We have been in North Dakota for 3 days now. We spent one night in the Jamestown area, and 2 nights in the western part of the state, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). We really liked the spot we stayed at in Jamestown – very few RVs there and a lot of land around the campground set aside for dogs, which Gerry appreciated. The second campground, near TRNP is functional but not very enjoyable. Basically a large gravel lot with hook ups, we can almost touch the RVs on either side of us…but, we’re here for the great outdoors and are not spending much time at the campground anyhow.
I’m happy to report no mishaps for this leg of the trip! We have toured TRNP in the truck – found out Gerry was not allowed on any trails inside the park. But we did find a great trail outside the park called the Maah Daah Hey Trail. It’s 144 miles long, and also connects to several other trails. It’s named from the Mandan indians who are native to North Dakota and it means “a land that will be around a long time”. The symbol of the trail is the Turtle, from the Lakota Sioux indians, and stands for patience, loyalty, determination, and steadfastness. All the trail markers had a turtle on them. We hiked 6.5 miles today, it was beautiful, high 60s and windy. Gerry did great, this was his longest hike yet.
Leaving Thursday morning for Montana. We’ll spend a night on the road – probably a Walmart – then arrive in Columbia Falls, MT Friday afternoon. It’s near Glacier National Park, we’ll be there for 4 nights, looking forward to some great hiking there.
