Being the escape artists that we are, we left Teddy Roosevelt National Park before Reveille. If there’s one thing that sends us over the edge, it’s a big rig neighbor flying a KC Chiefs flag, running their generator while they sit outside shouting over the engine noise on FaceTime about feeding the “do not feed the” prairie dogs. We sent an e-mail to the park superintendent suggesting they re-evaluate the generator hours policy. 8am-8pm is way too liberal. Teddy would not approve. And, don’t get us started on the Chief’s flag! Go Birds!
To get to the Arctic from Florida, we chose a north to west passage with a two day stop in Cottonwood Campground to drive the scenic loop, go on a bison hunt and see two legendary summer showcases – Medora Musical and The Teddy Roosevelt Show. In the spirit of facing fears, Sheri took the wheel out of Ellis AFB for the four hour drive. She never once drove Betty or towed Roxie in their 70,000 miles of adventure and while she did her fair share when tenting, she’d never pulled the T@G for more than enough miles for Eric to close his eyes or refine a route. The back roads of the Heartland changed that. Five hours later we were switching seats for Eric to park the T@G. One fear at a time, thank you.
Medora Musical is a summer tradition. Wholesome family entertainment with a medley of songs from all genres and generations performed on an Old West stage overlooking sunset in the Badlands. The 2026 theme is America 250; an evening of variety acts, live horses on stage and a fireworks finale that celebrates the history of Medora, Teddy R., and the American West. On top of all that, we signed up for the Pitchfork Steak Fondue dinner where chefs load up pitchforks with 12 oz steaks and fondue them by dunking them in barrels of oil. Gross or good? We were ready to decide. Mother Nature was not.
The burger at Boots Bar and Grill is solidly average but the fries are crispy coated with a portion so large you cannot eat them all. We know this because severe storm warnings turned to dark skies and Pitchfork said No Fon-do for you. As lightening cut across the sky, golf ball hail pelted the truck like incoming artillery. Super bummed, we retreated to the T@G where we watched Moneyball off a portable hard drive with hundreds of pirated movies courtesy of the Barn. It was an America 250 washout. Foreshadowing?
Making turkey sandwiches on the tailgate, we packed lunch to find a shady picnic spot on the Coal Vein Trail. Outgoing hikers were warning of a bison sighting at marker 6 so we took the loop backwards hoping he’d move on. Instead he stood in freeze pose, whisking his tail, blocking the trail, warning two loggers to stay away. So of course we took lots of pictures and debated with fellow hikers on who would dare to pass. Sitting on the only shade patch, Eric’s phone rang. It was the park ranger telling us we needed to check out as the next camper was wanting to move in. Say what?
We’re not exactly sure how we got our dates mixed up, but with 1 bar of LTE on a trail in the valley blocked by a bison, Eric took down the last spot on recreation dot gov. We thought we were so lucky until we met our Chief’s fan neighbor. Technically, campers can run their generator from 8 til 8. Technically, it is possible to power 2 bedroom rolling condo in a pristine wilderness given a large enough generator. Technically, we hope a new AI data center gets built in their backyard back in Kansas City.
At least we had a site in the now full campground so that we could head in to Medora that evening to eat a giant slab of roast beef and listen to Teddy Roosevelt opine on his remarkable life in a one man living history performance at the Medora Showhall. Our 26th President, founder of the National Park Service, proponent of the Square Deal and leader of the Progressive Era, TR was a politician that could work across the aisle to accomplish big projects that foreshadowed America as a world super power and preserved Americas natural beauty and sense of optimism. When the Republican party forced Taft on the people instead of their beloved TR through convention trickery, TR found his own Bull Moose Party and ran on his own. Shady power plays behind closed doors and the will of the people being ignored. Who can imagine such things today? A+ from the History Prof.
With wind and rain in the forecast, shelter, shower and supplies were high on the wish list. We crossed the endless expanse of the Dakotas and were welcomed in Montana at Malstrom Air Force Base where the Missiliers of the 341st Missile Wing are selflessly living in silos doing a job that no-one wants to think about. We can report that their Fam Camp is fabulous, as is their Commissary, Exchange, their clearance on PrAna wear, Barber Shop, Laundry, Gas Station, and Bath House. Whew! We feel a whole lot better now.
A ten year old on vacation with his family from the Toy Hauler family adjacent sheepishly came over to our site. We had set up the propane stove heating a pot of chili next to our lounge chairs in the lea of the T@G for relief from the 30 mph winds. Very politely, he said, “Can I ask you a question?” “Go for it,” we responded. “How do you live in that?” he queried. Hmmm. Kids have the best questions.
