Temperature 62 Degrees, Some Sun, Some Rain, A Whole Lot of Wind
Travel Day
Sometimes you just got to do what you have to do.
Yesterday we finally were able to do some sightseeing (blog coming) for a few hours. In the early afternoon we turned toward home not wanting to leave Proton in his crate any longer than we had to. We arrived back home only to discover that one of the workers had cut the main water line in half. It took them just a little over 3 hours to fix it. That was the last straw. We were leaving come Wednesday rather than Thursday. We made a quick phone call and discovered a campground with an open site. That’s all we needed to hear.
What we had decided in essence to do was divide our trip to The International Peace Gardens into two equal segments of around 2 hours each. Especially with the winds they were predicting we thought it would be better not to do one long road trip on a two lane road with no shoulders. So, we rerouted which now put us on a 4 lane interstate with wide shoulders heading north.
That definitely turned out to be the right decision. Today we rocked and rolled and got pushed around a bit but never to the point were I felt we were in danger. Elvira is a joy to drive and handles everything you throw at her with grace and style.
A short drive later and
we were at our new home for the night.
Ms. Barbara went to register and receive our site assignment. A short time later she was back with our site number and a map. Off we went
and this is where we ended up. We have a pull-through, gravel base and level. Since we’re here only for the one night we only put the back two slides out. Likewise, we only hook up electric. The nice thing about this site? As you leave, make an immediate right and you go right out to the exit for the park.
Okay, the wind is blowing up a storm outside. The rain has started to come down again but inside we’re comfortable and warm. Time to sit back with a hot cup of tea. And maybe a nice dish of ice cream. Till tomorrow sleep well.
I have to say, this stop is nothing like what we’re used to. It begins with the site which is absolutely horrible. I’m finding that KOA’s are either hit or miss. Some are really good, then there are those like this one that is the pits. At least the site that they put us in. I’ve ridden around the park and there are other sites that are really nice. Why we were stuck out here is beyond me.
Come now to last night. When we went to bed all was calm and there were no posted warnings about severe storms. Well, around 2 am Proton jumped up in bed and started dancing around on my feet. Yes, he was scared silly. That’s when I heard it. The roar of the wind and the pounding rain. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran to close the bedroom window. I ran to the front of the rig where there was a fierce racket coming from the area of the front door. The door awning! I opened the door, which was ripped out of my hands, and saw the awning trying to shred itself into pieces. Outside I went in the melee and cranked it in. OK, round one won. But wait the main awning was out a few inches as a slide topper and it was faring no better. Inside, hit the switch and I was able to get it in. Next, I brought the slide in. OK, I believe we are safe for the time being. Oh no, one more thing I forgot about. I ran around the side and Albert (our new satellite antenna) was no longer on his table. I found him on the ground, got him disconnected and brought him inside. More about him later. Suffice to say we did not get much sleep last night.
Come now to today. We wanted to go sightseeing but the weather report indicated that there would be severe storms in the afternoon. So we made the decision to stay home. Which was probably the right thing to do since every time we sat down we fell fast asleep!. Of course the storms never materialized. Now, they say they’re coming tonight.
Well, we decided to watch TV since we now have a new portable satellite antenna (named Albert). In case you missed the past post our satellite antenna on the roof went belly up. I thought about getting it fixed, but the hassle of getting it off, covering the holes in the roof, mailing it to the maker of the antenna, not to mention the cost of shipping and repairs – way too much bother. A portable was the way to go.
Come now to today. I took Albert back out to his table and this time I staked him down real good. He isn’t going to go for another walk anytime soon. I hooked everything back up and went inside and asked Ms. Barbara to turn the TV on expecting no problems. Oh, silly boy. We had some but not all of our channels. Could Albert’s midnight jaunt have left him with amnesia?
First call was to Dish. Long story short, an hour on the phone and no resolution. So frustrating. Second call, to King the maker of the antenna. Another hour, maybe more and still no resolution. They pointed the finger at Dish. Would you expect otherwise? Third call, again to Dish. Yea, this time we got someone who really knew his stuff. After an hour of checking this and that the bottom line seemed to be that the Wally receiver was bad. OK, we just happen to have a spare one. So, the tech took the old off our account and added the new and that did the trick. We now have all our channels, we can again record, and the shows are again in HD.
Yes, it’s been an interesting 24 hours. Not to mention we’ve done no sightseeing and probably will not before we leave. There were a few places we wanted to go but time and weather is now against us. What a real bummer. This has not been our favorite stop by a long shot. We’ll not be back this way that is for sure.
On a positive note, I have a new toy Anyone recognize it? It is a garden kneeler/seat. No more sitting on the ground trying to get the blocks under the jacks nor bending over to check tire pressure. I believe this is going to make life so much easier and my back is going to be so much happier.
Time to wrap things up. I’m still dragging and really need a good nights sleep. However, if the weather comes in that they are forecasting I doubt we’ll get much sleep again tonight. Time will tell.
Thanks again for spending some time with us. It’s always great to be able to share our story with family and friends. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.
Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.
Once our tour of the Visitor Center was over it was time to explore the Southern Unit of the Park.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park on average only has about 600,000 visitors annually making it one of the lease visited National Parks. This is no doubt due in part to its remote location in North Dakota. The Southern Unit Scenic Drive is the highlight of the Park as there are many scenic overlooks and
numerous opportunities to get out and stretch your legs. However, we quickly learned that
it is no longer a loop road but rather an out and back drive. A landslide in 2019 destroyed the last part of the road and it has still not been completely repaired.
As you begin your drive into the park you immediately notice one big difference between the Badlands here and in South Dakota. The Badlands here are alive with vegetation. I found the Badlands here a bit muted and not as harsh as those in South Dakota. Yet, each is beautiful in its own way.
Here is one to test your imagination.
Can you see the face in the rock on the hillside?
You’ll still find towering hills, but also
lush bottom land along the Little Missouri River. And yes, that speck down there is a tent. This is the location of Cottonwood Campground. The campground is about 5 miles inside the park, offers no services, with some sites available by reservation, the remainder are on a first come, first serve basis.
There are Bison in the park, currently about 500 to 600. I learned that about every 2 to 3 years they have a roundup and at that time they check the health of the herd and thin it down by moving some of the bison to other locations – perhaps a reservation, a local ranch or another park. The management of the herd, though, is not as organized as Custer State Park.
In terms of other wildlife which we observed.
This is one of the few national parks where you can observe free-roaming horses. They are descended from stock turned out by ranchers to live and breed. Once the park was fenced in there was a horse round up with the intent of removing all of them from the park. However, a few eluded capture. These horses continued to live free-range in the park. Though there were other efforts in the future to remove them, today they are allowed to live in the park as a historical demonstration herd. However, like the bison they are also managed to keep their numbers at a manageable size based on the natural resources available in the park.
The end of the road, time to turn back but first we stopped here.
What a view from the overlook.
The fact that people actually used to live here is hard to imagine. They must have come from sturdy stock than I am made of.
Remember I said in the beginning that there were a number of places along the route that you could get out and stretch your legs?
I decided to try the Wind Canyon Trail. It stated that it was an easy 15 minute (sure) walk of just about .4 of a mile. It started out easy enough but then came
the stairs if you could call them that! But the climb was well worth the effort for when you reached the top
the view of the Little Missouri River and surrounding area was spectacular! I’m so glad I made the effort to climb to the ridge line.
We absolutely enjoyed our drive through the southern unit. It was totally different than what we had witnessed in The Badlands National Park but it had a definite beauty all its own. If you are ever out this way, I encourage you to take a day and tour Teddy’s Park and his Visitor Center. You will not regret it.
OK
Once out of the park we had observed this when we first arrived
and of course I had to find out what it was, and why it was there.
This is what I discovered
How about that, now we know how the town of Medora got its name. Now, about that chimney
This site once contained a packaging plant, a slaughterhouse, ice houses, outbuildings, a railroad spur track, and a corral. All, however, was destroyed by fire in 1907 leaving only the chimney to mark the location of a once prosperous business.
And that concludes our time in Medora. We left with so many wonderful memories, not the least of which was the Musical. Medora may be a bit off the beaten track and a little bit out of the way but it is definitely worth a visit.
Thanks again for spending some time with us. It’s always great to be able to share our story with family and friends. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.
Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.
This is the second reason we came to Medora, to tour Teddy’s Park. This was easy to accomplish since all one had to do was make a left out of the RV Park, and then make the second left afterward into the Park.
As is our usual practice we began our tour by stopping at the Visitor Center. However, before we even got inside we learned a few things. Such as:
Though Theodore Roosevelt is well-known for his lasting contributions to environmental conservation in the United States, it wasn’t until 1978 – or nearly 70 years after his presidency – that an entire park would be named after him. The park is divided into three units. There is the North Unit with a scenic 14-mile byway; his very own Elkhorn Ranch of which only the foundations exist today; and, the South Unit with it’s own 36 mile Scenic loop. We were going to spend time touring the South Unit after our stop at the Visitor Center. A question I asked of a ranger was Why three separate units? What about all the land between North and South? She explained that most property owners were unwilling to part with their land at the time the Park was being formed. In addition, the Government at the time was unwilling to spend the money for any more land than the three parts already set apart for the park.
This is the unit we would explore after our stop at the Visitor Center. The South Unit is the largest of the park’s 3 units. The Unit consists of 46,000 acres and 11 miles of the Little Missouri River.
Moving on, we entered the Visitor Center and were greeted with this incredible mural on the wall to our right.
The native tribes in the area referred to this land as Mako Shike – not good land. The cattlemen of the 1880’s saw the Badlands as the last frontier To Roosevelt it was a land of vast silent spaces – a place of grim beauty.
It is said that the grim beauty of the Badlands lured him back time and again as a rancher and as a leader. Here in the Badlands he found physical and spiritual renewal in times of trial. It was his experiences in this untamed wilderness that later made him the first President to champion conservation.
There was a display about Roosevelt and The Rough Riders
A display about Roosevelt as President.
As president, some of his accomplishments.
That is, indeed, Roosevelt at the controls of the steam shovel!
Remember, his face is on Mt. Rushmore primarily for his conservation efforts during his time in office as President.
Finally, there was this unique sculpture of Roosevelt on horseback. What is even more fascinating about this is that the objects which dress Roosevelt and his horse are authentic; they were owned and used by Roosevelt during his lifetime.
We are now finished with the Visitor Center and in the next blog we will more into the actual park. Until then, be well.
Thanks again for spending some time with us. It’s always great to be able to share our story with family and friends. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish every moment of every day that God gives you and live those moments to the fullest.
Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.
"On The Road of Retirement" 