Oh Dakota! Update On My Tour of the West

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Buffalo in Theodore Roosevelt NP
Buffalo in Theodore Roosevelt NP
I’m writing this at a Taco John’s with free Wifi in Sheridan, Wyoming. The last several days since I left Minneapolis have been busy. Very busy. My days have consisted of driving, taking photos, editing photos and sleeping. Today I’ll be crossing the Big Horn Mountains and should arrive in Yellowstone in the later afternoon.

Despite the hectic schedule, I’ve seen a lot of amazing things. In Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota I was able to gets some great closeup photos of bison, mule deer, prairie dogs and wild horses. It is a really under appreciated National Park and one which I’ll be writing more about soon.

Mule deer buck at sunset
Mule deer buck at sunset
From North Dakota I traveled south to the Black Hills of South Dakota. The drive was really interesting as I was able to get off the interstate and get a much closer look at the farms and prairie of the western Dakotas. In the Black Hills I did the obligatory pilgrimage to Mount Rushmore and drove through Custer State Park and visited Wind Cave National Park. I also was able to get some great photos of cowboys on horseback herding buffalo in Custer.

The biggest thing for me so far has been being able to take wildlife photos. This is something I’ve never been able to do well, and honestly, I still don’t think I have the lens to do it properly. All my photos have been taken near my car and on the road because my lens only goes to 200mm and isn’t very fast. I’m hoping I can add some elk to my collection in Yellowstone.

I’ll be in Yellowstone/Grand Tetons for about 4-5 days before heading up to Glacier and then to Calgary/Banff. So if you are in Calgary and would like to meet up, you can sort of figure on me being there in about a week.

4 thoughts on “Oh Dakota! Update On My Tour of the West”

  2. We loved the Dakotas. We spent a few days out there at either end of a trip out to Montana and Wyoming…and we’re hoping to get back and do just the Dakotas in the next couple of years. We were wowed by Teddy Roosevelt Park and really want to spend more time there. And the opportunities for photographing wildlife were particularly good in Custer State Park in South Dakota for us :)
    Thanks for sharing your photos. You’ve got some real gems!

  3. This continues to be one of the most amazing travel blogs on the web. Always a pleasure to see the new pictures and stories. Having spent years in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, I’m glad to see you found your way out unscathed and into the wild, which is beautiful.

  4. Gary, you are absolutely amazing. Many people would give an arm and a leg to do what you are doing! I too am an avid traveler but not as hard core as you. I recently started to blog about my travels in June 09 and I’m loving it! I understand you visited Malaysia as well. Keep up the great work!

    Regards,
    David
    Malaysia Asia

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