Spectacular South Unit

Grabbed coffee at a little shop on Main Street and drove down the street to the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park entrance. The feature of the South Unit is the paved 36 mile scenic loop drive. Along the drive there are interpretive signs that explain the park's historical and natural features. The road rolls over hills and winds through valleys and rugged badland scenery. The guide map says the drive takes 2-3 hours but it took us 6! We started early because it is going to be a very hot day. We stopped at various overlooks like Scoria Point to learn about the volcanic origin where coal seams have caught fire and baked the surrounding sand and clay. The Ridgeline Trail taught us about the role of fire, wind, and water in the area.

We took 2 hikes along the loop. The Coal Vein Trail took us through an area where a fire burned here in a coal seam from 1951 to early 1977 . The intense heat baked the adjacent clay and sand and severely altered the appearance of the terrain. Our second hike wound up a hill (elevation 2,855 ft)where only shrubs and small plants grew on the dry, south-facing slopes, while trees grew on the wetter, north facing hills.

We stopped at the stables to check out the horseback riding trails, but decided to finish the scenic loop first. As we pulled back onto the road a herd of Bison were crossing into a field. As we rounded the corner we could see the herd in the field to our left. There was a viewing parking lot just ahead so we pulled in and parked with the other cars to watch. The bison kept coming and started crossing the road in front of us and walking right by us in the parking area. They are so huge and it was a little scary! We were parked next to a trash barrel with wood slats around it when one of the big guys walked right next to us (up close and personal) and decided to scratch himself on the barrel. We decided we were a little to close as our bikes were on the back of the car and he was inches away from them. Slowly we inched out of the parking space and was able to leave before the rest of the herd moved across the street. Rolling along through unbelievable rock formations we came upon our next surprise... wild horses standing just off the road! The horses roam the South Unit just as they did when Roosevelt rode this land. We were really excited to see them. One group of horses had 2 young colts with them. Naturally we had to stop at Prairie Dog Town. The Prairie Dogs were once a part of the Great Plains life. Of the five species only black-tailed prairie dogs live in the South Unit. They are very community oriented. These guys have their own warning systems and you can hear them talk to one another.

Of course we found a dirt road. The sign said that it lead to Elkhorn Ranch which was Teddy Roosevelt's ranch. We followed this until we came to a fence and a sign that said we were leaving the South Unit. We decided to explore and found ourselves in gorgeous grasslands with grazing cattle (on and off the road) and ranches that stepped right out of a movie. It was time for lunch and we pulled into a turnout where we were surrounded by wilderness with no one around. The car is covered in red dirt! After lunch we went back into the park and stopped at the visitor center where we watched a video on TR. Out of the visitor center we took a side road that lead us into a small park. The park was the site of the DeMores Packing Co where we walked around the ruins.

Now it's really hot and time for ice cream! The Marquis de Mores Ice Cream Parlor was our next stop. We sat on a bench outside and enjoyed ice cream cones and watched people. The couple sitting on the bench next to us from Dickinson, ND showed us pictures of their house and neighborhood which was hit by a tornado July 8. The devastation was awful.

It was a busy day so back to camp for some relaxation. We are in the process of rerouting as we found out this week is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. There isn't a campground or hotel within 200 miles that is available. So we'll head west to Montana next and head for Yellowstone National Park. Don't know where we will end up tomorrow, but that's the fun of this trip!

Pitchfork Fondue Anyone?

Sadly left the North Unit this morning in showers and clouds. We really enjoyed this stop and highly recommend it. We are in Mountain Time now as we rolled down Rte 85S down to I94W. We try to stay off the interstates but in some areas the routes meld together. The Painted Canyon Visitor Center sits on the upper margin of the badlands. Walking the trail along the canyon rim where we had a picnic lunch we were treated to a panorama of the broken topography and it's colorful hues. The colors in the canyon walls mixed with the dark green trees and flowing grasslands are terrific. It is so hard to capture it all in pictures.

We arrived at the Red Trail Campground in Medora, ND mid afternoon. This came highly recommended by the folks we met at Fort Totten. It was OK, we got a nice site on the end by the entrance. The campground is very convenient and close to town. Medora is a very historic town with lots to do. The town was founded in April 1883 by a French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores. He named the town for his bride who was the daughter of a wealthy New York City Banker. Prior to the Marquis's arrival the area had been a hunting ground for Native Americans, the site of The Battle of the Badlands in 1864 where the military fought the Sioux. General Georg Custer also passed through in 1876 on his fatal march west to Little Bighorn. When the Marquis arrived he founded the town and built a meat packing plant, hotel, stores, and a large Chateau . Although he was a visionary he returned to France 10 years later in Financial ruin. Understanding this history it was now time for us to go exploring.

Everyone we talked to recommended 2 things here... the Pitchfork Fondue and the Medora Musical. The musical was recognized as one of the 2009 top events in North America, but we've seen so many of these shows in our travels we decided to pass on it this time. We purchased our tickets for thePitchfork Fondue and headed into the historic area. First stop was the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. This explores the history of Native Americans, ranching, rodeo, and the western lifestyle of the northern plains horse culture and the badlands. There was a new display on the 2009 National Finals Rodeo Cowboys which was really interesting. After all that history we were thirsty and in a cowboy town where else would you go... The Rough Riders Hotel! Built in 1885 the hotel has always been the center of activity in Medora where visitors arrived by car and on horseback. We mosey'd up to the bar and felt like we had stepped back in time.

With our thirst quenched - it's now dinner time. We pulled into the corral of the Pitchfork Steak Fondue. Every night the cowboys load ribeye steaks onto pitchforks and fondue them western style. We found a spot at a long table and savored our steak as we loverlooked the picturesque badlands from atop a bluff at the Tjaden Terrace. The steak came with all the fixin's and new friends. We met a nice couple (Bill and Margaret) from Pheonix. After dinner we went back to camp. Being close to town we discovered that the local train goes through town several times a night. t sounded like it was coming right through the coach! We are learning that campgrounds and railroads seem to go together! It was a nice night.