Roosevelt National Park – Medora, North Dakota

By cbatstone, September 21, 2013

Undoubtedly a highlight of the trip thus far, Craig and I spent 2 nights in the Cottonwood Campground of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit) in Medora, North Dakota. There were numerous aspects of this visit that made it unforgettable.

We had left Minnesota early Thursday (9-19) morning–on the road headed for North Dakota by 6am, in order to catch some daylight at the park which was a 7 1/2 hour drive from Crow Wing State Park in Minnesota where we’d camped the 2 nights prior. The bulk of North Dakota, well, what can be seen of it from Interstate 94 west, was flat, windy, isolated, and riddled with oil operations from Bismark on.  When we finally arrived in Medora, a small town on the border of North Dakota and Montana, the landscape changed drastically. No longer flat and monotonous, every twist and turn was speckled with colorful buttes, grassland, scenes of autumn, sage and juniper, juxtaposed with the Little Missouri River. This was the scenery that drew President Theodore Roosevelt to the area; causing him to alter his idea of “home”. Medora was established by a French nobleman  who named the town for his wife, and who planned to ship beef via the Union Pacific Railway to the meat packing industries of Chicago. Of course, the “establishment” of this town began long before 1883, as it was home to the Chippewa tribe for hundreds of years prior.

As “luck” would have it, while in the parking lot of the biking trails in Minnesota, another couple walked over to scope out our trailer and strike up some friendly conversation. During the exchange, they told us about a trip out west they were planning, and about their plans to bike and explore the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota. It just so happened that this biking/hiking/equestrian trail ran right through Medora where we were already headed. So, our first order of business after pulling into town, was to speak with the folks at Dakota Cyclery and get information about the Maah Daah Hey in preparation for tomorrow’s ride. Although the shop was closed at 3:30pm, there was a phone number provided to call for information and repairs, and we needed both. Craig made the phone call, but no answer, so we went for a beer. While in the saloon, the owners shared with us that had we come 2 weeks earlier the place would’ve been packed with tourists and outdoor enthusiasts, but, during the off season, the town is typically left to its 112 residents. Furthermore, the entire state of North Dakota shares the same population as Vermont at around 600,000. However, with the impending oil boom, the state is projecting growth of 200,000 by 2015.

Now, en route to our campsite, we stopped at the convenience store for some groceries and received a call from a strange number with a 701 area code. Yup, the bike shop! What service! So an hour later, Craig’s pedal was repaired and we were properly armed with the best cycling information in town, which varied greatly from the info provided by the official visitor’s center. Still our time in town would not be complete without a parking ticket: “wrong side of the street”; we swear that sheriff was looking for something to do! 

That evening we set up camp along the Little Missouri River and had some time to sit, relax, and take in the view. The weather changed abruptly from 70 degrees to 30 degrees that night, but it didn’t keep the coyotes from howling throughout the night; a new sound to me which left me in awe.

Friday, Craig and I set out on the Maah Daah Hey Trail for a 14 mile mountain bike ride. The sights and feelings I knew during the ride are hard to capture in words. It was simply one of those experiences that makes you feel so fully and incredibly alive; glad to be here on this Earth amidst the natural beauty and to share it with someone you love. Beyond that, there was the challenging physical elements of the ride itself, essential in enhancing that “alive” feeling, as you push and overcome your own perceived boundaries. As we rode through the North Dakota badlands, we watched the rugged landscape change from a sparse wasteland to grasslands to tree covered hillsides, only encountering one other group of bikers and a few deer along the way. It was a perfect afternoon.

That perfection continued as the timing of us finishing the bike ride, eating lunch, and then setting off on the 30 mile scenic drive through the park brought us to the Wind Canyon Trail Overlook in time for sunset. There we sat, and watched the sun drop behind the hills alongside the Little Missouri. Epic Date Day #2 Complete.

Saturday morning came, and we woke early to pack up our campsite and drive 50 miles north to the North Unit Entrance of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We wanted to explore both units of the park before traveling further west to Montana. Our ambition was rewarded with more breathing taking views of the buttes, hillsides, and Little Missouri, but it was the wildlife with whom we had close encounters that made this portion of the park unique. After seeing several deer and multiple prairie dog towns in the south unit, the north unit was full of Bison. Our route was interrupted several times by the herds of these large and slow moving animals, once a critical resource to the Native Americans that settled the Plains. However, unlike most other traffic jams, it was a lot easier for me to breathe deeply, feel calm, and enjoy just being “stuck”.

Overall, I was deeply impressed by the rich beauty of this area, and I would recommend it as a travel destination to anyone, and I hope to find myself here again.

–Amira

 

 

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