North Dakota

North Dakota, it's been real, but we have to move on to Big Sky Country.  Actually, North Dakota, you are quite more than I thought you would be.

From the North Dakota Badlands to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the wildlife, North Dakota is more than just desolate rangeland and western appeal, though there is plenty on both accounts.

We spent two days in Medora, ND, a quaint town priding itself on its old time Western appeal (they even have a Cowboy Hall of Fame--I regret not going) and the national park.  Unsuspecting as it may be on the map, this town is a mix of tourist trap and "real" town.  Though, the population certainly swells in the summer months, the number of lodging accommodations is a testament to that.



Theodore Roosevelt National Park is divided into the North Unit and the South Unit; Medora is located along the South Unit, and this is the only section we were able to visit.
The park's view gives way to breathtaking vistas of the badlands consisting of, as stated in the park's map, " buttes, tablelands, and valleys." Impressive and vast, dominating the landscape long after leaving the park.  The petrified forest is further evidence of the geologic history that took place to form the badlands.

Driving through the scenic roads of the South Unit, we saw many prairie dog "villages", wild horses, and a good number of bison, who like to roam along the roadside.  One thing I didn't expect to see was prickly pear cactus.  More on that in a bit.

Thankfully, while out on our trail run and our mountain bike ride on the Mash Daah Hey Trail, the only evidence of the bison was the piles of poop they leave behind.  It was only inevitable I'd end up some on my leg.

During our bike ride, the bison poop was not the only thing I brought back with me.  I also discovered pickers from the aptly named prickly pear cactus on my calf, presumably from a small tumble I took.

A Highway Perspective

We have crossed the Mississippi River!  This means that our 22 hour carride is now down to 17 hours.  That also means plenty of time fore to write this entry from my phone (read: expect typos).

Twenty-two hours in a car to our final destination doesnt seem daunting to me.  I love road trips.  When I was little, my parents were the the King and Queen of Road Tripping, at least in my humble opinion.  Once or twice a year, we would pile into our four door sedan, which was thankfully replaced by a minivan (while a minus for style points, it certainly was an upgrade to our comfort level), and trek to a far away destination.  The trips took us to Canada, Mexico, Washington D.C., Yellowstone, Florida, and other tremendous places throughout the U.S.

Though the trips were long, and sometimes made longer by my dad's "shortcuts", and oftentimes spent with me vomiting in the backseat, I still recall them with fondness.  Something about the latenight stops for snacks, the morning sunrises, the roadside scenery, and the creative games my brother and I devised to keep ourselves entertained--some of those games resulted in bruises--make the trip memorable and make the journey as exciting as the destination.  You stumble across great places you'd otherwise never visit, you try new things you may not have otherwise tried, and you get the see the country from state line to state line.  Also, road trips allow you to hang out with dinosaurs...

Here's hoping to another road trip with fond memories and off-the-script adventures.