TRNP South Unit

Yeee-Haw!

We pulled up stakes in Watford City and headed 83 miles south to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit, leaving behind a sweet park owner, bright stars, a snake, and one put-out mouse. 

Medora, ND is the gateway town for the South Unit, and our campground was about 2 miles outside of the tourist-y western-themed Main Street. Our itinerary included exploring the South Unit, Painted Canyon, and attending the Medora Musical.

Much of the landscape was the same rugged mountains we had seen, but there were several differences. 

1. Prairie Dogs 
2. Hiking without snakes
3. Hotel room with no mouse
4. The Medora Musical
5. Did I say prairie dogs?

Although there are Black-tailed Prairie Dogs in the North Unit, we skipped those, saving that experience with those cute little rodents for the South Unit. (Kristi says there are NO cute little rodents.) They reminded me of meerkats the way they stood upright near the burrow, squeakily alerting others to danger. 

"Squeak! Look out, there's a blue truck pulling off the road!"
"OK, but I really want to eat this bug first."
"Squeeeeak! The window is opening! They're sticking something out!"
"It's just a cell phone. Smile for the camera. Again."

The best hike we accomplished was the Painted Canyon Nature Trail. Starting at the parking lot on top of a butte, we hiked down into the canyon below and then back up. Remember, what goes down... 

Although just under 1 mile, the trail had steep grades and makeshift stairs.
Landscape timbers and tree branches embedded in the dirt = stairs.

View from the top of the butte.
Note we are about even with the red top.

Looking back after about 15 minutes we could see our progress.

If you visited the Caprock Coulee website you will know this is rivulet erosion. 

Almost at the bottom. Compare this to our starting pic of red top.
Lower vertically, and closer horizontally.

 

Going back up. Note the top of the butte. 
That's where we're headed.

The top is in sight!

The iron content in the soil gives the canyon its name. Enjoy these awesome examples of the geology of the area.

The final event I would like to share is the somewhat corny, but beautifully executed Medora Musical, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Performers come from all over the world to entertain the guests. Some enjoyed seeing the play as a child, and now present to another generation of youngsters.

We arrived before sunset and watched the landscape change colors.

The set and setting for the performance. 

Live horses were part of the show.

Beautiful costumes, sewn locally. Wonderful singing and dancing
from young folk from around the world. 

Patriotism included honoring veterans in the audience
and all of us joining in singing "America."

A reenactment of the Rough Riders. 

The horses galloped up a steep hill to fight the battle.

Canons fired, and explosions on the hill added to the atmosphere.

Curtain Call

Leaving with a good feeling. 
 The play was wholesome, costumes were modest, language was clean. 

Kristi and I returned to the truck (Dave didn’t go. He stayed at the camper with Trooper.) The low tire warning light came on as we were leaving the parking lot. We pulled over but the tire didn’t look flat. I dropped Kristi off at her hotel, and then drove back to the camper to give Dave the bad news. The next morning he used the air compressor to fill the tire, and we drove to the nearest tire store, about 20 miles away. It was a nail, and the guy patched the tire for us. Whew! Crisis averted.

If I had to choose between the North and South units of TRNP, I would choose the former. Perhaps because it was my first look at the badlands geology, or the lack of commercialism, or the rattlesnake hike through Caprock Coulee. Don't get me wrong, both units were fabulous! 

If I ever go back, I would like to visit Elkhorn Ranch. Even though the ranch house has been reduced to its foundation, I would love to see the view that inspired Mr. Roosevelt to write this description:

"My home ranch-house stands on the river brink. From the low, long veranda, shaded by leafy cotton-woods, one looks across sand bars and shallows to a strip of meadowland, behind which rises a line of sheer cliffs and grassy plateaus. This veranda is a pleasant place in the summer evenings when a cool breeze stirs along the river and blows in the faces of the tired men, who loll back in their rocking-chairs (what true American does not enjoy a rocking-chair?), book in hand--though they do not often read the books, but rock gently to and fro, gazing sleepily out at the weird-looking buttes opposite, until their sharp outlines grow indistinct and purple in the after-glow of the sunset." From Hunting Trips of a Ranchman by Theodore Roosevelt

Caprock Coulee Nature Trail

Don’t Move!

We were in TRNP North Unit finishing up our hiking for the day. We saved Caprock Coulee Nature Trail for our last hike. It was going to be a bit more challenging due to its length and elevation changes, but we were game for the moderate effort it would take. 

Most nature trails have interpretive signage noting trees, habitat details, wildlife, a geological formation, and the like. Some have a list you can pick up at the beginning of the trail showing what natural element is featured at each numbered stop along the way. For Caprock Coulee, there was nothing. Just metal posts along the side of the narrow trail with sequential numbers on them, but no "key" to unlock any specific information. 

I was disappointed, as I am the "lifelong learner" of the group. But no matter. We were in the mood for the hike, and we could figure some of it out along the way. We descended into a grassy area that paralleled a once-vibrant creek. In fact, we were walking in a coulee. A coulee is a drainage route for water that might come from a rainstorm or melting snow. 

The trail was shaded with cottonwood and juniper trees, and rose and fell as it followed the rolling terrain along the creek. Soon we entered into a marshy area with standing muddy water. A small wooden bridge (a few planks, actually) helped us through that section.

Caprock "shelves" that protect the underlying rock.
Image courtesy of the National Park Service

As we hiked, cliffs rose off to our right, and the caprock was visible. Caprock is a hard stone that covers softer stone underneath. It's like a hat protecting your head from rain. A bison appeared at the top of one of the cliffs. That was a special treat. 

We passed the metal posts with the meaningless numbers: 1, 2, 3...10, 11... 13, 14... After 14 there was another small plank bridge over an eroded ditch. Kristi began walking across and I followed. Suddenly a sound like startled birds rising from the grass stopped us. I looked up, expecting to see a flock ascending in front of us. No birds. It then occurred to me that we were hearing a rattlesnake. 

Don't Move! Who said it first? Kristi? Me? We stopped immediately and waited. The sound stopped. Kristi took a step, using her hiking stick for balance. The sound was right at our feet. Under the bridge? In sagebrush just off the bridge? Kristi high-tailed it to the other side. I dared not move. Dave, a little way behind us, approached the bridge, and we explained our predicament. I took one very careful step backward, trying not to make any noise. When my hiking stick touched the bridge, the sound began again. I froze. 

Kristi was also in a tricky spot. How was she going to get back to our side of the bridge? She began checking for other places to cross the ditch, listening carefully as she explored. I backed up one more silent step, this time without using my hiking stick for balance. No rattle. Another step. No rattle. Another step. Silence. I was off the bridge now, and promptly put 15 feet between it and me. 

Kristi found a place about 30 feet downhill from the bridge where she could step across the ditch. The problem was, she would have to come uphill fairly close to the bridge due to thick vegetation covering the hill. And who knew if our rattly reptile had friends in that dense brush? She finally got up the courage to skedaddle up the hill to the trail. I never prayed so hard for the safety of one of my children!

Well that was it. Our hike was over. Time to go back to the camper and the mouse-house. But we did alert other hikers about the bridge. Some continued on, others decided their hike was also over. At the end of the day we thanked the Lord for rattles. But we couldn't bring ourselves to thank Him for snakes.

NOTE: Days after we returned to the camper I discovered the "key" online. But with little to no cell signal on the trail itself, accessing it would not have been possible. Here's the link if you want to see what we saw. Snake not included. 

 https://www.nps.gov/thro/planyourvisit/caprock-coulee-nature-trail.htm

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit

Howdy Partner!

We took 2 days to drive across North Dakota to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Starting at International Falls, MN, we entered Grand Forks, ND on the Minnesota Border, drove US Hwy 2 through the geographical center of North America in Rugby, ND, and on to Devil's Lake for the night. We picked up Kristi at a local Holiday Inn Express the next morning (after a gorgeous sunrise over the lake), then continued west to Watford City, ND. 

At Devil’s Lake we were the only campers for the night, but oh, the boats! Pontoons, ski boats, even a sailboat, but mostly fishing boats, designed to go 180 mph and then sit in one place all day. 

Devil's Lake sunrise

The drive was fairly flat, becoming rolling hills, and with corn, wheat, soy, sunflowers, hay, and grass growing alongside the road for miles. The hay-bale-and-silo scenery changed to include oil pump jacks (called nodding donkeys) and oil storage tanks along with the crops. You may recall the Bakken oil field boom back in the early 2000s. Many of the pumps are still working, producing over 1200 million barrels of oil per day!

Sunflower fields for miles and miles

Westward ho! The next day we arrived at our home for the two-day stay in Watford City: Tobacco Garden Resort and Marina. In this case, “resort” is a term to be taken loosely. Kristi rented a cabin which turned out to be “rustic.” Meaning no sheets, no pillow, no running water. However it did have electricity, air conditioning, heat, and a mouse.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) has 3 sections: North Unit, South Unit, and Elkhorn Ranch. Painted Canyon is technically part of the South Unit, but is a 10 minute drive away. It was quite an experience from the first gorgeous glimpse to the last starry night. 

Since Watford City is the gateway town to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we left for the North Unit after securing a sleeping bag and pillow for Kristi. As we came over the usual grassy hill, Bam! We were hit with the amazing sight of the Badlands!

Our first look at the Badlands in North Dakota.
TRNP is at the northern end of the geologic area named "land bad" by the natives.

We took the mandatory pics at the park sign, spent time at the visitors center watching the park movie, learned some of the history of the area, and procured hiking maps. After loading back into the truck we began to drive into the park. Not 100 yards from the visitors center we saw our first bison! 

You never forget your first bison!

Here is the bison's actual distance away.
Kristi's keen eyes spotted him.

We also stopped at an area called Cannonball Concretions. I have never seen this type of round condensed mass of rock, but apparently they are all over the world where sedimentary rock exists. Here's a link if you would like to learn more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion

Cannonball Concretion. It's the one not wearing yoga pants.

Kristi found a trail to the top.
Well not quite the TOP, as you can see the cliff goes quite a bit higher.

Next stop was a nature trail with a view of the Little Missouri River and much of the flora found in the park such as cottonwood and ash trees, wildflowers, and sagebrush. The Little Missouri is a force in this area of the country, being responsible for the Badlands, canyons and grazing lands in the area. 

Broom Snakeweed and Curlycup Gumweed

Since we planned to spend the entire next day in the park, we headed back to Tobacco Garden Resort for dinner in the camper. Kristi enjoyed her night with no running water but a running mouse, while we conked out quickly and slept well. 

The following day we returned to the North Unit of TRNP to complete the hikes and see the sights. The rugged beauty of this area is astounding and we realize cell phone photography just doesn't capture the wild, wide-open wonder of this park. 

The darkest striation is coal.

We continued the drive through the TRNP North Unit, stopping at many overlooks, trails, and a few bison herds.

Riverbend Overlook - a great view of the "Lil Mo"

Riverbend Rocks 

The CCC built many buildings and shelters in our National Parks in the 1930s. 
Most of these are in great shape considering they are 90 years old. 

Handsome fellow

They were right on the road. No need to zoom in.

Literally right on the road! "Obstacle in road ahead."

Baby bison. Mama was not far away.

This gal was making a grunting noise. Time to move on.

I finish our tour of the North Unit with this quote from TR:

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

― Theodore Roosevelt 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/44567.Theodore_Roosevelt

Voyageurs National Park

 Hi, Nana!

Sweet, sweet words of greeting from my daughter-in-law, Courtney, who promptly handed me my third grandchild. Coen, who now weighs 34 pounds at 17 months of age, is a bruiser! I put him down before I pulled a muscle, took his hand, and walked to a grassy area to blow on dandelions. 

I've been waiting months to hold this little hand.

The California Kids, as I call them, flew into Minneapolis and met us on the road to “Up North.” Kristi is still with us, so two-thirds of my adult children, one-fourth of the grands, and half of the kids-in-law are with us for the trip to Voyageurs National Park in International Falls, MN.

After checking in at our campground we headed for the park, which is primarily a water park. No, not the Florida kind of water park. This park is almost entirely connecting lakes, islands, and more lakes. If you want to get from one shore-side restaurant to another, it can be an hour drive by car, or 10 minutes by boat. 

The US-Canadian border divides the many lakes in Voyageurs National Park.

The Voyageurs official sign is at a boat ramp.

Granite cliffs.
Notice the waterline, indicating a time when the lake level was higher.

Our Captain. 
Kyle and Courtney have graciously asked that Coen's face not be placed on the Internet.
Thanks, Kyle, for helping me with this photo.

Captain and First Mate.

Beautiful scenery and calm waters.

First Mate "on watch."

The Loon is the Minnesota state bird. 

One island had a home for sale. Asking price for the island, house, dock, and boat house was $345,000. Boat and/or snowmobile to reach the island not included.

Also on the tour was the Kettle Falls Hotel, a former brothel and still-working inn, with quite a history. This bullet hole in the door (with the bullet still imbedded) conjures up many imaginative tales, does it not?

Our boat guide suggested the Kettle Falls Hotel resembled the hotel in The Shining.
He has a point.

Using the phone's flashlight we could see the bullet in the hole. 

We also walked some trails near the four visitors centers. These few land-based trails were short hikes, and pretty. Pretty buggy, that is. Insect repellent was not optional.

Kyle is such a good dad!

After the boat tour we stopped at one of those shore-side eateries. "Nelson's" served Walleye, a fish I had never tasted. It was very mild and really good! 

We soon had to leave the California Kids and head west across North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt National Park was awaiting us two days hence.