Amber and I set out across Highway 2, also known as the "High Line" across Northern Montana. It would be our longest single day of travel in order to get us close to North Dakota. We never stopped much except for a quick bathroom break, gas fill up, or just to stretch our legs. Going into the trip, I anticipated it being a long terrible day. I was, however, totally surprised by all the beauty Eastern Montana holds. I distinctly remember the sounds of thousands of birds chirping (audible even while driving at 70mph). It only complemented the lush green rolling prairie that stretched out across the horizon.
We reached the North Dakota state line late in the afternoon, and my goal was to try and visit Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, if time permitted. I had forgotten that Central time in this part of the country ran the state line, and the Park operated on it. As such, we only had about 45 minutes to explore some of the area.
Fort Union was built in 1828 near the confluence of the Yellowstone River with the Missouri River. It was one of the largest and lasted until the late 1860's, before the Army tore it down to use the lumber to construct a nearby military fort. The current Trading Post is a replica that was built to scale based on plans, and archaeological evidence.
After our visit, we had the quick drive down to Sidney, MT, to stay with a couple that Amber knew from her time in Eugene. Of all places, the couple, Bradley & Kayla, had ended up in Sidney to help with a church plant. We enjoyed visiting with them and they spoiled us with homemade enchiladas and guacamole. Late that evening as the sun set, we took a walk through some of the streets and along the farm fields. In the distance you could see some of the equipment and facilities used in the oil fields, but I was still struck with how beautiful Eastern Montana is in spring.
Sunday May 12, 2019
The next morning we were given plenty of coffee, pancakes, and bacon before we hit the road. Our first stop of the day was the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We only had 1 full day to explore the North & South units of the park.
I had found out that part of the North Unit's scenic drive was closed due to brush burning, so that did shorten our time there. But we did decide on hiking to a prairie dog town. Along the way we began to get our first views of the Little Missouri River Badlands.
Upon getting close to the prairie dog town's location, a big herd of bison blocked our way. They decided they wanted to get on the move- right towards us, so we had to scamper off the trail to a safe distance until they passed.
Once the bison had passed, we made the final trek to the prairie dog town. It was our first encounter with the cute rodents.
After finishing our hike it was time to make the 1 1/2 hour drive down to the south unit of the Park, where we would finish spending our day and night. We made a quick stop for views at the Painted Canyon Overlook before continuing on to Medora, ND. Upon arriving, the first order of business was to grab a campsite at the Cottonwood Campground. It is first come first serve, and I didn't want to be hunting late in the day.
We viewed what exhibits were contained in the Visitor Center, and struck out along the Southern Unit's scenic loop road. Along the way we drove along the rolling grassland, multi-colored and layered badlands, and hiked our way through fresh smelling juniper forests. Wildlife (including wild horses) was around every corner and the entire landscape had an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility.
Later that afternoon when the temperature reached a sweltering 70 degrees, we decided to head back into Medora for some ice cream. Medora is a western style town, and it sits right outside the South Unit of the National Park. I ended up finding some good lemon bar flavor, and Amber had Moose Tracks.
After our long day of adventures we temporarily retired to our campsite to cook dinner. Amber had prepped chicken and veggies before we left home, so we just added everything together with rice and seasoning and had a good mess of jambalaya. We finished cleaning up just in time to make the quick drive up to the Wind Canyon Overlook to watch the sunset over the Little Missouri River.
I had purposely not viewed the overlook until sunset, in order to be surprised. I was certainly not disappointed. We spent about 30 minutes there watching the sunset and taking pictures before heading back to camp to write post cards in the lantern light, and then crawl into bed to await the next day of adventures.
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