Wednesday, May 31-Friday, June 2                                                                                             Cottonwood Campground, Medora, North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt bought a ranch here in 1883, and later bought a second one. These lands became part of the park.  Roosevelt came here to heal after the death of his wife and mother, who died in his home on the same day.  The land looks much the same as it did in those days; remote, largely uninhabited, somewhat forbidding, but also very beautiful.

Roosevelt credited his time here as instrumental in healing and growing from his deep grief. He often said that he could never have become President without the time he spent here.

We shared the campground with more wildlife than people.

We went on a long hike through what used to be open range.  We saw beautiful wildflowers,

bison on the trail,

a herd of wild horses high above us (this is the stallion),

and another prairie dog town!

I’m not sure what this structure is, but it looks like a human dwelling of some sort.

Our hike reminded me of old western movies.  I wasn’t sure at first that I would like it here; it was very hot (100 degrees), dry, and pretty desolate.  The land seemed more like the badlands I had imagined than what we saw in South Dakota.  By the time we left, though, I was beginning to feel the charm of these hills, and ravines, and could understand why Roosevelt was so impacted by the time he spent here. There’s a timeless, eternal quality that is hard to describe, but very powerful.  I pray that this land and this park will remain protected and cherished so that future generations will find it unchanged and powerful in its ability to heal and teach us.  I pray that for all our national parks, because they truly are our finest treasures.