"Life is a great adventure…accept it in such a spirit." - Theodore Roosevelt

We were off on an adventure for sure! We left Grand Forks on a cloudy, drizzly day heading west on a five and half hour drive to Medora. Ashley and I had company on this trip, Kyle (my husband) joined us for his second park. Also along, Ashley's high school friend and teammate, Melissa.

If you ever want to join us on a trip, we would love to have you!

The future 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt retreated to the Badlands after his wife died in childbirth then his mother passed away both within hours of each other. He obviously had a very emotional connection to it. Mr. Roosevelt purchased and ran two cattle ranches near Medora for a short time. We were off to find out why he declared, "I have always said I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota."

There are two parts to Theodore National Park, the North Unit and the South Unit. They are far enough apart that it is hard to visit both in the same day. We chose to go the South Unit. Our first stop was at the eastern point of the National Park, The Painted Canyon. Here we received a real shock!