Pipestone NM

"When you pray with this pipe, you pray for and with everything."  -Black Elk

For over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the red stone at this site to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony - a tradition that continues to this day and makes this site sacred to many people.

30 Sept 2023

Taking in this unit offered us a chance to take in a night sky's program for the first time. We started at the Visitors Center taking in the exhibits and watching three artisans work the pipestone into pipes and other items. No movie is offered but any questions we had were answered by the artisans or Rangers. We got Daisy's Bark Ranger program and headed out for a walk around the trail loop. This trail is a 3/4-mile round trip that takes in Winnewissa Falls, the working quarries. After a trail walk, we went and turned in Daisy's program and she added a new badge to her collection. We returned later that night to take in the Night sky's program. Karen went off on a working night photography class and learned allot about taking night picture's and me and Daisy hung out with the telescopes taking in the planets and stars. We enjoyed doing the night sky's program and hope we will get a few more in at other Units. You can see this unit in a couple of hours but with night sky's program we were here a total of 4 hours. 

 

Click here for photos of our visit.

NPS Website

Our 172nd NPS Unit

Knife River Indian Villages NHS

Explore the lives of the Northern Plains Indians on the Upper Missouri

Earth Lodge people hunted bison and other game but were in essence farmers living in villages along the Missouri and its tributaries. The site was a major Native American trade center for hundreds of years prior to becoming an important marketplace for fur traders after 1750.

27 Sept 2023

This is a small unit to take in but so much history is here, so even being an off the beaten path unit it's a don't miss unit. We took in the movie at the Visitors Center that explained the history and importance of the site and then taking in the exhibits after the movie tied it all together. We picked up Daisy's Bark ranger program and headed out to walk down to the recreated Earth lodge and this time Molly tagged along to take in the sites. Daisy got her new tag after the walk. We spent around an hour here but did not go take the trail to the village sites. You can add another hour for the trail walk. This site is very dog friendly so bring your fur baby along. 

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NPS Website

Our 171st NPS Unit

Hanging with my Sis 

Theodore Roosevelt NP

 

In Honor of a President

When Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883, he was a skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York. He could not have imagined how his adventure in this remote and unfamiliar place would forever alter the course of the nation. The rugged landscape and strenuous life that TR experienced here would help shape a conservation policy that we still benefit from today.

26 Sept 2023

To celebrate our visit to our 50th State we included a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We stopped at the South Units Visitors Center to pick up our passport stamps, Daisy's Bark Ranger tag, and to take in the site movie. The movie was well done and provide a good overview of the history of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We headed out to the South loop road to take in the beautiful vistas and look for the wild horses, buffalo, and prairie dogs. It did not take long to find a band of wild horses right along the road. Headed on we saw a few buffalo heading in. We went as far as we could on the loop road that is not a loop road right now due to damage done to the road a few years ago and the ongoing construction to fix it. This adds time to the day, but it also allows you time to stop at any turnoffs you may have missed going in. We did find a very large heard of buffalo going out, along with the band of wild horses we saw headed in. We spent around four hours in the south unit including time spent at the Visitor Center. We then headed over to the Painted Cayon Unit. This is a small unit East of the South Unit that offers an overlook of the painted Cayon and a small contact station. This stop added less than an hour to our visit. We will have to make a return to this National Park to take in the North unit. 

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NPS Website

Our 170th NPS Unit and 25th National Park

I'm Ready to find those wild horses and big buffalo. 

Lake Mead NRA

 

America's First National Recreation Area

Swim, boat, hike, cycle, camp and fish at America’s first and largest national recreation area. With striking landscapes and brilliant blue waters, this year-round playground spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys and two vast lakes. See the Hoover Dam from the waters of Lake Mead or Lake Mohave or find solitude in one of the park's nine wilderness areas.

2 Sept 2023

We started this visit with a visit and tour of Hoover Dam. We opted for the short power plant tour taking in the Nevada side of the powerhouse and a few other stops. We also walked a small section of the crest of the dam. We then headed out to the Alan Bible Visitor Center. This is a small center that has a small collection of exhibits. After getting our stamps and a few other things we then headed out for a drive along the Lakeshore back to Las Vegas making a few stops along the drive to take in the sites of Lake Mead. We were amazed how low the lake is now but according to the Rangers it has been going up this Summer. With Hoover Dam and stops we spent 5 hours here but only saw a small part of this large unit. 

Click here for photos of our visit.

NPS Website

Our 169th NPS Unit