Page 32 - aruba-today-20190910

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 10 sepTember 2019
Badlands and history in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

By BETH J. HARPAZ been a state assemblyman
Associated Press in his native New York, but
MEDORA, N.D. (AP) — For after his mother and wife
travelers looking to visit all both died on Feb. 14, 1884,
50 states, North Dakota is he left politics and returned
often one of the last to be to the badlands to mourn
checked off. It’s not exact- his losses. He lived in a small
ly on the way to anywhere ponderosa pine cabin now
else, and flying there is ex- located just steps from the
pensive. visitor center. It’s furnished
It ended up being 49th on with period pieces and
my 50-state quest (sorry, some of his belongings, in-
Idaho!). Part of the chal- cluding his traveling trunk,
lenge was deciding what a replica of his writing desk
to do there and how to and a rocking chair.
get there. I had to choose Roosevelt lived the cow-
between visiting Fargo in boy life, spending days
eastern North Dakota (and riding and herding in what
the name of one of my fa- was considered America’s
vorite movies) or Theodore last frontier. His experienc-
Roosevelt National Park in es there were formative:
the west. It’s 330 miles (530 He lost more than $24,000
kilometers) between them, when blizzards decimated
and I didn’t have time for the cattle he’d invested in.
both on a week-long road He witnessed the environ-
trip that also included Mon- This Sept. 3, 2019 photo shows a cabin that Theodore Roosevelt lived in, open to visitors at Theodore mental damage done by
tana’s Glacier National Roosevelt National Park in Medora, N.D. overgrazing. And he real-
Park and Idaho’s Craters of Associated Press ized that the bison, who
the Moon. 600 miles (965 kilometers) places like Montana’s Gla- ated slopes in tawny yel- once roamed the plains in
In the end, Roosevelt Park north through Wyoming cier Park. lows and russet reds, dot- the millions, had dwindled
won out. Photos of its bad- and South Dakota to the THE LOOP AND WILDLIFE ted with bright green trees to the hundreds.
lands and prairies enchant- tiny North Dakota town of Teddy Roosevelt Park is and patches of grass. They Roosevelt wrote three
ed me, and the story of Medora (population 132), open 24 hours daily. We looked like the crusty paws books inspired by his West-
Teddy Roosevelt’s sojourn at the entrance to the arrived at 7:30 a.m. one of some massive alien ern sojourn. He eventually
there following the deaths park’s South Unit. day at the tail end of last creature on the verge of returned to politics, serv-
of his wife and mother on Fortunately, those 600 miles summer. Map in hand, we rising up. ing as New York governor
the same day intrigued were easily done in a day, drove the 36-mile (58-kilo- We did most of the hikes and from 1901-1909, as U.S.
me. What was it about this thanks to speed limits of 75 meter) scenic loop around along the loop drive, some president. His accomplish-
place that allowed this fu- and 80 mph (120-128 kph) the park’s South Unit, stop- just a few minutes’ walk to ments included the conser-
ture president to grieve in many spots, and little traf- ping at many of the nearly an overlook, others 20 to vation of 230 million acres
and recover — while at the fic outside Colorado. Still, it 20 points of interest along 40 minutes along hilly trails of land, a legacy that led
same time inspiring him to felt like we were heading the way. covering a mile or more. At to the creation of the Na-
become one of America’s to a pretty remote place, Within minutes, we came every stop, we were awed tional Park Service in 1916.
most influential conserva- and I wondered if the park upon a prairie dog town. by the scenery, from the as- For me, Roosevelt Park
tionists? I needed to see it would hold its own against Dozens of the tiny creatures tonishing palette of earthy ranks among the most in-
for myself. national parks I’d visited scampered back and forth, hues to the stone shapes teresting and beautiful I’ve
GETTING THERE in Alaska, Hawaii and the popping in and out of little etching land and sky. seen. I wish I hadn’t waited
My husband and I flew to Southwest, not to mention holes amid scrubby grass- ROOSEVELT’S STORY so long to visit, and I hope
Denver — by air from New Yellowstone and Yosemite. es. We’d see three more An exhibit at the visitor cen- someday to go back and
York, the cheapest jump- About 700,000 people visit prairie dog towns before ter tells Roosevelt’s story. On absorb more of the place
ing-off point — and rented Roosevelt Park yearly, com- we completed the loop, his first visit in 1883, he hunt- that Roosevelt called “a
a car (unlimited mileage, pared to the more than along with wild horses graz- ed bison and invested in a land of vast silent spaces —
of course). We then drove 3 million annual visitors at ing on a hill by the roadside ranch near Medora. He’d a place of grim beauty.”q
and in another spot, a herd
of bison. The wildlife en-
counters were thrilling and
unexpected surprises.
THE LANDSCAPE
The landscape was thrilling
too. The scent of sage per-
fumed the air, and bursts
of red foliage punctuated
the gray-green grasslands.
Stripes of peach, cream
and mud-brown earth and
stone lined the curving
banks of the Little Missouri
River.
Framing it all were the fa-
mous badlands stretching
This Sept. 3, 2019 photo shows a “Do not feed the prairie dogs” to the horizon: flat-topped This Sept. 3, 2019 photo shows bison grazing at Theodore
sign at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, N.D. stone formations with stri- Roosevelt National Park in Medora, N.D.
Associated Press Associated Press