Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit
We headed out of Custer State Park and drive north for about 4 1/2 hours to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota. Roosevelt came to the badlands in North Dakota to heal after losing his wife and mother on the same day. It was here that he developed his belief in the importance of conservation. The park has stunning badlands and lots of bison, wild horses and of course many prarie dogs. We set up camp at Cottonwood Campground which is inside the park on the Little Missouri River.
We had a great site with views of the bison on the mountain near us. The view got much closer as they walked almost through our campsite on the way to the Little Missouri River to cool down. It was fun to watch them. As they get close, they make a lot of noise – it almost sounds like a snoring noise. We could hear them before we could see them. We also saw wild horses in the park and many many praire dogs.
The town of Medora where the main park is located is also very cool and has a western prarie theme.. We went out for burgers one night and met a couple from Brooklyn New York, now living in Washington DC. They were very friendly and apparently are friends with and live in the same complex as Bill Cohen, former Maine Senator from 1979 to 1997 and former Secreatary of Defense under Bill Clinton. (I wish he still had that role) They spoke very highly of Secretary Cohen and of course Maine. It was a fun conversation.
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
We had heard great things about the newly opened Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library – and that it was often sold out, so we bought tickets before arriing. We are very glad we went. The library was highly interactive and high tech. It is aso sustainable witih net zero energy, waste and water usage. It has a grass roof and blends into the badlands landscape. It was set up to explore each phase of Roosevelts life from growing up with asthma in New York City, his time with the police force, his marriages and family, his in the north Dakota Badlands, politcs and his presidency, time with the rough riders and his exploration of tte amazon. In each exhibit, youcan hear him speaking, hear campfires stories of him around a simulated campfire, and have an AI photo of yourself generated wearting the clothing and with the landscape of the period. At the end of the tour they will email you your photos etc. We learned a lot about Teddy Roosevelt. He wasn’t perfect, but he was very idealistic and committed to the US. He was a leader in the conseration movement, development of National Parks, support for labor unions and and even public health with the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit
After a couple days in Medora we left to the nightw in the North Unit. It was only about 70 minutes away but was much more isolated and rugged. We camped at Juniper Campground which had many open sites when we were there. We drove the Scenic Loop Road and stopped to hike along the way.
We are heading east after this – next stop is Duluth, Minnesota!
