Go Around the Bend: Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Fabulous Presidential Library.

A smoky sunrise and the biggest bison statue in the world.

Although we’re headed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we’ve got some distance to cover to get there. Our first stop, on Thursday, 7/23, was a Harvest Host in Bagley, MN. Honeyberry Farm boasts a huge antique tractor collection and (in season) a variety of U-pick berries. The namesake honeyberries weren’t available, but our host graciously offered to make fresh baked cobbler with frozen berries. Of course, we said yes!! We also picked up a couple jars of jam and syrup. Sweet! Oh, and if, like me, you’ve never heard of Honeyberries, the shrub is a member of the honeysuckle family. They typically grow from 3 – 8 feet tall, with oblong berries ½ – 1 inch or more in length, depending on the cultivar. The berries are blue in color with a tart flavor described as a mixture of blackberry, cherry and even grape or kiwi. All I can say is they make a delicious cobbler and jam!

Honeyberry Farm, another fun Harvest Host stop.

There were scores of antique tractors on the property.

The best part of Honeyberry farm was the honeyberries!

From Honeyberries to Bison. Harvest Host sites certainly offer variety! On Friday, 7/24, we rolled into the North American Bison Discovery Center in Jamestown, ND. Unfortunately, we were in the warning box for severe thunderstorms. While Carole and I visited the Bison museum, the guys took care of the rigs. After the threat had passed (just rain, no hail-Yay!), we walked to the nearby Frontier Village to see the largest bison statue in the world! A roadside attraction that they say draws 100,000 visitors annually. The 60 ton concrete giant built in 1959 and dubbed Dakota Thunder, is 26' tall, 14' wide and 46' long. He even makes Riley and Raney look tiny! Lol.

The North American Bison Discovery Center in Jamestown, ND.

The museum had lots of interesting Bison exhibits, and...

...the real thing in the surrounding fields.

The adjacent Frontier Village was interesting to walk through.

But, the real attraction was the largest bison statue in the world.

And here is where all our careful planning fell apart. More record-setting heat had us cancelling and rescheduling our next four stops. I’m not gonna lie, it really chapped my hide. We spend so much time and energy choosing the sites, making the reservations, and scheduling activities that by the time our itinerary is set, I am emotionally invested and get really cranky when I have to change everything. Lol. That said, I completely understand that there’s no way we can keep the coaches cool enough for the pups without power. So change we did.

Yes, it was HOT!
This was in the sun, but we officially hit 107°!

Arrrgh, this is what my neatly made plans look like now. Lol.

We compromised on our next stop. Instead of dry-camping at another Harvest Host site, Phat Fish Brewery, we got reservations for North Park Campground in Dickinson, ND for Saturday, 7/25. Then we drove over to Phat Fish for a bite and brew anyway.

Phat Fish brewery was a fun place.

Our original plan had been to either dry-camp at Cottonwood Campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) or find a boondocking spot in the nearby Buffalo Gap Grasslands. Instead, we opted for a spot with power at the Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch and RV Campground near Medora, ND. We drove over a mile down a dirt road on Sunday, 7/26, to find a funky, fun little resort that had a campground with hookups. We used it as our base to visit TRNP and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library which just opened July 4th.

This is as close to boondocking with a power pole as you can get. Lol.

The resort bar/restaurant was a hoot.

Lots of kitsch and taxidermy. Lol.

TRNP is divided into two main units, North and South, that are 68 miles apart. There is a third unit, Elkhorn Ranch, which was the site of Roosevelt’s ranch built in 1884. The buildings no longer stand, but the foundations are still visible. We only had time to visit the South Unit and stopped at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center on Sunday, 7/26.

View from Painted Canyon Visitor's Center.

Later that evening, we drove the 36-mile scenic loop through the National Park. We stopped at several incredible overlooks and saw deer, a few solitary bison, vast communities of entertaining prairie dogs, and a whole herd of about 20 wild horses. Then we climbed Buck Hill to watch the sunset.

Skyline Vista.

Prairie and Badlands.

Evening is a great time to spot wildlife.

Part of the herd sauntering up to the overview.

A straggler in the evening light.

Perched on the rocks at Buck Hill waiting for the sunset.

Worth the wait.

We weren’t sure what to expect at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, but it was amazing! If you get an opportunity to visit, do it! The building is pretty special in its own right with a prairie grass roof, extensive use of natural materials and timbers, and compressed earth walls.

The building design is unconventional...

...as are the materials, this is a compressed earth wall.

I loved all the timbers and natural materials.

You can even go topside and walk on the roof planted with prairie grasses.

The exhibits detail TR’s life (Fun Fact: He never liked being called Teddy, family and friends referred to him as TR.) using an excellent mix of multimedia, static exhibits, and AI generated interactive displays. It’s not just fun for the kids, all the adults got on board too. The library covers TR’s early life and family, time spent on the frontier and living in North Dakota, the Rough Riders, his rise to power and presidency, his conservation legacy, and post-presidency highlights including the Bull Moose campaign, and trips to Africa and the River of Doubt in Brazil (which almost killed him). TR protected roughly 230 million acres through proclamations, executive orders, and legislation. One of his greatest achievements was the Antiquities Act, signed into law in 1906, which granted the President authority to set aside public lands as "national monuments" without requiring Congressional approval. TR established 18 national monuments, protecting sites of scientific, historical, and scenic significance.

The library is a unique mix of static displays...

...recreations of places TR lived, and...

...multimedia displays. This one told stories of his time in the Badlands, while...

...we joined his expedition down the River of Doubt in this display.

There were fun interactive displays for both the kids and the adults.

We learned so much, especially about his life after the presidency.

When you first enter the library, you can enter your email address at a kiosk and have your picture taken. You are given a token that activates various displays, some “photoshop” you into various pictures representing key moments in TR’s life. They even email you the photos! Sadly, Carole thinks she may have incorrectly entered her email because she never got her pics. What a bummer! We spent over three hours at the library and found it incredibly interesting, informative, and entertaining. It really is not to be missed!

Rog in the Navy and on the frontier.

Bob in 1800's New York and in the Badlands.

Momma on a sailing ship and assisting with TR's Africa expedition.

On Tuesday, we went to see the Medora Musical. Rog and I had attended ten years ago and I’d sworn wild horses couldn’t drag me back. But Bob and Carole had never been, and we decided to see how much had changed in a decade. The singing and dancing was top notch, and the props and sets had certainly improved. The earlier show was basically an advertisement for the town, and while there was still a lot of self-promotion, there was a much greater focus on Theodore Roosevelt and celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary. Bob and Carole enjoyed it, and it wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it might be. Lol.