August 2020 - Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, & Iowa

Our last stop in Colorado was near Red Feather Lakes in Roosevelt National Forest, camping on FS Rd 171. The area was beautiful with rolling hills of green pine trees, and red rocky cliffs. We picked a site by Swamp Creek, near a few tiny ponds on the map. We found the beginning of a teepee right near our site with a message on a rock that said "Plese finis TP".

The ponds were quite a ways back through the woods, and there were flattened areas in the tall grass that looked like large animals had been sleeping there. 

Shortly after we got back, we had a momma moose and her baby walk right near our camper and we even caught it on camera! We also saw a pair of bull moose just down the road.

A few deer dropped by, and a big herd of cows!

The weirdest part of our stop here was when someone flipped on an ATV right near our site. There were many ATVs zooming by while we were here, but other than the noise it hadn't been an issue. We were sitting in the camper when suddenly we heard someone screaming, "HELP!!!". We ran outside and through the woods to get to the main road. We saw an ATV flipped over and the person that was screaming for help sitting nearby. By the time we got there, the guy's friends (who were also camping nearby) were arriving on their ATVs to help. The person wasn't seriously injured, and it could have been so much worse, but it was definitely a scary situation to hear someone screaming like that in the woods! 

After 2 amazing months in our new favorite state (Colorado), it was time to head back East. We wanted to get down to Florida in time to vote, and found a route that allowed us to visit family on the way. Our one and only campsite in Wyoming was Wheatland Reservoir #1. There were so many small lakes in the area and this particular lake had plenty of open space for beach camping! It's free to camp there, but there is a 5 day limit.

The water level was at the rock near the bottom right of this picture when we arrived. It fell drastically over the four days we were there.

We picked a spot not too far from the entrance, which was pretty quiet except for this water pressure valve. It made the weirdest noises and was way louder than you'd expect. 

Khaleesi had a great time playing in the water, and Mindi loved laying in the shade watching jet-skis.

Kyle found this pop-up shower on Amazon and we love it! It's easy to set up and take down, and gives us so much more privacy and wind protection while we're using our solar shower bags!

After a great time at the lake, we left for South Dakota. Along the way, we passed near Mount Rushmore but didn't want to risk the crowds. Besides, we were on our way to celebrate Kyle's birthday at one of the wildest and most popular boondocking (dry-camping) sites in the US.

Just outside of the Badlands National Park entrance is an area called Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. There are a few roads through this area that allow free camping (up to 14 days) with an epic view overlooking the Badlands! 

There are no real campsites or amenities. You just drive along the dusty and rocky rim until you find an open area that's level enough to park. The easier parking spots with the best views were already taken when we arrived, but after three tries we found one that worked great! We were far enough from the edge to feel safe, yet close enough to see into the valley below from inside the camper. The wind was really strong, the grass was dry and crunchy, and the temperature changes were drastic... but we had a wonderful time just sitting on the edge admiring the view.

While sitting there, Kyle spotted a bighorn sheep mother and her baby climbing along the canyon wall toward us. We watched as she met up with another mother/baby pair and noticed both mothers had tracking collars on. 

They visited every day, napping on a ridge nearby, and late in the evening we watched them come out of the canyon and even walk in between campers. 

There are no big cities or other major sources of noise or light pollution around. At night, the canyon looked like an ocean of darkness. We also enjoyed some stunning views of the clear night sky! From their website: "The special darkness of Badlands National Park helps visitors to see even more like planets, the Milky Way, star clusters, nebulae, the International Space Station, shooting stars, and – very occasionally – the aurora borealis." 

During the heat of the afternoon we loaded the dogs in the truck to go on a driving tour of Badlands National Park. On the way there, we passed these pronghorn...

And a herd of bison!

While I have your attention, I'd like to address a common misconception about the majestic creatures you see below: 

These are bison, not buffalo. Bison have longer hair, smaller horns on the sides of their heads, and a big humpback. They're the creature you think of when you picture it roaming the open plains of North America. Buffalo (Cape Buffalo & Water Buffalo) are are native to Africa and Asia, and short-haired with generally bigger heads and bigger horns than bison. While both buffalo and bison are in the bovidae family, the two aren't closely related. So, "Buffalo Wild Wings" with it's fuzzy bison mascot should either change their name, or their logo. I don't care if it's "too late now" guys, you should have Googled it! 

Badlands National Park

The Badlands formations at Badlands National Park are already halfway through their estimated lifespan of one million years, eroding at about an inch per year. These layers contain millions of years of history, and this area is one of the world's richest fossil beds. Ancient horses and rhinos used to roam here. Now, the mixed-grass prairie is home to bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and even black-footed ferrets - an endangered species!

The scale of this place is breathtaking

Badlands as far as the eye can see

My favorite part - the yellow mounds!

We love going to museums but haven't been able to due to Covid-19. While researching the area, we found out the South Dakota Air & Space Museum had their outdoor area open, and it was free! We nerded out over the engineering of these amazing machines and spent probably two hours just walking around and under them.

TWO North American/Rockwell B-1B Lancers - can you spot the 2nd flying over top?

Vought A-7D Corsair II

Cessna O-2A Bird Dog

Douglas A-26K Invader

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

North American F-100A Super Sabre

Bell Labs Nike Ajax MIM-3

Martin Titan I LGM-25C

Boeing LGM-30F Minuteman II

A billboard nearby offered the chance to feed a prairie dog for just $1, so of course we had to try it out. We pulled in to the small parking lot and saw the grassy area surrounding it was full of holes. Looking closer we could see prairie dogs popping out and waddling around! 

There was a small building nearby that sold paper bags of peanuts for $1, which bought us a solid half-hour of joy. Prairie dogs are adorable. Some yelled at us, some ran away, some came right up and reached for the peanuts. At first we didn't realize we'd be able to get so close, and I was really surprised when I got one to take the peanut from my hand! 

After being there for a few minutes though, it was clear that some of the prairie dogs learned that humans would bring them food if they just sat around looking adorable. They accepted this as normal while the others were still holding on to their instincts to run and hide. I like the idea of being able to feed them by hand, and especially recognize the impact it could have on a child to have a close encounter like that. But, I also hope that the prairie dogs still have a healthy diet and don't rely on humans too much, just in case.

Google Maps has been so helpful for our adventures. Satellite mode especially helps us scope out our potential campsites before we arrive, and sometimes leads us to some really cool places we would not have known about otherwise. But, as we left South Dakota heading East, Google gave us bad directions. We chose the "avoid highway" option thinking we'd rather go slow and enjoy the scenic route. It led us down a long, rutted, gravel road through the badlands for about half an hour before we passed this random shooting range. A few minutes later, the route we were supposed to take went through a farmer's fenced off field before joining with the next road. We had to backtrack and lost over an hour of travel time but, on the bright side, it was a beautiful drive and we were not in a rush.

Along that same scenic route, we passed the famous "Dignity of Earth and Sky" statue. We weren't able to stop, but I did snap this quick picture as we drove past!

The 50-foot high stainless steel statue depicts a woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt. A beautiful piece by South Dakota artist Dale Claude Lamphere, the sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota.

Our second and last stop in South Dakota (for this trip at least) was at Twin Lakes SLUA, near Woonsocket. A free, quiet lakeside campsite with 8 gravel spots surrounded by cornfields. 

We had a great time here kayaking around the green-tinted lake, and taking Khaleesi swimming near the boat ramp.

Our last stop before Illinois was in Grant Park, IA. It was confusing at first because the entrance area had signs that said, "No Camping", but after another hill and a sharp turn there was a self-registration area and some impressive free campsites! The gravel road leading in was well-kept. Each site was recently mowed, and had lush green grass and a beautiful concrete/stone firepit. We picked site #10 which was at the end closest to the pond. There was almost no traffic the entire time, and between each site was a tall field of wildflowers and grasses with little hummingbirds zooming around them, which made each site feel very private and natural.

The Smokey Bear Instagram page shared my Smokey embroidery! I made it to hang on our dining room wall, but since it was shared people have been asking if I would sell it to them. I really want to keep this one, but I do plan to make a few more and eventually open an Etsy shop! 

In September we will be heading to Aurora, IL to visit with my family. It's been almost a year since we've seen them, and we've been on the road that entire time so some quality time and catching up is long overdue!

*If you are reading this in the email version, make sure you go to https://telastravels.blogspot.com/ to see the full post including videos!*