Day 24

Last night, we were sitting around the campfire when G3 asked, “Are we getting up early tomorrow?” With a sideways glance at me Kati said, “We are on vacation with your mother. Of course we are getting up early.” I definitely have a different relationship with vacation than the average person. When traveling, I like to see and do and explore as much as possible. You can’t do any of that sleeping in. But this morning, I didn’t wake Kati and G3 until 8. And for me that was a late start.

Our plan was to head down to the Southern Unit of the park after breakfast. However, we stopped at the scenic pull out near our campground where we found a ranger hanging out as if waiting for something. Kati jumped out of the car and asked if he was going to do a talk or some other program. He said in three minutes he was going to do a guided two mile hike through the prairie. We didn’t hesitate. We put our boots and got ready to join him.

It was one of the best most informative ranger programs we have experienced. It reminded me of the programs the parks had when I was kid, where we were taught a whole lesson in a fun and interactive way. Today, the program focused on the geology and ecosystem found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We learned about the formation of the buttes and the various layers sediment — from coal to clinker rocks. We learned about bison and prairie dogs and how natural prairie fires are good for the prairie and encourage new growth. (And if you are worried about prairie dogs during fires like we were you can rest easy knowing that they are perfectly safe underground. The fires don’t burn hot enough to roast them.)

Medora is a quaint town outside the South Unit Park entrance. Some of the buildings are dressed up with facades to resemble the old Wild West. We stopped there briefly for lunch and stayed to do an Adventure Lab cache. I enjoyed the walk through town but the heat was so overwhelming oppressive towards the end that Kati opted to find a shady spot and sit for a bit. The heat is so bad that the National a park has heat advisory warnings posted everywhere.

How is it possible that a place Dad never went to, a place he never even spoke about, could remind me of him so much that periodically throughout the day I found myself crying because I missed him so much. Of all the places we have visited since Dad died, of all the conversations I wish I could have, I most want to call him today and tell him what we leaned about Roosevelt and this park. He would have been very interested. And his response to everything I said would have been, “Very nice.” Even G3 thought of his Grandfather today. He bought a lego-like building figure of Roosevelt and commented, “Grandpa liked him.”

Behind one of the visitor centers is the cabin Roosevelt first lived in when he came to the Dakota Territory. Seeing the cabin, for a boy who loves visiting Presidents’ houses, was a must. The Ranger talk at the cabin was a plus. Roosevelt first came here because he wanted to hunt a bison. Bison were nearly extinct and finding one to shoot was challenging. Eventually, he accomplished his goal but the scarcity of bison convinced him that nature needed to be protected. That one event set him on the path of conservation.

Roosevelt later came to the Dakotas after his wife and mother died — on the exact same day. He came here to grieve. Much like I found solace at the beach in Long Island and then the Great Lakes after Dad died, Roosevelt found it here. I sought healing in water. He sought it on the prairie.

Oh, and he hated to be called Teddy which I found interesting because that’s how history has remembered him — thanks to the Teddy Bear.

We did not go to Roosevelt’s Elkhorn ranch. His house is no longer standing and the road to access the property is long and not paved and therefore not good for Kati’s car.

We took the scenic drive through the park, stopping at the pull outs to pause and appreciate the landscape. G3 and I took one super short hike. At 95 degrees with absolutely no shade I did not think a long hike was wise.

G3 has embraced a new tactic to get me to buy him books at the National Parks. If he sees a science related book that interests him he holds it up, smiles, and says, “Homeschool science!” How can I say no? My kids wants to read, he has a thirst for knowledge, and so I give in. So far, he got a book on astronomy and a book on prairie dogs, each of which he devoured the same day he got it.

We left the park to eat dinner but returned around 7:30. There was no point in returning to our campsite — an hour and a half north — because G3 wanted to attend the astronomy program at 10. We pulled over next to a prairie dog town to watch the little guys. It was cooler so dozens of them were out of their burrows eating and socializing with each other. We sat down on the ground enjoying the quiet, the solitude, and the prairie dogs. We — G3 especially — are really going to miss them when we get back home.

When we arrived — two hours early because only the first 15 people were admitted to the program — for astronomy, G3 got a call from a friend of his on Messanger Kids. He was ecstatic. Thrilled that a friend thought of him. Excited that he could talk to someone other than his moms. Since he had just finished mocking me mercilessly for my need to hike I figured he wouldn’t mind if I went out without him. The heat had finally broke and I had hoped to hike two or three miles before settling into a science lesson. However, when the sun started to set I figured I should turn around. Being out alone on the prairie at night didn’t seem safe. I was about three minutes into my return journey when I heard the telltale rattle sound a split second before the snake rose up in front of me sprawled across the path. There was no way I was going to try to get around him. I didn’t even stick around long enough for a picture (sorry). I turned and raced to the road, simultaneously reaching for my phone. I called Kati asking her to pick me up. She was irritated but she came to get me.

The astronomy program was spectacular. It was a billion times better than the one in Glacier and the guys running it made up for the nasty guy who left us stranded in the parking lot. John, the guy running the program is a former science teacher and it was easy to tell that he was a good teacher. He knew how to engage an audience and he was able to explain the material in a way that we — non-science people — could understand it. G3 was the happiest, most excited I have seen him the entire time we’ve been on the road. He was dancing around, pointing out constellations, and telling us which stars were which proving that he read the book I bought him. Yes, he’s been studying — of his own free will — on vacation. Through the telescope we saw several stars. We saw details on the surface of the moon. And, most interestingly, we could clearly discern Saturn’s rings and several of Jupiter’s moons. It was definitely a good night.