Medora

We got to Medora, North Dakota yesterday afternoon.  We weren't sure what to expect of the campground and the town.  The reviews of the campground and restaurants in town made the place seem like a tourist trap, and with nothing else around the area, we set our expectations on the low side for everything but the national park.  We loved Badlands National Park in South Dakota and were looking forward to checking out the badlands of North Dakota, protected in the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.  Since most people haven't visited North Dakota or Medora, here's a map to help you figure out where it is.  You can zoom out on the map buy clicking the minus sign in the right corner.



Before Teddy Roosevelt became president, he lost his first wife (after giving birth to Teddy's first child)  and his mother (typhoid) on the same day.  It wrecked him, as one would imagine it might.  He set off for the badlands of North Dakota to mourn, and his way of mourning was to work incredibly hard to take his mind off his misery.  He took to ranching and hunting in the area we're in now.  He wrote of his times in the North Dakota badlands, and he said:  "I grow very fond of this place, and it certainly has a desolate, grim beauty of its own, that has a curious fascination for me."

This area was frequented by many Indian tribes, and then there was a white settlement here that eventually was abandoned.  A Frenchman brought his new bride, whose first name was Medora, to settle here and named the town after her.  He built a meat packing plant and other businesses in town.  According to recent census records, the population of Medora is 116 people.  It is in the only incorporated area in Billings County, North Dakota.  To say we're in the middle of nowhere is not exaggeration.

Without the national park to bring people to the area, Medora might not exist.  The town works hard for its tourism money.  There are a couple small motels, a few campgrounds, about nine restaurants, a few ice cream shops, a candy story and a few gift shops.  Most of the buildings in town are dark brown wood, giving the place a very rugged western appearance.  To give tourists something to do when they're not exploring the park (because there is nothing else in the vicinity), there is a Nightly Cowboy Steak Fondue dinner and Medora Musical show in an outdoor theater.  

The nice hotel in town is the Rough Riders Hotel.  We had dinner in the dining room last night and it was delicious.  I'm not sure how new the hotel is.  It also has a wood exterior but the inside is completely modern.  The bar is really comfortable and the dining room is comparable to a good restaurant back east.  Our waiter was from Argentina, and another server was from South Africa.  The food was delicious, and it was tough not to go back there for dinner tonight as well.

Perhaps it's because the Medora Musical begins at 7:30 p.m. every night or because the residents like to get to bed early, but pretty much everything in town closes by 7:00 p.m. every night.  The town goes dark.  Seems odd in the summer season when people might want to walk around and purchase something.

Elkhorn Cafe

Tonight, we had dinner at the Elkhorn Cafe.  It was challenging to find a place after our fabulous dinner at the Rough Rider Hotel last night, but it was fine enough.  We got sandwiches and salads - nothing fancy, and enjoyed the homey diner feel of the place.  After dinner, we went next door to the taffy store owned by the people who own the restaurant.  They make the taffy on site, and we watched them make a batch of huckleberry while we waited to order a pound to go.  I tried a piece of the strawberry and it's pretty good.  On the porch outside, Ruth found a bull she wanted to ride like the horse your child can ride in a shopping mall or outside a strip mall.  I had to chuckle when I read the sign on the window behind it:  "Do Not Stand on Bull."  I wouldn't have thought about that as an option, but apparently, other people had.

We walked around town for a few minutes, but it was 7:05 p.m., and stores were closed.  There went our opportunity to invest in the local economy.  

If we didn't have the kids with us, I would have suggested to Jeff that we go to the Rough Riders Hotel and have a cocktail at the bar.  That would have been a nice ending to the evening.  Instead, Jeff and Ruth went to the motorhome to watch a movie, and Henry and I drove back into the national park so Henry would watch the prairie dogs and I would watch the sunset.  I can't speak for the movie watchers, but watching the sunset in the badlands was a great way to end the day, and our stay in Medora.