I am sure that I have mentioned that one of my bucket list items is to visit all of the US National Parks. I haven't come up with a detailed road trip to do so, but, whenever I visit a new place, I always try to get to any national parks that are nearby. That is how I discovered Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I was planning out our return trip from Oregon to Connecticut and made sure that I stopped in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. I had never heard of the park before, maybe because it only became one in 1978. Whatever the reason, I decided to visit it although I stretched out the definition of "in the area" (the park is about a 7 hour drive from Badlands.
Located on the western side of the state in the Little Missouri Badlands, I was expecting to see terrain similar to Badlands. Instead, I found that the park has a different look to it, and it is known as a great place to view wildlife. This image was taken in the southern division (there are three divisions that make up the park) as I was driving the 36-mile scenic loop. The park was pretty deserted (I only saw about 10 other cars along the way), and I was able to take my time to enjoy the solitude.