Day 9

Day 9: 5/26/15 (Deer River, MN to Medora, ND)

592 miles

This morning was the last time we’d be waking up in Minnesota – we already miss hanging by the lake.  We got up a little bit earlier so we would have time to pack up all our things into the car.  Janet packed us some cookies, apple crisp, and homemade pasta sauce to take on the road with us (so thankful!).  After a light breakfast and a few farewells, we snapped a group picture and were on our way.  A road close by was closed so we circled around and pretty much ended up back at Jillian’s Aunt’s house before we headed in the right direction.  Our first stop was the Itasca State Park which is home to the Mississippi headwaters (the start of the Mississippi River).  On the way we were pretty sure that we were close to the giant statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox so we ventured a little north to seek it out.  As with the “waterfall” in Ohio, our detour was a disappointment.  Not only were the statues way smaller than we thought they would be, there was construction all around it so we couldn’t even walk up to them.  We got back on route to the park which wasn’t too far away from where we were.  Once we got there, we made the short walk to the waterfront only to see it cluttered with busloads of kids.  Apparently Itasca State Park is a popular field trip because we noticed at least three different groups there.  They were running crazily back and forth across the river – falling in every few steps.  It made it a bit difficult to take good pictures since the background was always filled with children, but we managed to get a couple.  We were happy to visit the park, but we definitely didn’t stay long because it was hard to enjoy.

Our next stop was about 450 miles away in Medora, ND.  The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to the North Dakota Badlands.  The park was recommended by Jillian’s Uncle arguing that ND was a better experience because there is much less people.  Along the way we saw a whole lotta nothing.  Nothing but cows.  Then all of sudden you hit Bismarck and there is civilization, but that doesn’t last for long.  And then finally you come across the park and the landscape changes entirely.  It goes from flat grassland to clay peaks and valleys.  We didn’t arrive until the evening, but Marty indicated that the wildlife are usually around at dawn and at dusk so we figured we’d still have a good shot of seeing some animals.  After quickly setting up our tent, we headed out to make a loop around the badlands.  Right away we saw some buffalo – one actually walked right in front of our car and Jillian was only slightly freaking out.  We also got to see some areas with prairie dogs which was awesome.  There were tons and tons of dirt mounds on both sides of the road which are the homes to these little fellas.  Whenever a car drove by or if we would move, they would stand up and peep to each other as if to send a warning.  We stopped at a few overlooks to get some good views, but soon the sun set and we stayed in the car for the rest of the loop.  We saw a wild horse on the side of the road, and then all of a sudden we were surrounded by 6 buffalo.  Fortunately, most of them were on the other side of the guardrail, but they were really really close.  We finally made it back to our campsite to head to bed.  First we snacked on some crackers with peanut butter though because in the midst of our travels we never really ate dinner, oops! 

Day 9 Video

Fact:

The Mississippi River flows for 2552 miles from Northern Minnesota to the gulf of Mexico

Lesson:

If you go on a cross-country road trip, bring some good old bug and tar cleaner because the front of your car becomes unrecognizable (she's still looking pretty and new from afar though)

Oh and Happy 37th Anniversary Aunt Janet and Uncle Marty! 

Eat Well; Travel Often

Rico & Jillian