15 May 2018
Since yesterday, the animal count is as follows:
1. Coyote
2. American Bison
3. Prairie Dogs
4. Ring-necked Pheasant
5. White Tailed Ptarmigan
6. White Tailed Jackrabbit
7. Pronghorn
8. Canada goose
9. Wild Mustang.
I got a great night of sleep last night even though the temperature dropped into the low 40’s. The down sleeping bag worked fine. I waked to the sounds of woodpeckers and Canada geese. Those geese are a noisy lot but it was fun hearing them call back and forth to each other on the river.
Hot tea and a peanut butter sandwich was my breakfast and I was on the scenic drive by 7:15 am. I pulled in to the first pullout near Peaceful Valley Ranch and saw a pronghorn grazing amid the prairie dog town.
The next stop was Wind Canyon. The wind wasn’t blowing but the view was very nice. There is a 0.5 mile round trip trail.
That’s where I ran into several white tailed jackrabbits. They certainly were not afraid of humans.
As I pulled away and continued along the scenic route, a saw another pronghorn, a white tailed ptarmagin, and then a ring-necked pheasant. I haven’t seen those in years – since my Bureau of Land Management days in the 70’s.
Back then, I had a BLM truck and had to travel the back roads. It was a pain, not because of the washboard roads, but because of the pheasants. You had to stop every few minutes to let them cross the road. I swear this is the truth. The day that hunting season opened for pheasant, I never saw another. I think they had the date marked on their calendars.
Next stop was Boicourt trail. Boicourt trail is a short trail of about 0.4 miles roundtrip but like many trails out here, you can extend the walk. It ended up being 0.75 miles when I got back to the jeep.
My next stop was perhaps my most interesting: Coal Vein trail. Apparently, a seam of coal caught fire in 1951 and it continuously burned until 1977. The fire is out now but you can see coal seams in the formations.
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It was here that I ran into the Montana Conservation Corps (part of Americorp) getting ready to do trail work. They have reciprocity with North Dakota and were helping out. There were six people, 2 young women and 3 young men (college age) and one male supervisor. I walked the trail backwards and saw some of their earlier efforts. They are doing an excellent job restoring the trail. I stopped and talked with them (they were spread out along the trail) and complimented them on their work. I think they really appreciated it.
The trail, as I hiked it was 0.8 miles round trip.
Next stop was the old east entrance which is no longer used. However, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the entrance station in the 30’s and it still stands as an example of the quality of the workmanship back then.
This hike was 0.8 miles round trip and you had a lot of company along the way since you passed through another prairie dog town.
Ridgeline Nature Trail was the next stop. Its a steep climb to the ridge and is a 0.6 mile round trip. However, the vista is outstanding.
It was here I found an eastern pasque flower (also called prairie crocus) Anemone patens L. In bloom. That’s unusual for this time of year. It’s usually the first flower on the prairie to bloom.
Over the years, I’ve learned if you are hiking and something is about to bloom, if you wait, walk on, you’ll eventually find one in bloom. Mother Nature does not put all her eggs in one basket. There are early bloomers, middle bloomers and later bloomers, all of the same species. Sometimes it is based on how much sun it gets during the day.
From Ridgeline, I headed back through Medora and stopped at the Painted Canyon visitor center back east on I-94. To be honest, it wasn’t very painted. I’ve seen as much color within the main south unit.
On my return to Medora, I stopped in at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. They honor Indian tribes in the area, ranchers, and rodeo stars (men and women). It’s a small museum but well done. I recommend it if you are in town.
My last stop was Skyline vista. It is a 0.3 mile round trip with a view of the town of Medora, I-94, the coal trains, and, of course, part of the park.
I have to confess, before I left Medora, I bought an ice cream, a sub, and a pack of water. The water in the park is absolutely awful. I forgot how much alkali is in the water in Montana, North and South Dakota.
Dinner tonight is left over pizza from last night in Medora.
Today I did 3.8 miles and quit because my ankle started throbbing. Tomorrow, I plan to drive up US85 and see the north unit of the park.
