Cross-Country Road Trip! Day 66-68, Mile 10796: The Badlands Aren't Bad.

Unfortunately, O's cold has gotten worse. It's a very bad cough combined with a lack of energy. She taken Covid tests twice--negative. All we can do is wait for her body to heal itself.

We have, however, decided to curtail the rest of the trip. We had planned to spend a couple days in Bozeman, Montana, seeing some very dear old friends, and then two days in Missoula visiting O's sister Jovita. 

But instead, we're going straight home from Billings, Montana, which is where we are now. It's about a 10-hour drive, but at least O will be healing in the comfort of her own home at the end of it. We're deeply disappointed, but it's the right thing to do.

So here's a brief description of how we got from Wausau, Wisconsin to Billings, Montana in just three days. 

Last time, you might remember, we were staying at a lovely historic B&B in Wausau. They sent us off the next morning with an incredible homemade breakfast featuring a light and flavorful benedict soufflé with asparagus and Canadian bacon. Delicious.

We headed north through the Wisconsin woods to Ashland on Lake Superior.

From there we turned west to Duluth, which was completely socked in by fog, obscuring any views of the lake or the city. Next, we crossed the Mississippi, as small here as the Boise River, and ended the day in Park Rapids, Minnesota, a small town filled with Memorial Day tourists.

The next day took us through Fargo into North Dakota, across the continental divide to Dickinson, ND.

Now Dickinson doesn't have much to recommend itself, though the North Dakota oil boom has made it one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, but it is only a thirty-minute drive from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a place we very much wanted to visit.

The weather was drizzly, but the landscape was beautiful, especially with spring grasses covering the usually arid badlands. 

Our first view of the park was the aptly named Painted Canyon.

Other than the scenery, wildlife is the main draw to the park. 

This is one of several prairie dog metropolises. Unfortunately, the cute little critters do know enough to come in out of the rain, so we caught only a few glimpses of them scurrying from mound to mound.

We saw a few of the park's feral horses and heard them whinnying to each other, but they stayed well out of camera range.

No elk, either.

But we did see a bison!

No, make that four bison.

No, make that a whole herd thundering past the car!

And into the road in front of us. 

Where they slowed to a traffic-blocking saunter.

They were in no hurry to get wherever they were going, so they just walked down the road, pooping and peeing, stopping occasionally to see if we wanted to make something of it.

We were happy just to keep pace with them for a while, enjoying the presence of these massive creatures and their young calves.

The process of shedding their winter coats gives them a mangy, wild look.

So cool to see them wandering freely through this wonderful landscape.

And a wonderful landscape it is.

We also saw several white-tailed deer.

And a pronghorn antelope taking a rest.

The weather and O's cough weren't conducive to any major hiking, but I did manage a brief nature walk through Wind Canyon. 

Here the wind has etched the soft rock into fantastic shapes.

There are sweeping views of the Little Missouri River from the bluff at the end of the trail.

At the visitor's center you can see the cabin where Theodore Roosevelt lived while managing his two Dakota ranches when he was in his twenties. The man was a racist and an imperialist, but he loved this land, and I'm grateful for his efforts to preserve it.

Tomorrow is our last day on the road. It has been quite an experience, emotionally, mentally, and physically. We've made indelible memories, deepened ties with friends and family, and generally had a hell of a good time. 

I hope you've enjoyed following our adventures. Please send O plenty of healing energy.

To be continued.

P.