May 16, 2012- Teedie Roosevelt National Park
When Theodore Roosevelt was a youngster, he was nicknamed "Teedie"by his family. He was not particularly fond of this name...however, I have embraced it and use it repeatedly throughout the Blog! Roosevelt preferred to be called TR or the Colonel; however, his most coveted title if asked would have been: Major General in the US Army in active duty!
An avid hunter and conservationist, when Teedie served the country as our 26th president, he was credited for helping establish the US Forest Service, 51 Federal Bird Reservations, 4 National Game Preserves, 150 National Forests, 5 National Parks, and pushed through the 1906 American Antiquites Act which he used to establish 18 National Monuments - many of which have since become National Parks. During his presidency, Teedie was responsible for protecting approximately 230,000,000 acres of public land! For this...Terry and I are truly grateful and we found Teedie Roosevelt National Park to be one of our favorites!
Teedie's Maltese Cross Cabin
Teedie first came to the "bad lands" of North Dakota in 1883 to hunt bison; however, finding bison proved to be difficult as most of the bison herds had been mercilessly slaughtered prior to his arrival. During his visit, Roosevelt expressed an interest in cattle ranching and soon thereafter made an investment in a herd of cattle. He hired Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield to tend to the herd and during the winter, he and his two sidekicks built the Maltese Cross Cabin.
After finally bagging a bull bison, Teedie left North Dakota and returned home to his wife in Sagamore Hill. On Feb 12, 1884 his wife Alice gave birth to a baby girl. Two days later, both Alice and Teedie's mother died only hours apart. Grief stricken, Teedie returned to North Dakota and immersed himself in the "strenuous life". He added to his cattle ranch and with the help of two of his trusted friends, Bill Sewell and Wilmot Dow, Teedie developed the Elkhorn Ranch north of the Maltese Cross Cabin.
Binkele's Campsite #20
Although we had no interest in becoming cattle ranchers, we thoroughly enjoyed our three night stay at the Cottonwood Campground (site #20). The Campground sits adjacent to the Little Missouri River in a thick cottonwood tree grove. Many fine campsites here!
I Talk to the Trees
A Rocky Mountain Juniper enhances the Coal Vein Trail, an easy .8-mile loop trail. In 1951, a vein of exposed coal caught fire and burned for 26 years! This phenomenon has been occurring for the past 9000 years. The heat from these coal fires bake the local rocks and create"scoria" - brick red rock formations.
Scoria Rock Formations
The red color of the rock is the result of the baking process of the burning coal. These rock formations create a protective cap as they resist erosion better than the softer claystone and siltstone layers.
Roosevelt's "Bad Lands" of North Dakota
North Unit Cannonballs
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is comprised of three independent "Units". We were camped in the South Unit. On Thursday, we ventured the 50-plus miles up Hwy 85 to the North Unit. We picnic'd at Juniper Campground, shot Bison with our Canon and inspected the Cannonball Concretions that lie along the road. The third Unit is Elkhorn Ranch, an undeveloped section of the Park that is accessible by hiking or off road vehicle.
Layers of Color
Badlands Boobs
Golden Grasslands
Little Mo River
Contorted Rockscape
Terry braving Bison...again!
Close Encounters
There are approximately 300 Bison roaming the grasslands within the Park's South Unit. Because they are protected, they fear not human visitors. Frequently, they graze on the grasses immediately adjacent to the roadways. We have gotten so close to the bison that if we were to roll down the window of our car, we could literally pet them! Of course, petting them is discouraged as an agitated Bison can do much damage to one's auto!
Campground Visitor
The evening of May 17th, a gentle rain began to fall on our Campsite. Terry and I retired to our Hob early and played cards. After she whipped my butt several times at Trump, I crawled into my sleeping bag for a good nights sleep. Soon thereafter, outside the tent we heard rustling of the bushes and the snorting of a wild herd of Bison who were moseying thru the campground! In the morning, we discovered the meaning of "cow pie" as the grounds were littered with Bison Poo!
Damn good Dusting!
One of the most entertaining events regarding bison watching is to observe them rolling in the dirt! In the spring, these beasts are trying to shed their winter coats. They can be seen rubbing up against trees and fence posts. But the most exciting means of shedding their overcoats is to watch them wallow in the dust. During the rut, he who produces the biggest dust cloud wins the cutest cow!
Grazing in the Grass
These 2000 lb monsters are capable of running at speeds up to 35 mph and have been known to jump fences 6 feet tall! In addition, they are good swimmers and can easily cross a river a half mile wide. Their diet - the grasses of the badlands are the bison's primary food source.
Mom and Calf
In the distance, Terry spies a Momma Bison and her Calf. To get a closer shot, I attach my 100-400mm Telephoto lens to the camera and hike up a nearby hill. As I am snapping off a few shots, I hear Terry approaching me. Simultaneous to her arrival, I hear a rather ominous rattling sound. I look down and much to my surprise a Prairie Rattlesnake is coiled up about 3 feet in front of us! I jump backward, knocking into Terry who asks "what's up?" Before I could point out the snake, it had slithered down a nearby hole! That got our hearts a pumpin'!
Correction...Mom and Calves!
Two Headed Horse
The Bison were definitely our favorite animal here at Teedie. Next on the list were the wild horses that roamed freely about the Park. On our first Loop Drive, we were fortunate to get a good look at the Park's famous Two headed Horse!
Wild Horses
For many years, the National Park Service attempted to rid the area of the feral horses that ran wild throughout the South Unit of the Park. In 1970, the Park Service reversed its policy opting to retain a herd of between 70 and 110 horses. Since then, visitors have been able to experience a badlands scene as it would have appeared back in the day when Teddy Roosevelt called this area home.
Mom and Colt
Mom Dusting
Blending In
Hooting at his Harem
Wild horses typically run in small bands of between 5 and 15 animals consisting of a dominant stallion, (pictured above), his harem of mares and their offspring. We caught this fellow hooting at two of his harem.
Shy Guy
Prairie Dawgs
The Prairie Dog Towns here at Teedie were very similar to those we found at Wind Cave. These Towns consist of large tracts of underground burrows housing thousands of these Black-Tailed Dawgs! They were everywhere scurrying about...barking at us and suicidally dashing across the roadway within inches of our tire tread!
Sounding the Alarm!
We caught this one hollering loudly....
Prairie Rattlesnake on the Prowl
...and for good reason! Jake the Snake was luring in the grasses!
Morning Elk
Like many of the native animals of this region, Elk were virtually hunted out of this area by the late 1800's. On Tosha's 12th birthday (March 13, 1985) The Park Service reintroduced 47 Elk back into Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Since then, the herd has grown in population largely due to a very favorable habitat where hunting is prohibited and natural predators are rare.
Mule Deer
The least interesting of the animals we encountered here at Teedie were the plentiful Mule Deer. These mammals can be found bounding around many of the Parks we've visited and are easily recognized by their mule-like ears and white patch on their butts! They do not run like other deer. Instead, they have a distinctive leap capable of covering a distance of 8 yards in a single bound!
Mammoth Moth!
Terry found this huge Moth hovering around the Women's Restroom! It's wingspan measured a good 6 inches tip to tip.
Camp 20 Alarm Clock
This fearless feathered friend kept our campsite clean as he picked up every crumb that found its way to the grass and woke us at the crack of dawn each morning.
Teddy's Shirt with Bullet Hole
When Roosevelt was stumping in Wisconsin for a third term as President, a crazy man shot him in the chest from close range just before he was about to present his speech. The picture above shows the hole in Teddy's shirt made by the bullet. Teddy was an avid hunter and knew that since he wasn't coughing up blood, the bullet had not penetrated his lungs. Rather than immediately rush to the hospital as his aides insisted, Teddy went on to deliver his message. He started his presentation by addressing his audience as such: "Ladies and Gentlemen...I don't know that you know that I've just been shot in the chest. But it takes more than that to put down a bull moose...so here we go!"
And he went on to deliver his speech in full!
After bidding Teedie adieu, we packed up our tent and headed west for Kalispell, MT.
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