Surprise!

The car was packed.  Maps were out.  Away we went!  We started our ten day, 2,840 mile journey driving across Minnesota and North Dakota.

Our ultimate destination was Yellowstone, but we made a two-night stop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (aka North Dakota Badlands).

We woke up Saturday morning (June 30th) in a campsite on the Little Missouri River.  Nothing says "North Dakota wilderness" like buffalo poop at the camp site.

The boys enjoyed some climbing.  We warned them about rattle snakes.  Note the rock the boys eventually climb.  Also note that I left my zoom lens in the car.

As Sheri and I approached, Jonah seemed pretty excited.  Here's what he saw around the corner.

According to Jonah, he was climbing and jumping as usual.  He jumped down from the rock he and Toby were just on and he looked up and saw the bison.  The bison said, "Wha's up" and Jonah RAN.  I didn't exactly take the time to compose the picture and compensate for the bright light.  All four of us had our hearts pounding.  I returned to the car and switched lenses and took a couple final shots from a much safer distance.

We were MUCH more careful as we continued hiking and exploring the badlands.  We saw lots of animals (bison, prairie dogs, wild horses, and even elk).  The boys watched wild horses walk through the campsite.  I heard something sniffing at our tent, then later heard something chewing grass outside our tent.  I heard coyotes that night.  I was so excited I didn't sleep that well.

We saw some fantastic views and even some petrified wood on our hikes.

It was a great start to our vacation!