I LOVED Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was breathtakingly beautiful even in the pre-storm, morning fog. We made it to the park early to beat some of the rain, got in lots of the “hikes” (their term but these were all easy walks), did the entire scenic drive and all the pull offs that weren’t closed for construction, and finished with the visitor center museum and movie when the rain was really coming down. I think sometimes my reviews of parks are influenced by emotions and everyone was in an exceptional mood today which made the whole experience that much sweeter. The kids were singing and laughing all day and we found everything here enjoyable… direct correlation there maybe?

The hikes were short but show-stopping. Pictures could never do it justice but it was absolutely worth the trip to ND just to stand at the top of Wind Canyon and take in the 360 degrees of views. Nothing but pristine natural land. We joked it looked like and old time photo showing you what the land looked like a 100 years before it was settled. It was a painting come to life.

Next best thing in this park: the wildlife – WILD HORSES! I’ve never seen wild horses before and I was thrilled to find 2 different herds grazing in these bad lands. We also saw TONS of bison which is really cool up close from the safety of our car. There are only a few hikes in this park that cross the land and given the bison, wild horses, rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, 100+ summer temps… I was happy sticking to the scenic drive and mini hikes. The only animal we were sad to miss were the hundreds of prairie dogs who live together in “prairie towns”. Apparently they don’t like coming out on cloudy days because they can’t see their predators (birds) as well. Another cool park feature was the burning coal veins, you don’t see that everyday. One coal seam burned here for 26 years!

This park has 3 units and we visited all of the South Unit. I would have also liked to see the cannonball concretions in the North Unit of the park but that entrance is 70 miles away and a 90 minute drive in one direction (just to the gate) and my family would not be thrilled if I insisted on this 4 hour excursion in the pouring rain to see stones naturally shaped into balls. So we took our time in the South Unit and soaked in all the beauty there (see what I did there?… ‘soaked in’🌧 ☔️ 😂 ) The 3rd unit of the park is Elkhorn Ranch Unit and home to the foundation stones of Teddy Roosevelt’s 2nd ranch home and even harder to access than the North Unit.

So I mentioned yesterday that Medora loves its history and celebrates Theodore Roosevelt’s years spent here. After learning more about it, you definitely get a better appreciation of what that experience means for all of us, not just Medora. Roosevelt came from NY to ND to grieve after his wife died (just 2 days after giving birth) on the same day and in the same house that his mother succumbed to Typhoid fever, Feb 14, 1884. According to historical accounts, he began healing in this beautiful land and truly relished the hard labor it took to live off this land. Years later he went back to NY with a greater appreciation for this country’s beautiful landscapes and a desire to protect it. When he later became president, he signed legislation to create the first 5 national parks, 150 national forests, the first 18 national monuments, and so much more in his conservation efforts. This is not one of the parks he had a hand in establishing but was later created and named in his honor. It was fun to read about this city boy who arrived in the Dakotas in his “Brooks Brother outfit” and proved to be a very capable cowboy.

So a rainy afternoon in Medora – we visited the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame and The Center of Western Heritage and Culture. It was a small, ambitious museum that covered everything from dinosaurs and fossils, to the wars between tribes and settlers during westward expansion, to the life of ranchers and cowboys, and finally covering rodeos and their hall of fame. Admittedly, we were getting bored by this time but what we did get out of it was an appreciation for a different way of life (our NH schools don’t have rodeo teams!) and a vivid reminder of how horribly the native tribes were treated as America was on its way to fulfilling its “Manifest Destiny”. It doesn’t sit well and Mesa Verde’s final thoughts “why does American history only start in the 17 century?” resonates again. But that was one of the goals of this trip — to learn and contemplate and appreciate our country including its history. So, check. And as we read about the current news in Afghanistan it all leaves me with a depressed, helpless feeling. And since we are incredibly privileged Americans with freedoms I’m currently not taking for granted, we went to the candy store, then the ice cream parlor, and explored this charming little town. Hugging my family closer, grateful to feel safe, to have the freedom to explore and learn, to have opportunities to pursue our dreams, and wish that for everyone.

Lastly, (today was a long drive so lots of time to reflect and knowing our trip is coming to end soon I don’t want to forget any of it!) we found all the people in North Dakota. Were they at the national park? Nope. They were all in the parking lot of the Burning Hills Amphitheater (which seats almost 3000 people!) waiting to find out if the show was rained out. The Medora Musical only cancels shows AT show time, never before, and they ONLY announce it in person, not posted anywhere online. I have to give my family credit, they bundled up for cold weather, wind and light rain and humored me all the way to the show. Which was cancelled. They say they only cancel 3-5 times a summer on average so I am having my first regrets of the trip. Maybe regret is too strong a word, but if I had realized what a spectacle the show was going to be (horse on stage, fireworks, various dance troupes) AND considered how bad the weather was going to be today, I just may have rushed to the show last night when we arrived. But I’m out of planning shape after our 2 week hiatus, and also missed a magic show which would have been great on a rainy day. Mat loves a good magic show, and who knew Medora was going to offer so much entertainment? So we played our first game Scrabble which was fun too.

Friday, August 20th, 2021