How do the Hoo-doos do?

Sandy has survived Drumheller, the dinosaurs and the museum security guards with his fur intact. Whew! He has one last stop in the Badlands and that is the Hoo-doos. That's a very funny sounding name for sure. And the reality of the Hoo-doos is funnier still! They look like giant mushrooms made out of rock!

Sandy studies some of the interpretive signs and after asking his Mama a load of questions he learns this... Hoo-doos are formed when softer rock erodes underneath a harder layer of rock. Simple really...

But looking at a picture from the early 1900s (that's more than 100 years ago - a beary long time!)... Sandy sees that the Hoo-doos are getting smaller all the time and some are losing their "mushroom caps".

Sandy learns that the softer rock is a clay-rock and when it gets wet and then dries out, it crumbles very easily (beary easily)! Look at how crumbly that stuff is!

And while the harder rocks do give some protection, it's not enough... The harder rock is a sandstone rock and quite hard, but even it is starting to weather away!

Sandy is glad he saw the Hoo-doos while they are still looking pretty good. Who knows what they will look like in another 100 years! Mind you... will Sandy still be around in 100 years? Could be... little bears can live a very long time, as long as they don't get too rambunctious in their adventures!

Today is a very hot day, and the area above the Hoo-doos is open for exploring... and of course Sandy wanted to go there... but it's very hot!! Scorching hot with the sun reflecting off of the rocks...

Time to look for some shade and then scamper back to the truck! And then head home....