Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Eclipse, and We Move on to North Dakota

In Rapid City, we were about 90 miles north of the swath of the country that saw a total eclipse. As it was, we did see the sun 95% covered by the moon, and at the eclipse's peak we saw this.

My photos didn't come out quite so nicely, looking instead like a tiny fuzzy gold ball on a dark gray fuzzy blanket. Ah well. There are limits on the photographic capabilities of an iPhone camera. Our neighbors in the campground were kind enough to give us viewing glasses, since theirs came in a package of four. I was disappointed that it didn't get darker at the peak of the eclipse, but we did notice that the temperature dropped several degrees.

Bob and I packed up this morning (Tuesday) and turned the rig towards North Dakota, where we passed through some big sky country. North Dakota has rolling hills of amber grain, and lots of it.

And about two miles from the campground the view suddenly changed to this.

Our campground is right outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the South Unit (as they call it.) We had hoped to see the movie at the Visitors Center this evening but it was closed, so we decided to take a short drive into the park. We saw some beautiful scenery but only drove for about a half hour before turning around. The drive is about 36 miles long but we only went about five miles into the park. I will leave you with just a couple of photos to whet your appetite.

Yes, we saw a small band of wild horses! What a thrill! We also saw a badger carrying his prey, a hapless prairie dog, back to his den. Those photos were too dark and fuzzy to show, unfortunately.

We'll be here just a couple of days so we'll make the most of our visit and be back early tomorrow.

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