Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Wind!!!  All night long and all day, too.  We left Lake Sakakawea State Park this morning and the wind was gusting up to forty miles per hour out of the southeast.  The roads run due north/south or east/west so no matter which direction we were going they affected us.  The roads have no shoulders and no guardrails so when a gust hits the broad side of a motor home and sets it over a foot or so, it can get pretty scary.  I couldn't watch and hemmed the dress I made the other day.  Ted obviously had to drive slower than normal and quite a parade behind him by the time we got to I-94.  There were places that people could have passed but the wind was probably affecting them as well.

Oil Well off I-94

Art Along I-94

The wind lessened or at least didn't affect us as much on the interstate and we safely arrived at the Painted Canyon section of Theodore Roosevelt National Park a little after noon...or maybe a little after eleven.   Our phones and computers are set to change automatically but I'm not sure they did and I'm not sure which device we checked the time on not that it matters.  This section of the park is just off I-94 and is a rest area as well as park.  As we were driving in we saw three or four bison in the distance but not close enough to get any photos.  We had a slice of leftover pizza and went in to check the visitors' center out and get our park passport stamped. 

I talked Ted into buying a new t-shirt.  It is Advice from a Bison:  Stand your ground.  Have a tough hide.  Keep moving on.  Cherish wide open spaces.  Have a strong spirit.  Roam wild and free.  Let the chips fall where they may!  I think Ted follows that advice pretty closely...except maybe for the chips falling.  We went for a hike and boy, what huge chips there were.

The park is mostly badlands. Sixty million years ago streams carried eroded material from the Rocky Mountains and deposited it on a vast lowland in layers.  Even as it was being deposited, streams were cutting down through the soft strata and to sculpt an infinite variety of buttes, tablelands and valleys.  They are defined as a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water.

Badlands from Visitors' Center

Badlands from Visitors' Center

We walked the paths around the visitors' center and then took the Painted Canyon trail down into the badlands to see them up close and personal.  Although dry, there was plenty of vegetation including some cacti, sagebrush, cottonwood trees and cedar trees.  The path was steep in places so we had to watch our footing but the scenery was spectacular.  When we reached the bottom and walked around one of the buttes, we were surprised at how far above us the visitors' center was.  Note to selves... even if the trail is only a mile long, take water.  We are so out of the habit of hiking on anything that wasn't flat or humid that we forgot what it was like to be out in this kind of terrain in the dry heat of the noon day sun.  We managed fine but were really thirsty by the time we got back to the motor home.

We got back on I-94 and drove the few miles west to get into Medora, ND and the entrance to the South Unit of the Park.  The park road rose quickly so we were looking down of I-94 and after crossing over the highway climbed to the top of a butte where we found a prairie dog town.  We saw dozens of prairie dogs sitting beside their holes, some playing but most just on the lookout.  There were probably hundreds of holes.  

Prairie Dog Town

After waiting in line to get through construction, we arrived at Cottonwood Campground.  We rode around the pull through loop seeing several potential sites nearer the Little Missouri River but settled on one away from the water.  Even though it was quite hot, there was a nice breeze and we opened all the windows and sat and listened to the birds.  As in most national parks, there is no water, sewer or electricity so we will be roughing it for a few days.  Ha!  With the generator on for a short time to nuke our leftovers and charge our electronics, there is no need for sympathy for us.