for finally tying the knot! I had a lot of fun with you guys even though I felt like I was going to pass out by the end of the week. Totally worth it.

Oh, yeah, I did my homework for you guys.

My lovely second brothers <3 Totally worth the days worth of driving to see y'all!

As for you, dear reader, we’ll catch up when Sam and I get back to the Teardrop. From there we’ll set out to explore a magical slice of Idaho that’s home to wildflowers and volcanoes, bathe in a lot of hot springs, and meet up with even more friends.

See you then!

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Housekeeping

Hi friend,

If you’re new to my page, welcome!

If not, then it’s really nice to see you again :)

If you aren’t on my newsletter and would like to be, you can easily sign up with your preferred email address and bam! You’ll be notified as soon as I post. How cool is that?

As always, I’d love to hear about your favorite photos, moments, or any plain old thoughts you have on our travels so far. Whatever it is, Sam and I love hearing from you.

Without further ado, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Best,

Kes the Photobean

P.S. Don’t forget to tell me which photos from Theodore Roosevelt National Park you think I should submit!