June 3 - Theodore Roosevelt North Unit to Lake Fort Peck WY

June 3 - Theodore Roosevelt North Unit to Lake Fort Peck WY

Today was a really weird travel day with some good sights along the way. As mentioned before we are still on East Coast body time in a Mountain real time zone. This AM we woke and realized it was really only 5:00AM, a bit early to start putting up TC legs and start a diesel truck. That politeness didn't last long as the person next to us started their generator. Off we went headed for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North unit. We thought there was a connecting road between the two units but it is for foot and horse traffic only, not even bicycles. Back to I-94, up #85 and over to the North Unit we went.

Along the way we passed miles and miles of National Grasslands. We took a small road into them and enjoyed seeing nothing but grasses, birds and old pasture fencing. I don't think other than in the deep woods of Maine I've ever been somewhere there was no sign of humanity - other than the fencing.



This buffalo must have been the designated greeter for the park. He was almost under the entrance sign both when we got there and when we left. He was a huge bull, all alone, and looked pretty grumpy.



Once again the roads were deserted and we just about had the park to ourselves. We hiked Caprock-Coulee Nature Trail but saw no animals, just a lot of buffalo poop. Don't know how we would have handled coming face to face with a buffalo on a narrow footpath.



We did watch this fellow for a while and finally decided it was a very large coyote not a wolf. Ranger confirmed that later but said there have been scattered reports from the ranchers surrounding the park that they have seen wolves.



Fort Union Trading Post near Buford, ND was our next stop.The old fort recreation is in ND, the parking lot is in MT. Mildly interesting but don't make a special trip for it. Next came the road adventure for the day. We took Highway 327 when leaving the fort. It turned out to be 40 miles of gravel, very dusty with farm trucks passing and an average speed of about 25 mph for us, not for the farm trucks. Truck and TC held together well but both sure can use a bath. We did get to see some very remote ranches.

From Bainville, MT to Nashua, MT Route 2 passes through the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. In Maine the speed limit would have been a cautionary 50. In MT the speed limit was an exuberant 70 which certainly keeps you alert. Most we were comfortable with was 60 but they passed easily with no rude gestures. We have found the west to have very friendly, polite people, more than willing to give directions or advice on places to see.

Tonight we are in the Downstream Campground in Fort Peck, MT. It is a US Army Corps of Engineers Park and quite impressive in size and cleanliness. Power, showers, dump station for $8.00.

Tomorrow we will tour the dam facilities, go to the Dinosaur Museum (our reason to come here) and head west yet again. No cell service, no wifi along the way so haven't been able to check how clearing of "Going to the Sun Road" is progressing.