Sun. June 29, 2008 Medora, North Dakota

June 29, 2008  Sunday - Medora, North Dakota

The winds died down as predicted, so we hit the road early and headed up to Medora, where the southern entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands of North Dakota is located. After setting up camp and changing into cooler clothing (it was in the high 90’s), we unhitched the trailer to make the 37 mile loop around the park.

Before entering the driving tour of the park we were invited to stop at the visitor’s center for an orientation. I was interested in Teddy Roosevelt’s life and his cabin that has been preserved on site. It was fascinating to learn how he had traveled from his home state of New York to go on a buffalo hunt in what is now called the Badlands. Upon arrival, he fell in love with the area and wanted to preserve it for everyone’s enjoyment. He became a conservationist and environmentalist and because of him, this area is what it is today.

The southern loop that we drove was filled with unique geological formations and outcroppings, clearly showing the various ages of time. The colorful striations ranged from lavender to raw umber and charcoal. Petrified logs stuck out in angular contrast to the vertical lines of water erosion. The hues of blue-green sage dotted the grassy landscape along with flowering spiky century plants and scrubby short pines.

Wildlife included herds of bison and wild horses. Most entertaining were prairie dogs which popped up out of their dirt mounds to snack or chase one another like mischievous kids.

There were few people in the park which allowed us to drive slowly and take pictures. As I looked out in the quiet, vast landscape I tried to imagine it being the floor of the ocean filled with fish and marine life…a stark contrast to today’s visit.

The campground that we stayed at was nestled up against a rocky crag and was the site of a large family reunion. The friendly group actually invited us to join them for dinner! Complimentary nightly western music was preformed by an older local couple, dressed in matching red and silver western garb.

The small town situated along the Little Missouri River had quite a colorful history. It’s rustic, frontier architecture remains with its claim to fame being the national cowboy museum as well as the park. Buildings had been preserved with wooden sidewalks and old western facades. Seeing cowboy hats and boots made me feel like we were re-entering the Wild West...competing with tour buses instead of covered wagons, for parking spaces.