Whew…today found us traveling across the entire state of Montana covering 644 miles! Just prior to leaving the state of North Dakota however we stumbled upon a real gem…Theodore Roosevelt National Park!
This park is called the North Dakota Badlands. I’ve visited the better-known Badlands of South Dakota, and I must admit I prefer these hands down over their more famous cousin. The first thing I noticed is how green and lush it is, just beckoning to be explored. There are hiking trails and guided horseback riding through the park…how cool would that be! I definitely would like to come back and do that in near future. There is also a scenic drive that you can take through the canyon which we may try to do on our way home from this trip.
Upon first entering the scenic overlook your met with a sign, which I’m sure is to warn those traveling down into the canyon to be on the lookout for buffalo and other wildlife. Why does this even need to be posted…use common sense people!
The scenic overlook had nice facilities that included modern restrooms, an interpretive center and covered picnic shelters. We decided to have our lunch here, after which when preparing to return to our vehicle we saw these….
These were so close to a busy pedestrian area I didn’t think they would come up from the canyon but the ranger on duty said it was pretty common for the buffalo to come up to this area. Hmm, perhaps that sign was appropriately placed!
After this little excursion it was time to get on the road and get some miles behind us. The drive through Montana was spectacular, I don’t think I’d ever get tired of these views if I lived here!
Tomorrow we’ll cross a portion of Idaho and land at our destination in another beautiful state, Washington! We’re so close now!
The Wallace Adventure! 