Making our way through southern Montana with stops in Billings and Ennis.

What is most surprising to this Massachusetts resident is just how interesting I find the landscape we are driving through.  Each one of our stops on this westerly trip introduced countryside and geography that seem totally foreign to me. The topography I’m used to is not as rugged and is usually covered in trees. The topography I’m currently being exposed to is more barren, and grassy, with very colorful red, yellow, & tan rock formations. These are not rolling hill kind of rock formations; these are craggier and menacing.  And I get to view the geography through the windows of the truck for 4 or 5 hours one day a week as we drive west through southern Montana.  As weird and wonderful as the terrain looks to me, the interstate highway we are following is all too familiar.  We are on I-90 (AKA the Mass Turnpike), that I have known and traveled on my entire life. Which begins its journey in Boston, MA just about at the Atlantic Ocean, and travels due west some 2,300 miles when I finally rejoin I-90 in southern Montana, traveling between our two stops of Billings and Ennis. Unfamiliar surroundings, familiar roadway.

Our first stop in Billings was very special. Arrangements were made so that our daughter, Morgan, could join us in the camper for our visit. We had a wonderful, event-filled time exploring Billings.  We did a bunch of walking and hiking, especially on the “Rim Rock” sandstone ledges that seem to surround Billings on the north and south. We had a really great steak dinner. We explored an old and remarkably preserved house museum.  It was special getting to share our RV lifestyle with our daughter, and I know she appreciated the experience. Eventually, we had to return Morgan to the small Billings airport for flights and connections to return home to Boston. 

• Morgan’s introduction to Billings on her very first night in town included tickets to a very special stand-up comedy performance at the Alberta Bair Theater. The theme of the comedy show was near and dear to both Judy and Morgan, as well as teachers everywhere, and was called Bored Teachers “The Struggle is Real!” Comedy Tour.  The audience was filled with likeminded teachers and school administrators laughing at the shared education experience. It was especially fun to watch as someone not necessarily in the same occupation, but close enough to understand many of the school references contained in the stand-up act.

• Billings is a small city nestled into the valley surrounded by the sandstone “Rim Rock” which are especially noticeable on the north side of the city. The airport actually sits atop the “Rim” as many of the locals refer to the formation. Anyway, a short drive north, through the city, leads to a road which has been cut into the ledge, rising up some 350 feet to the top of the formation to overlook the city.  Just a fantastic view. The view from the eastern section of the Rim, from the Black Otter Walking Trail, overlooks the railroad and industrial areas of the city. I found the view from the western section, which featured the Zimmerman Trail, far more appealing as it overlooked the neighborhoods. We spent most of the day walking the trails on the Rim and got some great family pictures in the process.

Rim Rock Sandstone Formation on Black Otter Trail

Black Otter Trail Overlooking Billings

 

Judy, Steven, and Morgan at head of Zimmerman trail

• There are two ancient attractions to visit which are a short ride east of Billings. The first is called Pictograph Cave State Park. Pictograph Cave State Park was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, because of its archeological significance. Prehistoric hunters who camped in Pictograph Cave left behind artifacts and over 100 pictographs, or rock paintings. We walked the loop trail which took us to all three main caves: Pictograph, Middle, and Ghost Cave. Traveling a bit farther east from the state park, we arrived at Pompeys Pillar National Monument. WOW!  Pompeys Pillar rises some 120 feet over the Yellowstone River and is the only major sandstone formation in the area. This made the formation an outstanding observation point for more than eleven thousand years of human occupation and even attracted the signature of Captain William Clark of the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition.  A very full day of exploring two splendid ancient attractions. 

Steven, Morgan, and Judy with Clark's signature on Pompeys Pillar National Monument 

• Since we all like touring houses, especially mansion-type houses from the early 19^th century, we took a trip to historic Moss Mansion. The Moss Mansion Museum is a turn-of-the-century home, which has some impressive amenities for a mansion built in 1903.  Modern comforts such as heated indoor plumbing on each floor, an electric bell system for the servants, and an early rotary telephone. The mansion remains unchanged since it was sold to the City of Billings in 1982 by the daughter of the Moss family who continually occupied the house for some 80 years.

The day after Morgan flew home, we cleaned the RV, packed up, and headed to our next stop in southern Montana. We traveled due west, through Bozeman, to our campsite in the small town of Ennis, population = 1,000. Ennis is situated in a 15-mile-wide valley along the Madison River. The views from this campsite were amazing. About 10-miles to the southeast was the Madison Mountain Range, with the tallest visible peak rising over 10,400 feet (The resort ski destination of Big Sky is in the same mountain range.)  The view to the northwest of the valley was the Tobacco Root Mountain Range, with its visible Hollow Top Mountain peak at 10,600 feet. We were clearly situated in a plush green valley formed by the Madison River. 

Looking Southwest at the Madison Mountain Range

Quite by accident, I booked a campsite in a town that traces its roots to the 1863 gold rush in Alder Gulch, just 20 miles northwest. We spent a few days touring nearby Virginia City, whose entire existence is a result of the Montana Gold Rush.  Within weeks of finding gold in Alder Creek, Virginia City was a boomtown of thousands of prospectors and fortune seekers. In late1863, the great wealth in the region, lack of a justice system, and the insecure means of travel gave rise to serious criminal activity, especially robbery and murder. "Road agents", as they became known, were ultimately responsible for up to 100 deaths in the region in 1863 and 1864. This resulted in the formation of the Vigilance Committee of Alder Gulch and the infamous Montana Vigilantes. An ugly period of vigilante justice. As gold disappeared, miners moved away, and Virginia City's population dwindled.  By 1940 Virginia City was just a decaying, abandoned corpse of a town. That is, until Charles and Sue Bovey fell in love with Virginia City and began buying the town, putting much needed maintenance into failing structures. The ghost town of Virginia City began to be restored for tourism in the 1950s. The Boveys operated the town as an open-air museum, complete with artifacts and living history enactments. Of the nearly 300 structures in town, almost half were built before 1900. The town received National Historic Landmark status in 1962, and many of its buildings have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Boom to bust to boom. In town we walked the old west streets, many of which are as they were some 150 years ago.

We:

• Visited a very old building that housed Cousins Candy Shop.

• Took a light rail train from a restored depot in Virginia City to Nevada City.  Nevada City is much like Virginia City and displayed many of the antique gold mining equipment as well as 14 of the original gold rush era buildings.

 Alder Gulch Shortline Light Railroad Train to Nevada City

• Attended a contemporary comedy cabaret called The Brewery Follies. In a small basement theater, we watched a song and skit-laden show that was naughty, raunchy, risqué, and hilarious!  We did not expect to see such a quirky and fun show in an old mining town in an abandoned brewery.

• Took a ghost tour of the back streets of Virginia City, especially places where hangings occurred as a result of vigilante justice.

Judy on Ghost Walk Tour of Virginia City

Ennis, MT is as far west as we travel on this trip. It is north of Yellowstone National Park, and our next stop, 255 miles away, is in Dubois, Wyoming, which is south of Yellowstone. This is the segment of the drive that has us pulling the rig through Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, and Shoshone National Forest. We will trek up and over high mountain passes, cross the Continental Divide, and negotiate our way down old federal highways with steep descents of 9% .  I’m sure the drive will be hair raising and I’m also sure the views will be breathtaking, but you will have to stop back and read my next blog post as we tell… the Rest of the Story.

Former President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt is brought to life in Medora, ND.

There are certain stops on our trips that leave a lasting impression. Last year’s summer trip through the Midwest will always be recalled for the stop in Mackinaw City and our trip to Mackinac Island, as well as our visit to Dayton, OH and the US Air Force Museum. This past winter trip to and around the Gulf of Mexico will always be remembered for our stays in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, TN, for the music and museums. 

My dear readers, please let me welcome you to a NEW entry into the “ohh my god, I will remember this stop for the rest of my life” category.  Medora, North Dakota. Home of the Badlands and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Medora is an amazing place to visit, so I’ll do all the advertising up front and say if you have a chance to go to Medora, ND, GO! It is not an easy place to get to, but you will not be disappointed.

First of all, you have to understand that Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the nation’s 26^th US President is alive, living in Medora, and giving lectures, espousing on politics, and basically acting like the mayor of Medora (Can you blame him?). Here is a picture of TR - that’s what everybody calls him in Medora. And I mean EVERBODY!  

For all intents and purposes, in Medora, this IS Theodore Roosevelt.  And this man is everywhere! He lectured at brunch, he was featured in the Medora Musical, and he even led a group of 6 of us on a three-mile early morning hike through the Medora Badland hills called the Buttes. The word “butte” is of French origin, meaning knoll; its use is prevalent in the Western United States to describe larger landforms with distinctive shapes.  Hopefully you can visualize them…Here is a picture of me with the buttes in the background from inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Breathe, breathe.  Seems I got a little overenthusiastic, so let’s dial it back a bit and get back on point. The point being that the man playing Theodore Roosevelt, Joe Wiegand, is the world’s best Theodore Roosevelt reprisor. Part actor, part historian, part politician, the man embodies the former president. He is addressed as TR or Mr. President, and as you would expect of a good politician, he knows everybody in town and can give you the 411 on the town’s development, as well as the best coffee shop for a latte. The man is a vibrant part of Medora and facilitates an absolutely awesome experience! You really feel like you have stepped back in time and are witnessing the early 19^th century. 

The Medora RV Park is less than a mile from the center of town and our first morning in Medora finds us going to brunch in town, which is promoted as a “hearty breakfast” and a conversation with Theodore Roosevelt.  And we were stunned at the uncanny resemblance as we sit in the small audience, mouths agape, as TR tells stories of his time living and ranching in the Badlands. We quickly learned all about his first visit to Medora on a bison hunt, his life in NY politics, and the death of his first wife and mother on the same day, just after the birth of his first daughter Alice Lee. Theodore Roosevelt was so devastated by those losses that he decided to travel to Medora to rejuvenate his soul in the vigorous life and beautiful landscapes. We also heard about his ranching days, his fight with the Mingusville Bully, his capture of the notorious “Boat Thieves”, and eventually his rise to the presidency. When the event had concluded, TR stepped outside and gladly spoke to the throng of people that had gathered around to have another word or two with the former president.  Judy and I were both thoroughly impressed with the show but needed to move along to other sightseeing opportunities.  Little did we realize just how involved TR is in the story of Medora. 

Medora is also known for its show, the Medora Musical, which has been an attraction since 1965.  Judy and I go “ALL IN” on the experience by getting tickets for the “Pitchfork Fondue Dinner” prior to the musical, way up on a butte with a beautiful overlooking view of the southern side of Medora. The Pitchfork Fondue Dinner is exactly as billed.  NY strip steak skewered with a 2-prong pitchfork, dunked in kettles of boiling oil, served buffet style in an open aired dining facility. The food was OK, but the view from the top of the butte was extraordinary.  The Medora Musical is a wonderful, toe tapping extravaganza, with iconic music, great dancing, and an elaborate set design which moves on rails to open up the stage.  It is presented at The Burning Hills Amphitheater, which was carved into the hillside known as Burning Gulch. Not a bad seat in the theater. Teddy Roosevelt has been part of the show since its inception and more than 4 million folks have seen the Medora Musica, some go back year after year.

The first half of the show begins before sunset, but the second half occurs with darkness overshadowing the hills behind the stage. One of the more moving segments of the performance has the stage set opening so that there is a full view of the Medora sign and hill.  Actors portraying the Calvary ride up the butte behind the stage and raise an American flag whilst, on stage, Theodore Roosevelt is telling of the history of his time as a rough rider and honoring all those who perished in defense of the stars and stripes. A well-orchestrated scene. 

We ventured into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park on more than one occasion. The park is quite amazing, and we all should be grateful that the area was designated a National Park in 1919.  We were warned that the male Bison are in Rut and can be more aggressive. Basically, we were told not to get out of the truck to “pet the fluffy cows”! Not wanting to become the next tragic YouTube video, we obeyed. One afternoon we were lucky enough to see one, and Judy was able to catch the amazing video footage (below) of a very large male Bison slowly walk by the truck.

Trying to keep this blog post short was going to be an uphill battle. We were very active in Medora and we not only got to experience all that the town has to offer, but we also made a foray to the nearby town of Dickinson, ND. In Dickinson we spent the afternoon in the Badlands Dinosaur Museum.  Not surprisingly, many of the fossils in the museum were discovered within 80 miles of Dickinson. There are still active paleontology excavations currently going on in the state, and we were able to watch a graduate student at work removing millions of years of rock and debris from a fossilized dinosaur.  Pretty neat!

 

Of all the experiences and interactions that we had in Medora with TR (yes, I know, here we are again), what stands out most for me is our 3-mile hike, called the Point to Point, with the former president. Yes, you read that correctly, TR actually gives guided tours in the form of a pretty rigorous hike, at 7:30 am, for anyone willing to take the climb. So, bright and early on a Tuesday morning, Judy and I assembled at the appointed meeting spot, along with 5 others, awaiting the arrival of our guide, TR.  We started our hike by climbing 150 vertical feet on trails, which went back and forth across the face of the buttes. At one amazing moment, TR climbed out onto a protruding rock, looked directly down on the town of Medora, and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Good Morning Medora!” 

    To which the people on the streets below yelled back up, “Good Morning, Mr. President!”

I was absolutely flabbergasted. Talk about a WOW factor. Thankfully, Judy was taking pictures. I was so gob smacked that I’ll probably be telling this story for years to come.  On the road there are lots of stories to tell, and this will be one of my favorites.  But there’s always another adventure waiting around the next curve in the road, as we tell… the Rest of the Story.