Day 19 Writing On Stone

We were a little anxious to cross the border this morning. How much liquor should we have; are we allowed to take fruit; do we have too much cash; where’s our vaccination cards; will they confiscate my little succulent?! Well, the border patrol asked 6 generic questions and waved us through. No worries. Writing On Stone Provincial Park is quite primitive with just enough upgrades. The Visitors Center was creative and informative. The park boasts natural campsites with plenty of space and a beautiful view of the rocky cliffs out of our camper window. Walked down to the shore of Milk River which they call the “beach”. The river meanders through the mysterious landscape of sandstone “hoodoos” and steep cliffs. The Milk River was named in 1805 by Louis and Clark who thought its color looked like tea with milk in it. The Blackfoot Indians consider this valley a sacred place of spirits and “medicine rocks”. The area was an inland sea millions of years ago. As the inland sea retreated, different types of sediments were deposited. They were buried, compressed, and hardened into sedimentary rocks which make  the foundation of this land. If you are wondering what a “hoodoo” is, it’s a pillar of sandstone with a rock cap formed by water and wind erosion. The Blackfoot believed that anything that casts a shadow was a living being, so therefore, they called the hoodoos “rock beings” and were the focus of prayer. Tomorrow morning we are hiking the 3 mile “hoodoo trail” to visit the spirits. 

Day 18 Are we there yet?

After spending the night in “the most isolated town in America” or as Conde’ Nast Traveler magazine referred to it as the “middle of nowhere”,  we headed out into more grasslands. Fun fact - Glasgow got its name in 1887 when two local guys spun a globe and their finger landed on Glasgow, Scotland. And that’s how this isolated railroad town, former Air Force base, former WWII German POW camp got its name. At some point, we passed the decaying, pink Sacred Heart Catholic Church, supposedly haunted, located at the edge of the Ft Belknap Reservation. It was built by the Jesuits in 1931 and has been abandoned since 1964. Stood out in an area where buildings were sparse. In Chinook, we drove by the site of the Battle of Bear Paw, the final engagement of the Nez Perce War of 1877. Here, the army cornered Chief Joseph and the remnants of his tribe before they could escape to Canada. Joseph finally surrendered, giving his famous speech, “I will fight no more forever.” Not sure where the Indians were hiding, because all we drove by for 4 hours was flat pasture land extending for hundreds of miles. Occasionally a long train would snake through going past the tiny towns just off the highway. Spending the night in Shelby, MT, a town that is about 6 square miles in size. The most notable event that happened here was a heavyweight boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons  in 1923. For some reason, this event almost bankrupted the town. Spent the afternoon planning more stops. Tomorrow we cross the border!!

Day 17 Overnight at Glasgow

Chilly morning turned into a clear, sunny Memorial Day.  While traveling, we drove along side the longest line of train cars EVER out of Glendive, MT - 16 miles long. BNSF had a maintenance center there that was closed down during COVID. Topography after leaving ND was basically prairie so it is understandable why they picked this area to store so many train cars. Flat as far as the eye could see. Passed through some Indian Reservations where the land and towns were pretty desolate. Drove by the historic Lewis and Clark Bridge that now leads to nowhere. For many years, it was the only bridge over the Missouri River for 350 miles. Lewis and Clark camped at this site in 1805. In 1860, an army engineer said that this is the place to build a bridge; however, only ferries were used to cross until 1926, when 2 teens drowned crossing the iced river in a Model T. The impressive bridge was completed in 1930, but by the 1990’s, the bridge was deemed too narrow for modern traffic and it was closed and replaced. Storms were all around us in the early afternoon and finally caught up to us at our campground in Glasgow, MT. Got DragOn up just in time to shelter from a big thunderstorm with pea size hail. Fishing seems to be the prevalent thing to do in this area of Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River but there is not much else to do in Glasgow and what there is, is not open on Monday. Pizza Hut tonight and Shelby, MT tomorrow. 

Day 16 Teddy’s North Unit

There are 3 sections or “units” of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We drove an hour to the North Unit this morning. It’s the same as the South…but different. The composition was darker and the views were more dramatic. Rained last night so hiking was muddy. The ground is very clay-like so it was slippery in some areas. You didn’t want to get close to the cliffs. One of our hikes was at the fascinatingly unique Cannonball Concretions. The mineral rich waters hold the mountain sediment together and form a core, a concretion builds outward like a pearl and eventually looks like a cannonball. Erosion made the walls of the mountains look like columns on a cathedral.  Other areas of the park are very dark with bentonitic clay,  a blue-black popcorn texture soil that flows when wet and covers large sections of rock.  John’s favorite today were the forests of Cottonwood trees that sprang up near the meadows. In the middle of the park, the land flattened into prairie; home to Long Horn Cattle, Elk, Buffalo, and prairie dogs. Big Horn Sheep grace the rocky ledges but we weren’t privileged to see anything but the Buffalo. So far, thankfully, visitors to the parks have been sparse. Rain is suppose to move in again and the temperature is dropping. Luckily, so far, the rain has restricted itself to nighttime and it’s been gorgeous during the day. Tomorrow we leave the majestic Dakotas for a one night stop in Glasgow, Montana. 

Day 15 Teddy Roosevelt Park

After a cleansing rain last night, woke up to a symphony of robins, red winged blackbirds and American goldfinches singing their morning calls. Entered the South Unit of Teddy Roosevelt  Park early this morning. We were immediately greeted by an old bull buffalo grazing on the side of the road. Drove 18 miles into the park stopping at overlooks observing the layers of time etched in to the mountains. Hiked up to Buck Hill, the 2nd highest point in the park, which was formed as a stream bed before the badlands existed. We weren’t only out of breath from the hike because the vistas were breathtaking too. Observed some wild mustangs just passing the time on a nearby knoll. Then drove to the Painted Canyon. Hiked the trail along the ridge while marveling at it’s majestic beauty that was altered with the clouds moving overhead. At the two visitors centers, we learned how a young Roosevelt came to this land to grieve after losing his wife and mother. It transformed and healed him. He said he would never have become president had he not experienced the ND Badlands. He realized that we had to start preserving our land and resources. Through his presidency, he created 5 national parks, 18 natl monuments, 51 bird sanctuaries, a National Wildlife Refuge System and set aside 100 million acres of national forests. Ended the day in Medora where the last remnants of Marquis de Mores’ attempt to corner the market on dressed beef from the west failed. He founded this town, a meat packing plant with a slaughter house and refrigeration in 1883. A chimney with a few foundations is all that is left after a fire in 1907. Storms rolled in tonight. Hoping the North Unit of the park is not too muddy tomorrow. 

Day 14 North to ND

We had some rain overnight but it didn’t hinder us packing up and heading to Medora, ND. While we were driving, we discovered that the Dakotas don’t pave all their highways. Who knew!! Endured 40 miles of unpaved, gravel roads but our little “DragOn” took it like a champ. Terrain changed once again;hundreds of miles of rolling prairie sprawled in front of us speckled with herds of cattle and sheep. Then ever so often a mountain would spring up. North Dakota became more mountainous with more cattle and oil wells, even saw an occasional pronghorn. Learned what “cattle guards” are, wide grating that keeps the cows from crossing the road and shakes the crap out of your vehicle. We ate a lot of dust but the scenery was way more interesting than driving the interstate. We made it to our little campground in Medora covered in golden road dirt. Quiet place surrounded by hills to them, mountains to us. Just wanted to relax tonight in preparation for exploring Teddy Roosevelt Natl Park tomorrow. 

Ps Thankful for kind, thoughtful neighbors who keep an eye on your house & plants when you are gone. Also fix your sprinkler when you spring a leak. Thanks, Bob!!

Day 13 Needles and more

I have tried to be descriptive in my blogs so readers can relate to what we are seeing and experiencing but today was just frickin’ WOW. We took way too many pictures because around every corner was an extraordinary scene.  Started this morning driving Iron Mountain Road which took us to one lane tunnels with views of Mount Rushmore beyond. The rock formations were more than impressive. Stopped for another bison burger at the stunning Sylvan Lake Lodge built in 1881. In 1935 it was destroyed by fire and a new one was rebuilt in 1936. Originally Frank  Loyd Wright was commissioned to design it, but he got in an argument with the owner so they hired a local architect; however, they still built the inn on the site suggested by Wright. After lunch, the real “wow’s” started. We drove  and explored Needles Hwy. The mountains and rock formations exploding out of the earth are unfathomable. We drove through 4 more one lane tunnels with only inches to spare. Our last adventure of the day was visiting the cowboy poet, Charles Badger Clark’s, cabin. He lived simply and loved to hike in the Custer Park forests from 1925 to 1955; however, he owned 11 pairs of boots, excessive for those times. We hiked the trail that he created above his home where he use to walk to clear his head to write. The air was so fresh. Lastly, we stopped for adult libations at the State Game Lodge bar. The lodge was built in the 1930’s. President Eisenhower and Coolidge stayed there. Our bartender, Shawn, made excellent drinks and told us an old saying - “When the Black Hills call, you are in need of a change.” Their majesty changed us. We hate to leave but now North Dakota is calling.