Awake: 6:50am Temp 62 sleep 7+45 partly sunny
elevation 2350 ft overnight @ Glendive, MT.
I was awakened @ approximately 4:15am by strong & steady winds….the noise.
My first thoughts were: “it’s a tornado!” Softly walking out to our living
room so as not to wake Kathy, I watched as the trees were being bent over
by the steady wind & was amazed that our coach was not swaying. Some time
later, I retracted our # 4 slide opposite side of the wind
direction…..that woke Kathy up. Rain & thunderstorms followed. Getting
back to sleep took some time, I should have just stayed awake.
Before breakfast, I get out the telescoping ladder, clean the debris &
water off our # 2 slide top, then retract the slide. We take our time
leaving this morning as our next campground is merely an hr down the road.
Leave the Glendive campground @ 11:27am. Smooth roads & scenic landscape
views along the hwy continue.
Arrive @ the Medora campground in Medora, North Dakota @ 12:34pm. Today’s
travel: 1:07 time 61 miles 8.8 gal used 6.9 mpg
55.2 avg speed. It took us nearly as long to check in and get our assigned
parking site as it took to drive here. The lady in front of us was
checking in for some 14 people.
Medora’s population is listed as 100 (during off season). The town was
founded in 1883 by a 24 yr old French Nobleman, Marquis de Mores. He named
the town for his bride, the former Medora Von Hoffman, daughter of a
wealthy New York City banker. With financial backing from his
father-in-law, he built a meat packing plant, a brick plant, a hotel,
stores & a large home. Despite the vision & energy of Marquis, all of his
various enterprises ended in financial failure by the fall of 1886. With
their son & daughter, the Mores returned to France.
Another colorful individual drawn to this area was a young New York
politician named Theodore Roosevelt. He arrived in 1883 & fell in love
with the land & invested in cattle raising. In 1901 Roosevelt, age 42,
became the youngest President in U.S. History @ that time, serving until
1909. He called his yrs in the Badlands: “the romance of my life.” Medora
continued to be an active community with 3 large coal mines operated
nearby plus the CCC built many roads, signs, & structures within what is
now, Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
In 1958, a special amphitheater was constructed a mile west of Medora & 3
churches now serve the community.
Kathy & I drive into town (2 miles) & check out the visitors’ center, the
oldest Catholic Church in South Dakota & do a self tour of the town
including the remnants of the meat packing plant & then watch a movie of
the Badlands (13 min) at the Badlands Interpretive Center. We wrap up our
self touring by attending a guided tour of Teddy’s “Maltese Cross” cabin.
All of these sights were very interesting to see & learn more about.
7:15 dinner: Leftover stuffed peppers.
@ 7:45pm we drive a mile west to attend the musical production @ the
Burning Hills Amphitheater. A magical experience in the high desert: a
moving escalator descending about 100 ft to a 2900 seat theater facing a
stage with a setting of a small town all lit up on a dark night; Badland
hills in the background. Just being there with almost a full house was
fantastic. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was right on & we were
chased out with heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightening, & strong winds
after seeing 80% of the show.
High temp: 74 Lights out: 11:45pm
Leave a comment