The Big Loop, Day 66: Theodore Roosevelt NP (28 images)

Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park has been on my bucket list for several reasons:

- It was named for the president who created 5 National Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, 150 National Forests, 51 Federal Bird Reserves, 4 National Game Preserves, and 18 National Monuments, totaling more than 230 million acres of protected land. We all owe a lot to his conservationist vision/actions.

- It showcases plenty of birds, wildflowers, unusual formations, petrified wood, and prairie landscape.

- It is a bit out of the way, so the (human) crowds are smaller.

- It is known for it's abundant wildlife: bison, elk, mule and white-tail deer, pronghorns, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, porcupines, and... WILD HORSES! I did shoot plenty of bison while there, but it was those wild horses that REALY got my attention. There is never any guarantee that you will actually get to see them. So I was elated to view a herd of about 40 as soon as I reached the park's boundaries, then more as I drove through the park. I had encountered wild horses at Chincoteague Island a few weeks earlier, but from much farther away. Getting some strong photos of wild horses in good light has been on my bucket list for years. Well... CHECK!

I love bison as well, and got plenty shots of them up close and personal. Oh, and I got some smaller critters, too. My short visit yielded some very strong images.

Brewer's Blackbird