Medora, ND

What a great day to be heading west! The clouds and colors were amazing!

First stop Hidden Springs Java for an iced coffee, the White Chocolate Frappe with an extra shot of espresso was perfect for a pre-park pick-me-up!

Hidden Springs Java

Theodore Roosevelt National Park - South Unit

Theodore Roosevelt National Park - South Unit

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Visitors Center - a great place to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt AND about programs and safety (including Road Conditions) in the park. Our Interpreter was awesome - he practically bounced out of his chair to share stories!

Wildlife! 

Bison by the Old East Entrance Trail

Picnic with the Prairie Dogs!

First museum - Chateau de Morse Interpretive Center - living history at its best. We love when Interpreters get into character! During the living history performance, we learned about the Marquis de Morse and how he named the town Medora for his wife, the marquise. Medora was an excellent huntress and horseback rider.

Rough Riders Hotel

Rough Riders Hotel - expensive AND worth the splurge. AC, central location, comfy bed, nice shower, Theodore Roosevelt teddy bear, and book on Medora history - what more could you want? 

Check out the room… our own Teddy!

And the shower… with the Elkhorn and Chimney Butte Ranch branding iron signs! 

Around town…

Gotta Find the Theodore Roosevelt Statue!

Cowboy Hall of Fame

If you think this museum is just about cowboys, you would be wrong! True, the second level is dedicated to the Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees – which include several cowgirls, but the main level includes North Dakota, American Indian and the importance of the horse, and Rodeo history. Many of the components are interactive and children’s admission is FREE on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Little Missouri Saloon & Dining

Found a great spot with a view for dinner - Little Missouri Saloon & Dining. Head upstairs to the second floor balcony for the view! 

Medora Musical - a must see if you like country music and want to learn more about the history of Medora - plus most shops and some restaurants close before the musical starts at 7:30 pm.

Burning Hills Amphitheatre

Dinner is pretty spendy but breakfast is reasonably priced at the Rough Rider Theodore’s Dining Room. Service was quick and the food was tasty! Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and the Farmers Bowl… yum!

Breakfast at Theodore's Dining Room

Favorite stores...

Best stores for history bluffs and book lovers? Western Edge Books, Artwork, Music

Roosevelt’s Outpost

Roosevelt's Outpost

If you are looking for outdoor gear, books, postcards, AND information about Theodore Roosevelt, then this is the store for you! 

Joe Farris General Store

Joe Farris General Store

We could have spent way more time at the general store looking at the color by sticker books, cool socks, books, t-shirts, wooly slippers, souvenirs, post cards, quotes, AND learning about the town from the knowledgeable staff, but we were getting hungry!  


Favorite place to hang out?

The Town Square Patio, sitting under the LARGE umbrellas, listening to FREE music, and grabbing a Maltese Burger and fries. Yum!

Town Square Patio

Maltese Burger

Tips:

If you need a doctor… go to Dickinson!

Musical Parking tip - book the $5 shuttle in advance, it fills up. If you are like us, terrified of waiting in line, leave a little early and watch the fireworks from the top. 

Medora Bathroom tip - go to the museums! They all have nice bathrooms! There are public restrooms in downtown Medora, but we never had to use them because we stayed downtown and went to museums and one bar/restaurant. 

The only doctor in town... is a chiropractor!

Freebies: 

Live Music at the Town Square Patio - FREE daily performances

Harold Schafer Heritage Center - FREE ADMISSION to the museum and art gallery dedicated to Harold's legacy and the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. Harold purchased and rebuilt most of Medora and made it what it is today.

Where is the children’s park with the most spectacular backdrop? Medora Children’s Park – on the corner of Broadway and 5th Street!

If you know a fourth grader – check out the Every Kid in a Park program. Fourth graders who participate earn a FREE year long National Park Pass.



More photos of Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park:

Rugby, ND

Well, it was a fun little trip to Rugby, ND, today! I felt very centered at the geographical center of North America. A word of advice - on the day of your road trip, check Google to see if your destinations are open. We wanted to stop in Anamoose for breakfast - but both options were closed on Sundays! Next time...

Rhubarb Festival!

Prairie Village Museum was excellent - besides the old houses and schools, we visited a jail, summer kitchen, bank, land office, church, undertakers' quarters, and an old doctors sled.

Just yesterday my father-in-law was teaching me about farm life; how the windmill pumped water and how he helped make sausage.

The rhubarb tasting was super yummy! Don't worry - I did NOT eat the rhubarb leaves! I learned they were poisonous from the rhubarb fact sheet. One ticket per taste. We sampled ice cream, slush, mousse, brownies, bars, crisp, cheesecake, etc. Visiting with a few lovely ladies who had grown up in Rugby and Towner was a bonus! What fun to listen to their stories!

Pics of the beautiful drive along County Roads 14, 83, 19, and 3.

Hebron, ND

Old Ten Scenic Byway

Small towns need our help! People move away and don’t come back. If you don’t want small towns to die, go visit them. Play tourist… visit their museums, general stores, cafés, dive bars, etc. Spend a few dollars to support the economy in a small town and keep it alive! We have decided to explore towns along the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway… and Hebron, ND is along this route.

Hebron, ND

After we walked in to the Wagon Wheel Café, we realized we were the only ones there at 9:30 AM. I think if we were in a bigger town, the place would have been much busier. Dark wood paneling, Cowboy/Cowgirl signs on the bathrooms, wagon wheel light fixtures met our eyes as we entered.

We ordered eggs, bacon, and toast - which was perfect... and Biscuits and gravy – this item is a hit or miss at other restaurants – and at the Wagon Wheel it was a hit! The gravy wasn’t overly greasy or salty, which is sometimes the case. A few minutes after we had ordered at least four other people arrived for breakfast. See, this is why small towns need us!

After breakfast, we drove to Fort Sauerkraut. One of the benefits of visiting towns along Old Red Old Ten is that this is a scenic byway, with Talking Trail markers. Visitors dial a phone number and extension and listen to a narration about the historic site. What a fun way to learn!

We had seen a sign advertising Fort Sauerkraut t-shirts at the Cenex gas station, so we popped in to check them out. While we were talking to the staff, one of the customers told us, “you should call my dad – he will give you a tour at the Hebron Historical Museum.” Well, we took his advice and his father agreed to meet us at the museum.

Spending time with 97-year-old Henry was the highlight of our day! He told us his story, from life on the dairy farm (he had to wake up at 2 AM to feed the cows so they had time to digest the food and the milk wouldn’t taste like what they ate!) to his retirement working as an integral part of the organization of the Hebron Historical Society and its artifacts. Henry spent at least an hour traipsing around the rooms with us, up and down stairs. I enjoyed learning about his Victory 5 family band (Henry played saxophone) and all the artists in his family.

As we were leaving, he told us we should stop to he see is friend Robin, the potter. So on our way out of town, we stopped at Dakota Clayworks. We spent another very pleasant half hour learning the story of Hebron's town potter. Originally from Minot, ND, she spent time in Montana and Washington, learning techniques she eventually brought home to North Dakota. I purchased a clay necklace essential oil infuser and several clay magnets!

We are already planning our return trip to visit the Hebron Brick Factory (for a tour) and the Dark Side of the Brew (for coffee!), which aren’t open on the weekends.

Other pics from the trip:

Forgot to mention - the Wagon Wheel Café is for sale.

Zumbrota, MN

Driving south on HWY 52? Check out Zumbrota, MN. What, you ask, is there to do in Zumbrota? Explore the charming downtown business district, grab a bite to eat, visit an art gallery, AND check out their claim to fame!

Zumbrota Covered Bridge - Minnesota's Only Remaining Covered Bridge

Claim to fame - Zumbrota boasts the only remaining covered bridge in Minnesota, spanning the Zumbro River at Covered Bridge Park, just a few blocks from the business district, right next to the Zumbrota Public Library.

The bridge even has a festival named after it - Zumbrota Covered Bridge Music & Arts Festival, which takes place the third weekend in June every year.

Sit down to eat at the Coffee Mill Restaurant. We had a tasty breakfast AND pie, yum! One of the slices of "pie" was bread pudding made from cinnamon rolls.

Fun fact - President Obama stopped there in 2011 and the restaurant has commemorated his visit by hanging the pie tin (from his time there) on the wall. 

Crossings at Carnegie art gallery and shop, located in the former Carnegie Library, was our second stop. OMG... you need to go there... Why? Well they display new art exhibits every few months, hold art classes AND have a fabulous gift shop. They also host live music weekly.

The best part about visiting small towns is meeting the locals. Everyone we met in Zumbrota was friendly - from the staff at the Coffee Mill Café, to the barista at Bridget's Café, the owner of Wild Ginger Boutique, and the staff at Crossings at Carnegie. Through our visit at Crossings, we discovered that three of the local businesses are women owned - Wild Ginger Boutique, Luya Shoes, and the Crossings at Carnegie.

Two hours was definitely not enough time to experience all Zumbrota has to offer, so we will be back to spend more time downtown and at the Covered Bridge Park.