Day 14: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Another North American Road Trip

Day 14

Thursday, July 2nd

As is our regular travel routine, we ate breakfast at the hotel. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to find a non dairy milk option so that I could enjoy a bowl of cereal. This is the first stop on our trip that has provided that. So, way to go, Montana! 

We drove 54 minutes to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 

At the Visitor Center, we let the ranger at the desk know we had a few hours to spend in the park and asked what we should do. “Do everything!” She suggested enthusiastically. She let us know that the scenic drive around the park would take about an hour and a half and there would be overlooks and wildlife. Then she pointed out a few very short hikes that she recommended as we made our way around. One of which went through a prairie dog village. We took our map, and Desmond took his Junior Ranger booklet, and out the door we went. 

It was amusing to start the scenic drive with Desmond doing his Junior Ranger bingo game. He was looking for specific animals (such as bison) and *ahem* signs of animals, and we were able to see all the things he needed to check off. He decided he wanted to go for a “blackout” and find everything, but some of the things were specific to the North Unit, and we wouldn’t be going that direction on this particular visit. 

Our first opportunity to stretch our legs was a prairie dog town right up against a parkinglot for easy viewing. These animals are so cute (especially the juveniles) and we had a good time watching their antics. 

Next we drove a little further and hiked the Ridgeline Nature trail. Beautiful. I felt like a middle earth adventurer as the wind whipped past my hood and I could see far into the distance on either side of the trail as it sloped down toward the prairie and badlands. 

At the Old East Entrance Station we got to walk out into a prairie dog town on a dirt walking trail. So fun! There were ant hills and prairie dog holes right in the path. 

We continued scenic drive and  stopped next at Wind Canyon Trail - a trail that had been especially recommended to us by the ranger at the visitor center.  The beautiful songs of the western meadowlark and perhaps Indigo Buntings (according to the Merlin app) serenading us as we made the very short climb up to the overlook and the top of the 0.4 mile loop. We were treated to sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. We were amused at how many prairie dog colonies we could spot from up there. Desmond also pointed out a herd of bison. This park has been brimful of wildlife 😁

After that we headed back to the visitor center to watch the video and get Desmond his 57th Junior Ranger badge.  Desmond had me denote on the list which are from National Parks (as opposed to National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Seashore and what have you) and I learned that Desmond has visited and become a Junior Ranger at 31 National Parks so far. This park is the last Junior Ranger spot we have planned for this particular roadtrip. 15 badges in 14 days seems pretty good! 

After that we drove back out of the park the same way we came in. We stopped to gas up and wash bugs off the window. 

We decided we would have Subway for lunch. When we got there, there was a considerable line for sandwiches. We tried to locate another viable option for lunch but didn’t come up with anything promising. So we stood there. With the bell ringing loudly and frequently since the line snaked out the door and toward the other section of the convenience store. As the theme music from The Pirates of the Caribbean played inexplicably from a nearby claw machine we stood there. As the two overworked sandwich makers methodically and unhurriedly assembled sandwiches for the many people ahead of us, we stood there. 

Our gas and “grab sandwiches to go” stop took half an hour. But our sandwiches were good. And it gave me another opportunity to examine my heart and repent of the impatience that I so regularly find there. 

After grabbing myself a cold drink from the cooler and some chips for Desmond and I from the pantry bin in the back of the cruck, we were able to continue on down the road around 1:00PM. At this point, we still had more than 5 hours to get to where we will stay for the night. 

Some time later I decided I needed a potty break. I asked if there was a Dairy Queen on our route - cause I could really go for a non-dairy dilly bar. Bryan found me a Dairy Queen, but it was more than 40 minutes down the road. I asked him to stop instead at the McDonalds. A few minutes down the road after our stop there, Desmond looked up from the game he had been playing to ask for a bathroom break soon. 😳 Bryan and I could not believe it. He had not even noticed that we had stopped. I guess I should have checked in with him to see if he needed a stop when we were there. Poor buddy was zoned all the way out. 

Bryan let him know that we would be stopping in about 38 minutes at a Dairy Queen for treats. Yay for recreational eating!  It had started to rain a little bit as we pulled into the parking lot at DQ, but I was not about to let that stop me from enjoying a frozen treat.  

We took our sweets to go and kept driving along. When every last drip of dilly bar and Blizzard had been consumed, we had just under two hours left to drive. 

Bryan had downloaded the Oregon trail game after our stop at Scott’s Bluff and we started a game of that in the car to pass the time. It worked. Our little digital wagon train had made it to the first fort on the Oregon Trail just as we entered Havre, Montana. 

We checked in to the Best Western Plus and was surprised to find that I was a Platinum member. (My name was written on the board in welcome and everything). The front desk gal gave us a recommendation for a restaurant that she likes that serves rice bowls. Say less!  We knew where we would be going for dinner. Anytime we can get chicken and rice while traveling it is a win. It seems like such a simple ask - but often the options are fried, greasy foods. Chicken and rice is comfort food that settles the stomach for us and makes us happy.  

Since it was about 7PM by the time we unpacked the cruck and got stuff settled in our room, we decided to go get ourselves some dinner. 

We went to Jenny’s Kitchen and entered in, the upbeat country music from the 90s making me want to line dance. 

There were lots of things on the menu that looked good. I would like to eat at this restaurant more than once. I stuck to my plan of a teriyaki bowl and was not disappointed. 

When we got back to the hotel it was time to take a swim. Desmond and I got our suits on and went down to the pool. We swam and enjoyed the hot tub for over an hour, and then it was time to hit the hay. 

Tomorrow we will be driving up into Canada! (I always enjoy a chance to use my passport.) I hope you will tag along with us.