Salem Sue and Sunsets

    Yesterday was a day for exploring Interstate 94 and its hidden gems along the way to Medora, the southern gateway of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, our home base for the next few days. After our encounter with Dakota Thunder the day before, we were udderly excited to spend some time with New Salem Sue, his even larger (at 38 feet high to his meager 26 foot stature) Holstein cow-nterpart ;P 

Shenanigans!

    

    Next up was the Enchanted Highway, an exit off 94 where one artist has added his metal sculptures throughout the years.  Since it would add over an hour to our trip to drive the entire span, we opted to spot just a couple of them, including the jumping deer I was most eager to see that came up on the earlier side of that detour.

    Dickinson, which also touts itself as the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, is a charming little town of about 25,000 people, which is also home to the Ukrainian Cultural Institute since North Dakota is home to one of the highest population of Ukrainians is America.  A few of us are hoping to go back to visit it over the next couple of days.

    We did make a pilgrimage to the Brew Coffee House, housed in a chapel where Teddy Roosevelt once worshipped; even the woman's bathroom has a stained glass window!  Not only was it a gorgeous and historic setting for our afternoon caffeine boost, but the owner was yet another of the kindest people you could ever want to meet, insisting we take a couple of mugs to remember our stay.

Original pews from the time Roosevelt attended services!

 

    Ten minutes down the road, we had entered the National Park, though there was no gate or entrance fee to mark the moment. Instead, there was a sign welcoming us to the Painted Canyon Visitor Center, which we decided to explore before checking in to our hotel.  

    We wound up taking a longer hike that we'd initially expected, especially the boys, who opted to go a bit deeper into the canyon than Maddie and I did and then got just a bit lost on their return.  An hour later they emerged, sweaty but victorious.

    We arrived at our Rough Riders hotel, where Teddy Roosevelt once stayed, around 5:00 PM, ready to shower and eat, as our last meal of the day had been around 9:00 AM and we had expended far more calories than we had initially anticipated. Each room has a custom "Teddy" bear, and a deer greeted us just outside the hotel as we headed towards dinner.

    I had picked up some park info and read about the Wind Canyon Trail, a .4 mile loop that is a favorite for sunset viewing, so we took another foray into the park after dinner, arriving at the trail just about 10 minutes before sunset.  The 30 minute drive through the park was equally spectacular, offering not only golden hour drenched vistas but also the promised herd of bison creating a "traffic jam" for just us and one other car.  

    While we have arrived here just a week before the "season" truly begins, with the famed Medora Musical, gospel brunches and all the rest starting after we have left, the benefit is fewer crowds.  As we took our leisurely walk around Wind Canyon, soaking in the cool breezes, the stunning vistas, and each other's company, we recognized how incredibly lucky we are to get to create and enjoy these experiences together.

    As I drove out of the park around 9:30 PM, we suddenly saw the most outrageously gorgeous moon any of us has ever seen. While photos don't do it justice, we pulled over and soaked it in.  What a glorious gift Teddy Roosevelt gave us when he protected these lands.