Theodore Roosevelt Nat’l Park–South Unit

Yesterday before I got that stunning call from Arizona, Kurt and I toured the South Unit.  We started off at the Visitors Center in Medora to watch the movie and visit the museum.  I also wanted to pick up the road tour backpack that Sherry had recommended.  Of course, we were miles down on the tour road before I realized that I had forgotten to get the backpack.

Construction on the fourteen mile road is still underway, and we had to wait a while before we could proceed.  At least there was a huge prairie dog town that we could watch while we waited.  They are just so funny to watch.

It turned out we did the auto tour in reverse of what is normal.  Kurt was driving, and I was navigator so that wasn’t really a surprise. 

                                                                 “Whatcha lookin’ at Willis?”

We saw what seemed like three times as many bison in the South Unit as we did in the North Unit the day before.  Kurt certainly got his fill of seeing these huge animals.  I’m thinking that by the time we finish with Yellowstone, he’ll be thinking bison are ordinary.

I was able to take one short hike out to an overlook.  For some reason, I just wasn’t as enthralled with this unit as I was with the North Unit.

The scenery was very nice, but just didn’t grab me the same way.  So, I’ll just include a few more shots from our drive. 

Doing the tour in reverse did have some benefits though, as most everyone else went the other way and we saw wild turkeys and this snake that the other folks probably didn’t.

Today was my PDD drive to Columbus, Montana.  Oh my goodness, 325 miles about did me in.  Of course the increasing side winds in the afternoon didn’t help.  I had looked up places to stay in Billings yesterday, but I felt the prices were too much and the reviews were not good.  That’s how we ended up in Columbus.We are staying at Mountain Range RV Park for two nights.  It was definitely worth the extra miles.  The rate is reasonable for the north, and Kurt rates the bathrooms at a 10!  Best he’s ever seen.  Compared to Bismarck, this place is marvelous.  It’s on a hillside so leveling is a bit of a challenge.  I feel like I need a parachute to exit the rig, but the customer service is exceptional.  Not easy to find these days.

The reason we are staying two nights is that I want to show Kurt the Beartooth Highway tomorrow.  It is one of the most scenic drives in America.  We will also do the Chief Joseph scenic highway.  Time to get a Rocky Mountain high!

                                                                              THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy