We finally made it to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). We were supposed to have made it here on August 25th, Blakey’s birthday. Given the things that ensued, we did not. But we were not to be denied!
I am pretty sure that we have had a stunningly beautiful autumn as the karmic counter-measure against the stumbles we had in August. That being the case, TRNP lived up to the exaltations we have been hearing since we first mentioned our desire to visit.
Having spent the night in Bismark, the capital of North Dakota, we determined to check out the state capital. It is everything one would hope for in a very utilitarian, 1933 way. There is also a large campus, although much of it is surface parking.
We stopped in Dickinson to check out Tourist Information and lunch. We had sausages at the Wurst House – the wurst restaurant in North Dakota. It was pretty good.
We arrived in the park shortly after lunch. We found a campsite in the Cottonwood Campground and pitched our tent. The campground is on the bank of the Little Missouri River.
There is a 38 mile loop that circles the park, with multiple stops to hike and view. We stopped several times, and finally stopped at one of the top spots for sunsets. It was superb.
We took a few hikes, keeping our eyes open for wildlife. Our first encounter was with feral horses. We then came upon one of the numerous prairie dog towns. They are quite cute and endearing. Finally we saw a bison. Then we saw many bison. A pair of young pronghorn practiced their sparring on the side of the highway. Eventually, we came upon bison right along the road.
One of the most surprising, but not really when one thinks about it, things was the amount of poop everywhere. The roads and paths are full of digestive indications. I can see how so much oil was created.
We had a nice dinner at the campsite. Went to bed after sundown. It got very cold in the night. Fortunately, we had some extra blankets.
When we got up in the morning, I noticed a big bison “pie” on the boundary of our campsite. Fortunately, it was not from during the night.
love your updates – the next phase of the adventure has begun! Glad the next week went well for you and your health…..Great to see both of you and try Sparks. Just returned from Asheville and am about to re-enter the world of work – yikes!