North Dakota: Blowing in the wind

When I left Miles City this morning, I knew the weather wouldn't be good today. As I drove east on I-95, it was overcast with just the occasional mist falling. My first destination of the day was Makoshika State Park in Glendive, MT. I had heard good things about this park, and I was looking forward to seeing it. But, when I got to the park entrance, I found the road closed! What the heck? Only now, after checking the park website did I find out there is road construction currently being done. Yet ANOTHER road trip disappointment! I had no choice but to continue on to my other planned destination, Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

An hour later, I arrived at the park, located adjacent to the town of Medora, ND. This is the very first time I've visited the state of North Dakota, and I was excited to see the sights of this park.

I started my park experience by watching their informational video, then headed off on their 36 mile scenic loop drive. The weather continued to be horrible...overcast and very windy. I knew I wasn't seeing the park at its best, but I was going to make the most out of a less-than-ideal situation. Despite the lack of sunshine to bring out the colors, the hills and rock formations were still impressive. It reminded me a lot of Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

So, I mentioned that it was windy. Well, I found out what it was like to be FULLY exposed to the wind when I made the short jaunt to the top of Buck Hill...the 2nd highest point in the park. I was BLASTED by extremely gusty winds...I estimate it had to be at least 60 mph, possibly higher! It was a challenge to hold my camera still enough to take some pics! Boy, I wish it had been sunny!

Further down the road, the Boicourt overlook provided my favorite views in the park. And, just in case you were wondering, yes, there is wildlife! Bison all over the place and many prairie dog towns! Most of the prairie dogs were in their burrows. I don't blame them...the cold wind was terrible! The temps never got higher than 38 degrees, and with the wind chill? Yikes!

Before leaving the park, I returned to the visitor center to see their exhibits. Here are a couple of Winchester 50-95 rifles Teddy Roosevelt owned, and the Maltese Cross Cabin was his home when he visited the ranch he co-owned in the Dakota Badlands...before he became the 26th President of the United States.

Tomorrow, I'm planning to visit the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park...I was at the south unit today. The weather looks to be even worse than it was today...RAIN! I'm really hoping that's not the case, but I have at least one other place to visit that might not make the day a total washout...literally!

Devils Tower: A path less taken, part 2

One thing I've noticed on my road trip so far, the hotels I've been staying at have been very uncrowded. I guess not a lot of people are traveling right now. When I left Gillette, WY this morning, it was overcast and a bit windy. A little over an hour later, I arrived at Devils Tower National Monument.

The last time I visited the park was in 2014, and I walked along the Tower Trail, which circles the base of the stone monolith. Today, I opted to take a different path...one that the majority of visitors choose not to.  I went into the visitor center and asked a nice, young lady there about the Joyner Ridge Trail. I wanted to make sure it wasn't too strenuous for me, and she said other than a steep section midway, it was considered a moderate trail. She also added that it was her favorite way to see the tower. That was good enough for me! The Joyner Ridge Trail is a 1.5 mile loop, so it was the perfect way for me to spend the morning.

As usual, I had the trail to myself. Devils Tower is really best seen from afar. The Tower Trail does get you up close, but you spend the whole time looking up at it. Not only did I take photos of the tower from different perspectives, I took pictures of other things, too. And, yes, that trail was a bit steep! I took it slow, since my old knees appreciate that!

The return trip leg of the loop trail went through the trees, then an open meadow. I spotted some deer hair on the ground...no idea why. And, I saw a couple of black beetle digging holes in the dirt...again, no idea.

Of course, no visit to Devils Tower is complete without checking out the prairie dogs! I never get tired of watching their cute antics! I spotted one grooming another, and others were...just acting like prairie dogs do!

After lunch, I drove three hours to the town of Miles City to visit the Range Riders Museum. This museum sounded a lot more interesting that it actually was. I found it full of western memorablia, the majority donated to the museum from private citizens. Not a bad thing, but there was a lot of stuff that I've seen in other museums, only done better. I couldn't touch the medicine bundle...it was behind glass. If there was anything to get me excited, it was the deer lounging near one of the buildings.

Tomorrow, I'm planning to visit two parks, but the weather report is ominous. It's currently raining, and I'm hoping it will pass through overnight and things will be favorable in the morning. Crossing fingers...

Wyoming: A path less chosen

Just because I went to bed early last night doesn't mean I got more sleep. I ended up waking up earlier than I have so far since starting my road trip. But, I had something important to do before leaving Cody. When I visit certain states, there is always the quest for Diet Code Red Mountain Dew. You can find the regular soda everywhere, but the diet version is more elusive...and I can't get it at home. Not only did I find it at the Albertsons grocery store in Cody, it was ON SALE! I ended up buying three half cases, plus some deli salad for lunch. Mission accomplished!

My first sightseeing destination of the day was only about an hour east of town... Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. From the highway, I had to negotiate a hard packed dirt road for about five miles to the site. The geological topography in the area reminded me of what I've seen in South Dakota and Oregon.

When I arrived at the tracksite, there was no one around, which is just the way I like it! The tracks were not super duper obvious, so it was a matter of scanning the rock very carefully. This site has the best dinosaur tracks in the state of Wyoming.

At the lower end of the tracksite was a gully, and I noticed some other sort of tracks in the mud. Coyote? As I was walking on the boardwalk back to the parking lot, I suddenly saw three huge bunnies...okay, desert cottontails...bounding away. I managed to snap a pic of one before it, too, ran off. Look at that cottony tail!

Continuing down the highway, I stopped to check out Shell Falls. The interpretive center was closed, but the viewpoints were still accessible.

In the afternoon, I briefly encountered a cloudburst, then sunshine again. I was a bit disappointed I wasn't seeing many pronghorn antelope as I drove along. My afternoon sightseeing destination was a small museum in Gillette. The Rockpile Museum is named after the big rockpile adjacent to the building. The Rockpile has been a local landmark since the first settlers arrived in the region in the 1800s. Sitting near the entrance to the parking lot was a large, donut-shaped rock. Somehow, rock formed around a tree and retained its shape when there was no more tree.

As for the museum, its exhibits depict the history and people of Campbell County. I had never heard of a four track cassette player. And, why don't people make things out of their hair anymore?

Tomorrow, the weather forecast says cloudy and windy. As long as the rain holds off, I can do my hike in the morning. If it rains in the afternoon, that's okay...I just have another museum on the agenda.

Yellowstone, Day Three: More bison and a whole lot of driving!

I said goodbye to West Yellowstone this morning after spending two nights in a rustic, but modern cabin. It was a nice change from the usual hotel room, and I would highly recommend it. I didn't have much on the agenda today except visit the Lamar Valley area of Yellowstone National Park. After seeing bison, bison and more bison, I was hoping to see a few other animals...like wolves! On the way to the valley, I stopped at a couple of natural park sights...Roaring Mountain and Undine Falls. Roaring Mountain gets its name from the many fumaroles...vents hissing steam and gases.

After turning onto US Hwy 212, which would take me to Lamar Valley, it didn't take long for me to see bison. They are all over the place! But, really, I never get tired of looking at them. Shaggy, beautiful creatures! The scenery ain't bad, too!

A little further down the road...more bison! A whole lot of bison! In fact, there was almost no bison in the Lamar Valley area. I guess the grass was greener in other pastures?

There were people with spotting scopes and cameras with big lenses looking for other types of wildlife. I stopped once and asked what they were looking at. The first couple said they just saw a yellow-headed blackbird...it already flew away. And, they saw a couple of black bears up the road. The second time I stopped near a crowd, I asked again and the people were looking for bears and wolves...but, not seeing any yet. I searched around with my binoculars for awhile, but didn't have the patience...or the time...to just wait for wildlife.

My initial plan had been to continue down the highway all the way to Cody, WY. But, I didn't realize Beartooth Highway wasn't cleared of snow yet...and wouldn't be till May. So, I had to backtrack the way I came, then travel north, east and south. What would have taken me about two hours turned into a five hour ordeal. That's a whole lotta driving! One bright spot on my long day was the mini cattle drive across the road as I was heading toward Cody. It was a bit comical watching them use flags and an ATV to herd the uncooperative bovines. The dog just watched and laughed!

I THINK the weather will be cooperating and it will be mostly sunny tomorrow! I have a bit of a drive, but I'm hoping to see something cool. As for tonight, I think I'll be hitting the sack early. All that driving today was exhausting!