Teddy Roosevelt National Park, Southern Unit

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Entry 14: Teddy Roosevelt National Park, Southern Unit, August 1, 2010

A 2-hour drive south through the Little Missouri National Grasslands lead me to the small, but “western commercialized” town of Medora, gateway to the T.R. National Park’s Southern Unit, which features a 36-mile scenic drive and offers more “close inspection” of the Badlands varied geographic features. The winding road showcases the massive length of the Badlands, and proves that, in fact, Roosevelt was right to fall in love with this place, as tough as it is.

Because it was high noon, the sun was blasting down, overheating both Sophie and myself. I was determined to find water (it’s easy to see where water does flow, as dark green patches are woody trees and shrubs). There’s only one river running through, the Little Missouri, and from the Southern Unit’s Cottonwood campground, we finally hit the good stuff. Chatting with 3 folks from Vermont, who were on their way to Yellowstone (1 teacher among the group), we spoke of the 3 hikers who were stalked and (1 killed, 2 injured) by a bear there the previous week.
The water felt so, so good, and Sophie and I romped for 30 minutes, until the cold drove me out. It was just as well, as I was saying goodbye to my old friend T.R., and even though this Park has a “transitory rep,” a stop between Glacier and Yellowstone, I certainly would consider spending more time here in the future.

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