Summer Travels 2019: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was a lot of fun.  There was very interesting and varied topography throughout the park.  We started at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center and then went to the South Unit. We took the loop around most of the way.  (Part of it was closed due to the road buckling so we got to go back around on the way back.)

Ranger Megan hangs out with her Junior Ranger pal Matthew.

Looking down into the park

A wider view of the park as seen from the Painted Canyon Visitor Center.

Me helping the kids with their Junior Ranger program.

U and Matthew with the park behind them.

The land is very rugged.

The view from the other side of the Visitor Center.

Panoramic of the same showing Me and the kids.

This ranger was telling all about different types of rocks and soil found in the park.

As we drove into the park we saw a herd of wild horses, including babies.  They aren't seen as regularly as other animals so we were pretty lucky.

Prairie dogs fascinate the kids so they were glad we ran into another town.  These prairie dogs don't look as fat as the ones at Devils Tower.

It was a big town

The view from Skyline Vista.

Matthew had to get down a little further.

Our intrepid wilderness guide knew just where we wanted to go.

Matthew just kept going...

A nice view of the big bluffs seen throughout the park.

This is Wind Canyon.  One of the things that is unique about it is that wind is the primary erosion force here.

A close up of some of the wind eroded rocks.

Farther down we could see where the canyon opened out into the Little Missouri River Valley.

 

The wind wanted to take Megan's hair with it.  Good thing she had it tied back.

The rock spirit seemed to want to communicate.  Unfortunately, it was spitting bees from its mouth so we moved on quickly.

When dad falls behind to take pictures, he can photograph the ones going ahead.

More vistas from the overlooks.

Petrified stumps sticking out of the hillside.

Matthew was really excited for hiking this day and usually led the way.

A pretty yellow blossom we found.

U, Me and Matthew continued pretty far down the Boicourt Trail to get really nice vistas of the park.  First one side...

...then the other.

Megan and Sarah stayed back a ways and watched us.

They also had an impromptu dance party.  Luckily they didn't do a rain dance.

Vista from the top of Buck Hill

 

There were a lot of pretty colors in the bluffs.

Megan and Matthew were taking their roles as Junior Rangers very seriously.  They found where some people had carved initials into the stone and were using stones to erase the initials.  The rangers thanked them for doing that.

Sarah took a nice picture of the other four of us.

Swearing in as Junior Rangers at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The pledge they took was a rhyme that was quite amusing.

This is Maltese Cross cabin that Theodore Roosevelt lived in on one of his ranches here in North Dakota.

This brand was hammered into the end of the log with spent rifle casings.  Most have fallen out or been taken but there is still one in the upper left corner that Teddy may have hammered in himself.

Inside the cabin, most of the furnishings were period accurate but the the trunk in the corner actually belonged to Teddy and you can see his initials painted on it.

When we finally got to the hotel, the kids wanted to go swimming.  The adults thought the water was pretty cold.

"Marco!"  "Polo!"