The Great Mikegration

Cover Photo: Just a grazing! Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit.

Adventure Map Days 4-5

Day 4: 06/17/22

• Waking up after a good nights sleep we decided to explore the North Unit of Theordore Roosevelt National Park today since we had already touched on the South Unit yesterday. Let me stop here for a minute and explain that Theodore Roosevelt National Park is broken into three separate sections. There is the South Unit, the North Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit is where the remains of his “home ranch” is located from when he lived there. Overall he designated over 250 million acres of national parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife reserves. Truly an incredible legacy.
• We headed up ND-22N and then west on ND-200 W and finally north on US-85 N.
• Very scenic drive and one we much enjoyed. There was a beautiful pull off spot on US-85 N a little ways before you get to the North Unit entryway that was a view of the Badlands. Pics below.

• There is only one entrance and drive in the North Unit that starts at the Visitors Center and ends at Oxbow Overlook. He’s a picture that shows you the layout of the park.

• As you start your drive from the Visitor’s Center to Oxbow Overlook there are many places to pull over and hike or take some pictures. I’ll break some of them down for you below.

• So why do some of the rock formations look like they do in the park you may ask? Well……here’s some answers.

• Here’s a fun looking trail if you’re feeling adventurous for the day.

• Ever watch Burt Lancaster in The Cannonball Run? Well….if you have it won’t help you for the next mystery… Why are there rock cannonballs at the park?

• How about layers in the rock of different colors? Here’s the “dirty” secret….

• Don’t forget to look out for the self-appointed resident guardians of the park!!

• Keep on driving you’re not done yet! Next up is the beautiful River Bend Overlook and the “intersection” of a couple trails (Caprock Coulee Trail and North Achenbach Trail). We pulled on over and decided to check out the Overlook and take a short hike on part of the Caprock Coulee Trail. As luck would have it we were able to have a laugh or two…and more importantly avoid an intimate meeting with a rattlesnake.

• So….. the funny story I promised you; well, you have to be in the right frame of mind….. There was another family at the Overlook when we were walking up to the shelter there. It was a couple with a daughter about 19 or 20 years old. They were looking at the canyon and how deep and rugged it was. The daughter turned to the dad and said “Wow, you could hide a body down there and no one would ever find it.” To which my rather obvious reply when I was walking up was “Well, they haven’t so far anyway.” There was dead silence for a few seconds, they turned around to look and the daughters eyes got oh so big and round. The dad looked rather confused and the mom almost started laughing. Eventually we all had a good laugh when my wife looked at me and snorted in disgust at my joke. “Can’t take you anywhere” was the quote! I like to think I bring my own fun to the party. Just saying I thought it was a classic set up. We all ended up hanging out there for another 10 minutes or so just talking and admiring the view which is amazing. Make sure and click on the pics above and expand them out. The scenery is incredible.
• From the Overlook we walked back towards the parking lot and took the Caprock Coulee Trail for a short hike since we were right there. The hike had some pretty amazing views and the portion we did wasn’t very difficult at all. Do be aware of the rattlesnakes in the park! We were walking along and my wife spotted one right next to the trail just as I was about to walk by it. Thankfully I managed to do a new Olympic record for the vertical and backward jump at the same time so all was well. Pics are below and I highly recommend you go on the trail here if you are in the area.

• Back at the parking lot we exchanged some high fives and then on to Oxbow Overlook where we took a short hike as well. Very windy they day we were there so keep a hand on your hat! I’ve posted some more pics below of the hike and a couple in between the parking lot and Oxbow Overlook. By the way, some of the outcroppings you see in the pictures are of Bentonitic Clay. It’s blue-black and popcorn like soil. The interesting thing about it (for this discussion) is that bentonite clays flow when they get wet which means they move. In the park you can see the bluish colored layer for miles up and down the Little Missouri River in and out of the park.

• Saying goodbye to the North Unit we swung around on ND-15 S to come back to Medora a different way. We had hoped to stop and see Elkhorn Ranch Unit however the park ranger told us there was flooding in the area and since we were driving a minivan he didn’t recommend us to try to get there. Following his advice we bypassed that stop and headed back into Medora so we could visit the Billings County Courthouse Museum. This little jewel of a museum would be easily overlooked as it doesn’t look like much however it is an amazing repository of information. If memory serves right it was about $2.00 per person for entry. The person in front of me was trying to get out of paying the $2.00 since her son wanted to go and she didn’t; she was only going to walk through. Come on people!!! It’s $2.00 to support this museum and if you can drive here, afford to stay here, etc. you have the $2.00. Please don’t be like that. Here are just a few pics from the museum.

• Seriously, take a minute to look at the barbwire info and pics above. It’s amazing how much time and effort went into it. It’s not just a piece of wire to the original ranchers.
• Same thing on buffalo. It was the lifeblood of the Native Americans and pioneers. When you look at everything you can use it for it’s no wonder everyone loves buffalo! (Just don’t get close to them as they can run 30mph and that’s three times faster than you AND your best friend that you can outrun)!

• Once we were finished with the museum we went ahead and headed to our cabin where we would be spending the next several nights. In case I didn’t say it before I LOVE these cabins. Wannagan Creek Cabins in case you are interested. They are clean, up to date, quiet, and in a beautifully scenic area. The drive to them is gorgeous and the road is good although it was gravel so don’t drive to fast. Here’s some pictures for you.

• It was a very peaceful night as we were the only ones staying in the cabins for our entire stay. We couldn’t believe our good luck! It was nice to sit out on our front porch, watch the cattle and stars, and just breathe.

Day 5: 06/18/22

• Good morning or more like good late morning. We slept in some and rested up but never fear; more adventure awaits the day! Great nights sleep and off we go. First stop was the Painted Canyon Visitor Center and Nature Trail. As always the Visitor’s Center rocked and the Park Rangers helpful. I had no idea there was a Custer Trail (pic below) but it looks interesting…next time. We bought a few souvenirs and moved on with the day.

• Just a short distance away is the Painted Canyon Nature Trail. We didn’t hike it however it looked like one for next time.

• If you can’t do the Nature Trail make sure you admire the view from Painted Canyon Overlook.

• From the overlook we journeyed into town and just drove around a bit looking at all the places. Picking a parking spot (plenty of available parking to be found) we walked into the Rough Riders Hotel & Dining. I had wanted to stay here originally however there were not any rooms available. The whole town is adorable and we wandered around for quite some time.

• I didn’t take any pictures however they are building the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum in Medora. We stopped in and chatted with the folks for a while and did a contribution to the cause. It’s a good cause and we love what Teddy Roosevelt did for the country. If you get a chance read a quick biography of him. You won’t be disappointed. Next time we are back in Medora we’ll be stopping back by to see the progress.
• We decided to make it a short day and do a quick drive through of the park on our way to the cabin. The drive never disappoints!!!

• Yes, buffalo jams do happen here! Having gotten our daily buffalo viewing out of our system we headed on back to our cabin for a good nights sleep. Sadly, it was our last night there so we wanted to get “home” early to sit on the porch and spend some time in the peacefulness of the surroundings.