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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“When Is The Last Time You Wallowed?” |
We left Medora traveling north on Rt 85 for the North Unit south of Watford City. There is a little visitor’s center in Belfield right before we got on Rt 85. The woman in there wasn’t much help but recommended a place for a great ostrich burger. We couldn’t resist and even though it was 10:30 and our bellies were full of chokeberry syrup and pancakes, we stopped along Rt 85 in Fairfield and ordered two ostrich burgers to go from the 4 Corner’s Restaurant. The diner atmosphere was filled with church goers and lived up the North Dakota hospitality. We have noticed over and over in every establishment that we go to that everyone just visits. Going out to eat is about community, reaching out, seeing neighbors, and family. The burgers were very lean and a despite the saltier than typically expected in a burger, they were great. Joe described them as a steak on a bun, not like ground beef but some real texture. With full bellies we entered the North Unit of the TR Park. The North Unit is much less visited and has less wildlife. The park does not loop around like the South does so once you get to the end, you have to turn around and come back the way you came. The trails were hard to find and follow. We found one trail that we planned to stroll called Sperati Point. It is listed on the trail guide as a short hike (less than 1 mile), When we arrived to the place on the map the trail was supposed to be on we found that in order to link up to Sperati Point we needed to travel down the Achenbach Loop. This is classified as a Day Hike and is described as “18 miles with river crossings. A nice overnight backpack trio through the ND Wilderness.” We scaled down a rock into a valley filled with tracks and droppings of the prong horned antelope. Joe found a petrified leg bone of an animal after veering off the trail a few yards. The trail was rugged and shouldn’t be traveled without a good pair of treaded boots. Hiking back up the rocks proved much more difficult but was worth it in exchange for traveling down into the nooks and crannies of the rocks where we were literally surrounded by nothing but the caverns and corners of the valley below. By just veering off the trail a little, we were out of view from the sightseers far above us, watching from the look-out point. I nervously followed the wanderer over tracks and droppings. I expected for something larger than I would be comfortable with to jump around the corner at us at any moment, but to my relief and Joe’s disappointment, the journey only left signs of life for us to find. We went trekking back up the top of the rocky formation. We climbed 20, then 50 steps at a time. We would take a series of step and then rest. Regaining breath and loosing the rubber band feeling in my legs was the goal with every few climbs straight up the mountain. Like everything else we have done on the trip, the success of finishing the task at hand was the most rewarding part of the journey. We returned to the comfort of the Neon and made our way back to the starting point of the North Unit. Along the way, we stopped for additional views of the mountain sides and continued our scope for a close up view of the big horn sheep or the long horn steer that reside in the park. Aside from a binoculars view of a big horn from far away, we left the park seeing neither. We did however catch another bison bull, this one also alone. He was grazing in the safflower fields and gave Joe some really great shots with the camera as he wallowed in the dirt during the hot afternoon.
The North Unit can be seen easily in ½ - 1 full day. If traveling the trails, maybe a full day to a day and a half. Plan, at least, for two full days in the south unit though. Early mornings and late afternoons are best for scoping out the wildlife
From the North Unit we headed North West to Watford City. Watford City is home to the area’s visitor’s center and ND largest Petrified Tree. The visitor’s center was actually built around the tree stump that is still in tact in the ground from the inside of the center. While the center is new, clean, and cool, we didn’t find too much of interest there. We drove through the town of Watford City and while we saw a few new bars and spots, the town was not one we bothered to park the car for. After driving through the two stop lights the town has, we headed westward toward Arnegard, home of the Old School Bed and Breakfast where we were to stay that evening.
previous travel blog entry
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