Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND

Monday

From Cody we went to Billings, MT and I-90 taking the junction at I-94 east.  It wasn’t long before we realized something was missing.  We were almost to Glendive, MT before we saw another motorcycle.  They were all on I-90.  We did have some pass us but they were Honda, Yamaha, or Kawasaki motorcycles and were very quiet, unlike the Harleys we have been surrounded by for the last several days.

We followed the Yellowstone River Valley through eastern Montana and then entered North Dakota.  The river valley is fertile land with lots of alfalfa hay, corn and sugar beets along with some other crops we couldn’t identify.  The hills on each side of the valley are grass covered with scattered pines and cottonwood trees. 

Typical views of the Yellowstone River Valley.

The further east we went the landscape changed to cottonwoods in the gullies and creek bottoms with open prairie grasslands surrounding them.  When we entered North Dakota we were in one of the National Grasslands that continues into Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Entering North Dakota and a view from a scenic overlook.

We are in Medora Campground which is near the Little Missouri River but it isn't within view of the campground.  Our site is under a number of large cottonwood trees with fair space between sites.  There is a campground just inside the park but it doesn’t take reservations and there are no hookups.  This time of year air conditioning is a MUST in our book so Medora Campground was chosen.

Our Fox among the cottonwoods.

The town of Medora would likely have dried up and blown away had it not been for the park and the tourist attractions that developed at the entrance.  In addition to Medora Campground, there is the hotel, the Medora Musical in the large amphitheatre, the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, Cowboy Fondue, Steak on a stick, and any number of things and places to accept your money.  There is a sales pitch for everything wherever you go.  It does provide jobs for many and this happens around many of our parks.  It is a very cute and clean little town according to Linda.  She likes it.

Linda had pizza at a recommended place (by the campground manager) only to be served what we are sure was frozen pizza or at the least frozen dough right off the SYSCO truck.  I had fried chicken and was it fried.  We will do our own cooking for the remainder of our stay here.  I happened to check my credit card transactions today and the pizza place and the campground were the same billing.  Hmmmmm!!!

Tuesday

Today was mainly touring the park.  Our first stop was one of several Prairie Dog Town.  All the little white spots you see are their mounds.

They were barking or calling to one another.

They would pop up everywhere throw some dirt occasionally and dissapear.

Some just stood sentry.

Others played catch or may have been defending their territories.

There was a three mile stretch of construction on the road with a pilot car but right after that we came into Bison territory.  Well, some of it as the whole park is their territory as evidenced by their droppings.

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd but you can drive through,

There were a lot of calves resting.

Actually a lot of the Bison were resting.

From an overlook the area we drove through with the Bison.

The park wasn't at all what I had expected.  Based on eastern Montana and Wyoming this time of year I had expected it to be dry and brown.  Quite the contrary, it was quite green everywhere.  Thunderstorms frequent the area and the rains keep it green most of the summer.  I should have realized that when there were no irrigation systems on the fields of alfalfa, corn and other crops near here.

The light colored soil is primarily Bentonite, which is a clay like material that can absorb twice it's weight in water and in doing so makes it very slick.  We experienced it once years ago in Wyoming on a dirt road when it started to rain.  We tried to turn our jeep around on an incline but the front end slid around for us.  Bentonite is used to make Kitty Litter.

There are a number of great views in the park with wide valley areas cut by the Little Missouri River and many side canyons with trailheads and trails to explore.

Many areas had deep grasses and wildflowers.  The grasses had a yellow flower or color and when I asked at the visitor center was told it is a yellow sweet clover.  The bees would love it.

Linda caught a picture of a prehistoric beast of some kind coming down the hill.  I could be a Photosarus Rex.

As we neared the end of the loop we came upon a couple small herds of wild horses.

In addition to the Prairie Dogs, Bison, Deer, and Horses we saw, there are Antelope, Elk, Coyotes and probably a number of other animals too numerous to name.

Later we went to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (only $6/senior) and it was quite good.  It is a non-profit, not associated with much of the other things in town.  Somehow Medora is the county seat of Billings County so there are a lot of really small towns in the county if this is the biggest, with a population of 131 permanent residents.

Tonight we will go to the Medora Musical because we have to do the tourist thing according to someone who is riding with me.