Badlands and the American MidWest -TRNP 2

Community Highlights North America Badlands and the American MidWest -TRNP 2

Theodore Roosevelt National Park has a North and a South Unit. Most people confine their visiting to the South Unit because it runs along Interstate 94 and the North Unit is an hour away. We stayed at the Boots campground which is situated 5 minutes south of Medora. There are 2 campgrounds in Medora but we tend to prefer quieter places so Boots was perfect. Our campsite was #9 and was up on a little hill so we could see the badlands easily and really had no direct neighbours.

We spent the first 2 days exploring the South Unit but our last day was was dedicated to the North. We headed up Hwy 85 which had a lot of ranch grassland. We were amazed at how much oil and gas production there was as well dotting the land. And then just as suddenly as they were gone, the badlands were back.

The North unit definitely had a different feel than the South unit. More trees, less open rock, more grazing land. This part of the park was smaller and we could see the fencing of the end of the park much of the time. That didn’t detract from the experience. It was also much quieter. Hardly anyone was there.

Featured at this part of the park, are what are known as cannonball concretions. Scientists can only guess why they are formed from minerals in a spherical nature. They were really neat to see.

We had lunch and then did a short hike but it was very hot by that point in the day so we didn’t go far. We then decided to drive the rest of the scenic drive through the park. We happened upon a ranger talk about prairie dogs which was very interesting. And looked out over the Little Missouri River.

A little father along the road we looked over to see a herd of Bison on the far side of a badlands butte. We watched them for a while wondering how they were able to get up and down those steep sides. It was clear the head of the herd was the large male at the top.

A little farther along the road we came up on several bison who were crossing. I don't know why but it is always an experience to be in the presence of bison. They are such powerful and majestic animals.

It was a good day and we are glad we made the trip up.

The next day was moving day and we had to say goodbye to a great place. A quick stop for the next day in Bismarck for some supplies and we stayed the evening at an excellent, small campground in town, the Hillcrest Acres. And today we were on to Maplewood State Park in Minnesota. We waited on a side road for a storm to pass and it has been raining on and off all day. We hope tomorrow it will clear up so we can explore this are a a little. It feels like Ontario, with its big maple trees and many small lakes. Home is not far away now and we only have a few more adventures planned on our trip and a few more blogs to share with you.

This featured blog entry was written by blgracey from the blog Quest for Nature.
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