Way Up North in North Dakota!

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We left montana in our rear view mirror and headed for the first time ever into north dakota. We had a quick dinner in medora, and then headed for the town of dickinson, our motel stop for the night.

day 4: tuesday, august 21 — 500 miles
After breakfast we headed slightly west toward nearby theodore roosevelt national park, named after president teddy roosevelt who visited this area in 1883. A lot of his conservationist ideas were developed while spending time in this wilderness. The park is made up of what are called "badlands", which are essentially lots of craggy rocks and hills (see my roosevelt NP pics). There are also buffalo, prairie dogs, and wild horses (see my wildlife pics) roaming these forbidding lands.

We then drove the hour or so east to the state's capital: bismarck. This town reminded me of trenton, nj in the early sixties. We had lunch in an old train depot converted into a mexican restaurant, and then stopped at the state capitol, which isn't a dome — it's known as the skyscraper on the prairie — and it's art deco (see my bismarck pics)!

We headed out of bismarck and south, through strasburg, the hometown of lawrence welk (see my pic), and crossed the state line into south dakota . . .