A thunderstorm rolls across Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, USA

© Judith Zimmerman/Danita Delimon

Dark skies. Storm rolls over the Badlands

Today's image of a thunderstorm moving over grasslands in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, in the US state of North Dakota, illustrates the power of nature and of conservation. In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt travelled to the North Dakota Badlands to hunt bison. He fell in love with the cowboy lifestyle and, before heading back east, he became part owner of the Maltese Cross Ranch. A year later he was back in North Dakota and had built Elkhorn Ranch. Life in the west inspired Roosevelt. Later, as US president, he would establish various national parks and monuments.At the Theodore Roosevelt National Park you can see some of the places that inspired his conservation efforts, including the cabin he used as his home during his first trips to the Badlands, restored to its original state. And if that's not enough, hours of scenic drives, hiking trails with dramatic views and wildlife-watching make for a memorable visit.