Medora ND and Teddy Roosevelt National Park 6/15/24

After a long day on the road we arrived in Medora, ND which is a tourist town at one of the entrances to The Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We immediately went to our campground which was next to the park. We set up our tents and then went to Boots Cowboy Bar to eat. For a tourist town the restaurant was surprisingly reasonable and good.

The next morning, Bernie, Donna, Butch and myself hopped on our bikes to do a 33 mile hilly loop around the park. It was very warm and the hills were very long. However, the sights were worth the challenge. I enjoyed watching the Prairie Dogs scurry from hole to hole. The buttes were impressive and the valleys below were home to bison, deer, horses and countless other animals. Passing cars were courteous and gave us plenty of room to ride. At the halfway point we learned that the road needed to complete the loop was closed so our ride became an out and back adventure.

After the ride we jumped into the van and headed to Great Falls, Montana, a six hour drive. Half way through the ride we hit a cold front that brought with it high winds and driving rain. The trailer was being blown all over the road. Butch did a great job of driving. On the long and lonely Montana road  Butch and Bernie spotted a lone cyclist struggling to power through the high winds and rain. We were literally in the middle of nowhere. Butch pulled to the side of the road and offered the young cyclist a lift to the nearest town which was Lewistown. He thankfully accepted and we were impressed by this young man’s determination to ride across America on his own. His name was Marty and he lived in Baltimore. He was celebrating his graduation from Physical Therapy School. We delivered him safe and sound to Lewistown where Marty thanked us and then he headed to the first restaurant he could find.

We eventually arrived in chilly Great Falls and followed Marty’s lead and found the first restaurant near our hotel. I had an awesome meal as did the others. Again, today was a good day!