A Weekend of Bison and Badlands
I enjoy flying, and I’ve missed it! Getting a window seat gives me a sense of anticipation about the adventure ahead and leaves me marveling at how different the landscape gets as you traverse the U.S. This is just a smartphone shot of one of the more bizarre parts of the Midwest, still frozen solid.
For someone who makes a living based on travel and adventure, and brings others into that lifestyle, the pandemic put the brakes on things for me and the BlueHour business in the most abrupt and severe way. Fortunately, almost from the get-go, we’ve managed to adapt and create opportunities for the business in the form of online programs, Jeep tours on Cape Cod, and other small group workshops hosted by our talented and dedicated instructors that have been compliant with local regulations.
A year into it now, we can say we have succeeded in turning what could have been a business disaster into business hope, as 2020 was, strangely, our best year financially. We are so grateful for our loyal and adaptable students and tourists who stayed with us, kept following along with us, and signed up for the new types of programs that we have offered. And as we plan our schedule into the next year and beyond with the idea that we will indeed be able to get back out on our adventures, our students are more eager than ever to get out with us, and have booked our future tours like never before.
As we make our gradual and hopeful transition back to the normal lives we were used to, I was able to take a short trip to the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, while North Dakota was briefly on the list of low-risk states for travel from Massachusetts. I was treated to stunning vistas of the badlands, endless encounters with wandering bison, and the mischievous antics of prairie dogs. Having been there a couple of times in my life, I can say that North Dakota is the most unexpectedly beautiful state in the country.
My first time seeing Theodore Roosevelt National Park was on a cross country road trip 27 years ago as a youngster! I had no expectations at the time, and I only remember being completely blown away as the landscape suddenly went from flat and boring to a dramatic horizon-to-horizon expanse of striped, multi-toned badlands for as far as the eye could see. I was wondering if my return as an adult who has since adventured the world over would leave me underwhelmed, and that what once seemed so breathtaking was just a product of my own naivete about what the world had to offer.
I am delighted to say that I was not let down. These are typical daytime smartphone grabs of what this landscape looks like. It being winter still, the grass was still golden yellow, while the last time I was here was in June and the grass was green. But that was the only difference, and the badlands were just as expansive and breathtaking as I remembered.
The park is not huge compared to many national parks that I’ve been to, but it is divided into North and South “units” which are over an hour apart, and it still takes all day to get through one of these units and explore all of its photographic potential. I always get nervous when visiting destinations over a long weekend about whether or not I’ve given myself enough time to make truly worthwhile fine art photographs. The best landscape images come under the best light, and I just can’t be everywhere at once for sunset and sunrise, and I would only have a few chances. I just have to trust that I’ve picked the best spot for when it counts the most, and cross my fingers that I get great conditions. So I decided to focus my first full day on the South Unit, and at the end of the day, ended up frantically driving from site to site, to find where I might get the best representation of the diversity of this landscape.
This is what separates the truly dedicated photographers from the casual hobbyists: The extra energy and time spent finding the best spot for witnessing the best light. While you can never guarantee that mother nature will give you great conditions, you still need to do your part to consistently put yourself in position to make a memorable image. I found this spot by hiking a bit of a ways off from the Boicourt Trail, on the South Unit loop. I’d be willing to bet that not many images have ever been made from this particular obscure spot, and that is one of the driving forces behind my compositions no matter where I am.
So I’d say that the first full day turned out pretty successfully, even for just this one landscape photo. But the more compelling reason to come here for many people (not necessarily for me) is the diversity of Great Plains wildlife that roams these badlands. No matter how short your trip to Teddy Roosevelt, you will see bison, you will see prairie dogs, and you will most likely see wild horses.
Scattered throughout the Theodore Roosevelt National Park are these prairie dog "towns". If you linger long enough, you will be treated to their spastically adorable behavior.
Yellowstone is the place I have seen the most bison, but Theodore Roosevelt comes in a close second.
There is a small herd of horses that roam wild in the park, and this one seemed to be their leader. He looks different, acts different, and carries a confidence about him, often wandering far ahead of the others.
The second full day was spent exploring the more remote North Unit. I’d say the biggest difference between the two zones of the park was that the South Unit puts you above the badlands, and the North Unit puts you inside the badlands.
A lone bison wanders this incomparable landscape. The North Unit offers this opportunity to view the badlands from the valleys below and relate to how the wildlife sees the environment.
I didn’t hear anybody talking about the groves of cottonwood trees as being anything photo-worthy, but I watched a few YouTube videos about the park before this trip, and noticed a really eye-catching grove of cottonwoods leading into the Juniper Campground. I knew I had to see this for myself.
The beauty of photography has always been in the interpretation of the subject matter. This is a regular old smartphone shot as anyone might do. And then there’s the black and white interpretation. Such a difference in mood and appeal.
For geology nerds, the layered badlands, which represent some 65 million years of earth’s history, have obvious value, but in a very small area of the North Unit, there are these fascinating and unique “cannonball” concretions made of sediments glued together by minerals over time. The only other place I’ve seen something like this is at Moeraki Beach in New Zealand.
The “cannonballs” look like they just rolled out from these badlands. Bright midday light is not usually flattering for color photography, but makes for nice, contrasty black and whites.
While Theodore Roosevelt flies under the radar when it comes to people’s bucket lists of National Parks, I found it a fantastic place for a pandemic getaway, with its vast picturesque expanses, fresh air, and lack of crowds. It might not have a whole lot of appeal as a future tour destination on its own, so it might be a while before I bring a group here. But I am so blessed to have made some professional images for myself. I have long felt that this park, and North Dakota in general, deserves more love than it gets in the grand scheme of fine art photography.