Rolling Along With The Reynolds

Jim and Cindy's Adventure Blog traveling all over the USA

Travel Blog

Is this really on Earth?

What a trippy place. North Unit was home to some very otherworldy sight
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Luckily, there were no road closures in the North Unit Park area. Although, some portions of the 14-mile one-way pavement road turned to gravel; wear and tear from the harsh winter as well as recent rains.
* The highlight of this area was to see the cannonball concretions. Truly jaw-dropping, these rocks are round!
* Yet another highlight was to visit the Juniper Campground area. I had originally intended on us staying on-site here, but so glad we didn’t. The campground is much more suited to small RVs and vans. Big Rigs not-so-much. Then, to learn of the harsh weather impacting road conditions, Clark nor Jim or I would’ve been happy driving him into the Park. Additionally, the water main to the campground was temporarily shut off due the recent rains. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a nice leisurely hike on the Little Mo Nature Trail and afterwards enjoyed a picnic within the camp.
* And of course the most popular highlight in the Park is the breathtaking River Bend Overlook. The stone shelter was built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
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“…so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth“.  Theodore Roosevelt

 Pictures in the North Unit – out of this world!

 

Grasslands & Badlands

 

Beyond the two distinct Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota was impressive. Not at the start however. Leaving  the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, we traveled straight north up Hwy 85 and it became flat, green, and flat and green. Not much else.  
The Crossings Campground in Belfield ND wasn’t our first choice of sites, but after seeing the originally intended place (Juniper drydock Campground smack inside the North unit of Theodore Roosevelt Park) it was a good choice. Close to Medora (gateway town outside of the South Unit), and close to Dickinson (in case we needed provisions and such) afforded us a more central home base.  
we stayed four days in North Dakota; one day for the South, one day for the North, and one day to drive the fun and quirky Enchanted Highway.

North Dakota picture album

 

near Medora, North Dakota

What a trippy place. Theodore Roosevelt National Park contains three Units. The South Unit felt so remote, so peaceful, and so surreal.  Unfortunately, only a small portion of the roads were open due to harsh winter and recent rains left culverts and such in need of repair. But we went until no further to the point of Wind Canyon Trail.
After a day in the Park, we cruised the town of Medora and stopped to fill our bellies with yummy pizza. The town was still sleeping since the popular Musical in this touristy but fun place doesn’t open curtain until next week.
On the way home from Medora to Belfield (15 miles to the East in the relatively flat grasslands) we made sure to view the Painted Canyon. Wow, what a view at the perfect golden hour too!
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I can see why Teddy Roosevelt felt such a strong fondness for this area.

He first came to the Dakota Territory in 1893 to hunt bison. A year later, devasted by personal tragedy (his mother died of Typhoid and his wife died in childbirth – on the very same day), he returned to grieve and lose himself in the vastness. He became a cattle rancher and, in this broken land, found adventure, purpose, wholeness. His love for the rugged beauty of the land brought him back time and again for the rest of his life.

Roosevelt credited his Dakota experiences as the basis for his groundbreaking preservation efforts and the shaping of his own character. As president 1901-09, he translated his love of nature into law. He established the US Forest Service and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 national monuments. He worked with Congress to create five national parks, 150 national forests, and dozens of federal reserves – over 230 million acres of protected land.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was not the great man’s own creation. It was established in 1947 as a national memorial park to honor President Roosevelt and to provide a place for us to experience his beloved Badlands.

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“I have always said I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota“.  – Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

 Pics of the South Unit, Medora, and Painted Canyon

 

Historic National Fish Hatchery

The D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives, also known as the Spearfish Fisheries Center is right across the street from our beautiful campground. Both venues, as well as the Park, are run by the City of Spearfish.  Their MISSION STATEMENT:  Promoting, preserving and enhancing the educational, cultural and recreational opportunities at D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery & Archives, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. The grounds are gorgeous, full of history, and the cool underwater viewing area allows you to get up close to the three kinds of Trout. We have fully enjoyed our time here in the northern Black Hills, and will certainly return again when we get the chance.      

Trout pics and more!

Devil’s Tower in Wyoming

Just an hour west of Spearfish, we did a day trip to this indescribable National Monument.  Rising up against the sky, Bear Lodge is one of many American Indian names for the Tower.  Got to see several parties climbing this butte, and seriously questioned their sanity! At the very end of the day, a thunderstorm approached; we pulled off on the side of the road and watched the eerie clouds roll in along with more hail. We wondered about those climbers earlier in the day, where they were (already at the top?), and how they dealt with the cold storm. Again, are they sane?  Half-expected to see a Clouse Encounter with E.T., but alas we didn’t.   

Devil’s Tower

Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Trails, Canyon walls, Spearfish Creek.

We also drove through the town of Deadwood, Leads (pronounced “leeds”), and did so much more.

See more pics of the Spearfish Fun we had here.

 

Devil’s Tower

Unbelievable! Even while right there looking at this thing, it is so hard to believe it is real. We took the 1.5 mile trail that circled the base of the Tower, then moved down a bit to do another hike, but that go thwarted by a hailstorm. Fantastic day.

 

Listening to nature was delightful today, especially on one side of the Tower where the trail meandered through a Ponderosa Pine Forest.

The sounds we hear in our national parks take us away from buzz of our daily lives and place us in the serene beauty of nature. In fact, 95% of Americans say one of the most important reasons for preserving national parks is to provide opportunities to experience natural peace and the sounds of nature.