Valley City to Medora, ND

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I wanted to mention yesterday about the names of the towns here in ND but when the body is tired the brain in sluggish too.

When I first crossed the border it struck me how simple the towns name's are. There is Wheatland, Chaffe, Alice,Mapleton, Buffalo, then they got creative Tower City and Valley City, where I am. Just seems like there was so much more to do here when settling the state than be creative about names. They were a hardy stock coming into a very hostile environment, just "get er done!".

Oscar continues to be a terrific traveling companion. We are in a routine now and he plays his part. When there is someone close to the camper he will bark about 4 very aggressive barks then he'll look at me to see if he should stop or keep right on going. If I say no, he stops but keeps an eye out to make sure the intruder keeps moving. It amazed me how well he learned that lesson, just 1 or 2 squirts from a water pistol taught him that one. He has been pleasant with other dogs and is generally very good except when he's late for dinner. There is a bungee on the refrigerator door at all times, just to be safe. There was a change today however, spoke too soon.

We were on the road about 9:50 and again headed west on RT 94. The speed limit is now 75 but I continue to do about 68, just feel safer that speed. The terrain changed from rolling hills to more open prairie lands still with hills but farther apart. Still it's crops that are planted in the fields and an occasional cattle herd but that's about it. There are a surprising number of lakes and I was delighted to see white pelicans and 2 loons. There were some pelicans flying in the sky with dark gray clouds behind them, in the morning light it was a spectacular sight. I also saw a deer bounding through some very tall grass. It was wonderful being in the west again and experiencing the prairie's beauty.

I arrived at my campground in Medora, got set up, made a sandwich and sat under the shade of a cottonwood tree and just relaxed. It was about 2 pm so there was a lot of daylight left, I had to drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, at least a section of it. This park is a major reason I took this northerly route, I've been wanting to see it for 2 yrs now. I turned the ac on in the camper, it was 90 degrees, and packed water and camera gear in the car along with Oscar. The car was really hot and it took a while to cool it down, Oscar was panting. I stopped several times to take pictures of prairie dogs, flowers, scenes, buffalo, more prairie dogs, another scene and wild horses. The scenery is gorgeous, like a mini Bad Lands with lots of wild flowers everywhere.

After an hour and a half we were both done with the trip but we were on a loop road and the only way out was ahead, so we struggled through it. Back at camp I thought a nice sit by the river was just the ticket to relax and listen to the quiet. I grabbed a bottle of water and my chair and Oscar and away we went, just a short walk away.

I sat there a total of 1 minute when 2 kids came down and were talking up a blue streak, then another one rode his bike down and the 3 of them went in the river. Well all I could think about was the kids being swept away in the current when the mom of the 2 kids came and sat down near me. They are from FL and have been on the road 7 months now. We talked about where they had been and where they were going. By this time the kids were way down river and mom got up and dragged the kids back to camp. Another boy came and got the last one still in the river alone and I thought OH Goodie, some quiet time. Oscar had other ideas. He just stood in front of me and barked non stop, the no word didn't work. I gave up.

I am now on Mountain time so it's only 9 pm here and the sun just set, a brilliant red. Time to finish this blog and get me to bed.

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