Following up on last year’s excursion to national parks in the southwest, my recent June outing took me (and my teardrop camper) to four national parks, plus a few national monuments, state parks, and other landmarks.

Palisades, Badlands, and Custer

Palisades State Park and Custer State Park were great surprises.

Devil’s Tower

Spearfish Canyon

Grand Teton

We won’t be foiled again

I went to the boat landing on Jackson Lake to see if a bald eagle might make an appearance. No such luck. however, I did spot a few people using motorized foil boards. Very cool!

West Thumb

Located along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin is one of the chief beauties in that half of Yellowstone National Park. The quieter and cleaner counterpart to the east half’s other major basin—Mud Volcano—West Thumb’s delights sometimes elude travelers looking for the hustle and bustle of places such as the Upper Geyser Basin or Fountain Paint Pots. .

Yellowstone Insider

Yellowstone

Old Faithful

Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of six that park rangers currently predict. It is uncommon to be able to predict geyser eruptions with regularity and Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years. Thermal features change constantly and it is possible Old Faithful may stop erupting someday. Geysers and other thermal features are evidence of ongoing volcanic activity beneath the surface and change is part of this natural system. Yellowstone preserves the natural geologic processes so that visitors may continue to enjoy this natural system.

NPS

Big Teddy

Theodore Roosevelt National Park encompasses three areas of rugged, beautiful badlands in southwestern North Dakota. It is one of the few national parks where visitors can observe free-roaming horses. For several years the National Park Service tried to remove all horses from the park. In 1970, the NPS recognized the horse as “part of the historical setting.” Today, the NPS works to manage the horses as a historic demonstration herd.

Willow River

My last night on the road took me to Willow River State Park in Hudson, Wis.