I Wouldn't Dream Of It!

Not after seeing the security guard.

Up, Up, and . . .

over the Tetons.

Heavy Weather

If you're fortunate to stay long enough, a Wyoming storm is not to be missed!  (Opinions vary.)

Moran Morning

Mt. Moran from Oxbow Bend, one of the most-photographed views in the world, I do believe.  At least, whenever I've been here there have been tourists of all nationalities.

Happy Feet : )

Lift My Eyes to the Hills

Teton Sky

Mt. Moran in Grand Teton National Park.  It don't get any better than this, to quote an old commercial.

Dumb Animal. And I Don't Mean the Elk.

Park rangers will tell you to keep your distance, for the wildlife's safety and yours.  I was hoping for some tourist-stompin' mayhem, but unfortunately this elk turned out to be a pacifist.

Canyon Cataract

Yellowstone National Park has some of the most jaw-dropping scenery anywhere.  I can't describe it.  You'll just have to see it for yourself.

Oasis

Gem-green valleys in Montana and Wyoming owe their lushness to irrigation.

Top of the World

 . . . or at least the Rockies, at Logan Pass on Going To The Sun Road.

Wood and Lace

Glacier National Park is on the border of Montana and Canada.  The spine of the Rocky Mountains is preserved in the park wilderness, but you can cross it (weather permitting) on the Going To The Sun Road.  An apt name for the feeling you're winding right up to Heaven.

Drive On

Thanks, but I can wait for a bathroom break until we get to the next town. The next town with pavement. Pavement, and indoor plumbing. Drive on.

Going to Sturgis

 
Sturgis, SD, is just down the road from the Badlands. Bikers are beginning to trickle in to attend, or deliberately miss, the big event two weeks from now. Of all the bikers I talk to (the smiling, least-scary ones), they are united in their passion for motorcycles.

Old and young, male and female, the enthusiasm vibrates in their voices. The same enthusiasm I recognize in my own devotion to my camera. Hmm. South Dakota: big skies, small world. Nice.

Immoveable

The spires and blocks of the South Dakota Badlands look like ruined cathedrals frozen in time. For a place sculpted by erosion, it looks like nothing will ever move again. The pliable road curves around buttes and over hillocks, conforming itself with shrugging practicality. I can't shrug, though. I'm in awe of this sculpture playground.