This really doesn't do this storm sky justice but the shadows are so defined.  The light is just shining so brightly off the formations.  When the soil in the formations gets wet it really shows off the colors and the banding is very pronounced.

All in a days work

This is the view from my "reception room" at night on a good clear night.  No smoke here, that is the Milky Way as seen without telescopes on a really nice night.  There is so little light pollution here that the stars are absolutely breathtaking.  It looks like you could reach right out and touch them.  Not quite sure how the photographer captured the lighting on the formations but it was a long exposure. 

My office for morning routines.  This is where I hold part of my geology talk for visitors at 8:30 in the mornings.  The group usually gets larger as we move along.  This is the beginning of my talk by the end we usually have 20 or 30 more join us.  People love learning about their National Parks.  So we talk, joke around a bit, play and learn in a very relaxed environment.  I take them on a journey through time helping them understand how the formations were formed, the past and the future of the park.  Each talk is always a little bit different because the visitors are so diverse.  I meet people from New Zealand, France, Sweden, Australia and sometimes from some strange place called Virginia.  It is fun to hear about their trips and share in their memories. 

Today we are having some severe weather.  Even that takes on a new look on the prairie.  The sky is black over the upper prairie and the sun is shining on the formations.  Winds have been gusting up to 70 mph!

Life in the Badlands

Today's adventure.  As you wander around the national parks you seem to have information about the park at a variety of locations, that is because rangers put out the information in various forms.  Today I spent most of my day putting in fresh posters and information all over the park.  What great fun.  Now granted when a keyhole is out in the weather sometimes it doesn't like to cooperate with you, but all in all no major issues and lots of fun talking to people around the park and seeing all the stops along the way.  People really do enjoy the park and are amazed at how big and beautiful it is here.

At one stop down in the Conata picnic area as I was putting up the informational posters I had to tap the pins in with a hammer.  Two cliff swallows were letting me know they were not happy with me being there, in fact we almost came to blows a couple of times.  Something was definitely up! So I checked out the back of the sign and sure enough they had made a nest and right on the edge are three little babies, looking like they weren't quite sure what all the commotion was about including the mini earthquake they were experiencing.  Check them out, they look like a milk commercial. HA! Actually they don't look any too happy with me do they? 

The end of the day

This sunset is brought to you by Badlands National Park.  What a nice way to end the day.  It was hot today.  The temperature was near 104, lets not add the heat index.  However, it was a great day to be in the Badlands.  The summer is moving rapidly and despite the heat visitors to the park are having a wonderful time.  It is a busy time for everyone in the park. The bison seem to have moved down away from the road. To keep cool perhaps? The grass is starting to turn brown in places but the neat thing is the summer flowers are now coming out.  Today we saw Buffalo Burr and the Showy Milkweed is blooming.

Showy Milkweed

Buffalo Burr

Getting caught up

 So I have fallen behind in my blog. Here it is the 15th of July and I haven't given you any idea of what mischief I am up to.  Well, we are keeping very busy!  I have been out and about the park and it is still green.  This week the temperature has finally kicked into summer mode.  The heat index for the next few days is expected to be well over 110.  There has been so much rain that everything is still very green but we will probably see more browning with the heat now.  We are hearing more reports of rattlesnakes, where there is grass there are critters that eat grass.  Where there are critters that eat grass, there are critters that eat critters, pretty simple.  So on my drives and adventures I did manage to get some photos to share.  Sod tables are so very cool.  The little guys with the mushroom shapes are referred to as hoo-doos.

Three of us decided it was time for an adventure so we took off and went about 2 hours from here to a place in Nebraska called Niobrara River.  We camped over night and

and canoed the river the next day for 6 hours.  It was so beautiful This waterfall was right up the path from our campsite. Of course we had to take off shoes and play in the water.  The river has lots of different waterfalls along the banks.  The water table is actually above the river so it "leaks out" and makes all kinds of little waterfalls.  They say we did some Class 1 rapids which didn't seem that big to me, but I will claim it as a victory and say I did it! It was a great time and the weather was perfect.  I am sure we must have been a sight, three rangers just cruising and talking to anyone who would listen to us. 

I went of the moon hike across the prairie last night and it was something.  You don't need a flashlight when you walk across a moonlite prairie.  It is an odd feeling to be out, surreal.  The buttes take on a whole different feel and you realize how amazing how all of this is, like I had not realized that already.  It is very calming and so quiet.  I will try and get some pictures of the moon on for you.  It was fantastic tonight but my camera didn't cooperate too well.  Ranger Larry had his camera out and he never takes a bad picture of anything.  He is a wonderful man and so neat to work with.