Friends RV Vacation #2

After a successful RV group vacation to Yellowstone and the Tetons last summer, the four couples were enthusiastic about another trip together in 2026. Over several zoom meetings, it was decided we would visit two of the Utah National Parks in September.

As the time got closer and gas prices got higher, driving 1,200 miles towing an RV was going to be very expensive. Wayne proposed a different itinerary of five nights at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, in the badlands of western North Dakota. Everyone readily agreed to this alternative plan, which included starting out with three nights in Otter Tail County in West Central Minnesota, at my family cabin on a lake near our house. We looked forward to having time with the group in our neck of the woods, followed by a seven hour drive to Medora, North Dakota, where Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located.

More zoom planning meetings were held, and soon the time was upon us. The other three couples all live in the Twin Cities, about three and a half hours from our place. To kick off the vacation, two of the couples towed their RV’s to our family cabin. The third couple drove to their family cabin, about a half hour east of us.

During our time together in Otter Tail County, the weather was a little iffy with some rain. There was time for relaxing and each couple doing their own thing. We all enjoyed a happy hour together at Outstate Brewing, overlooking the Otter Tail River in Fergus Falls.

We had agreed ahead of time that each couple would be responsible for one group meal. Glenda prepared pulled pork and sides for one dinner served in our cabin. Steve and Sally made a huge breakfast one morning in the cabin. We served fresh caught fish for one dinner at our house, courtesy of Wayne, Steve and Sally, who enjoyed fishing on the lake. I had backup chicken skewers just in case haha. Loren and Linda served a meal of pork loin at their cabin. .

On the last day before heading to Medora, Loren and Linda stayed at their cabin to prepare for the rest of the trip. They had sold their fifth wheel trailer since last summer, and for this trip rented a travel trailer to be picked up in Fargo on the way west to the national park.

Harvey and Glenda had down time and some RV maintenance to take care of. We took Steve and Sally on an outing to see some of the trolls in Detroit Lakes, and one of the many Otter Tail County giant birds.

You may have heard about the giant trolls by Danish Artist Thomas Dambo. There are installations of the trolls, made out of reclaimed wood and other recycled materials, in 19 states and 20 countries. In Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, about 40 miles north of us, there are five trolls and one rabbit. Seeing all the them requires driving to various locations, and then walking or hiking. More information about the giant trolls can be found here. The troll in the following photo is the tallest one at 36 feet high.

Getting to one of the Detroit Lakes trolls requires walking past a covered bridge, followed by a short hike on the North Country Trail. The following photo was taken from the covered bridge.

The farmer who owned the land before it became a park wanted a bridge big enough to drive a tractor across the Otter Tail River. He built a covered bridge himself using railroad cars as the road surface.

The North Country Trail is an almost 5000 mile long hiking trail starting in North Dakota and going east all the way to Vermont, maintained by the National Park System. Part of the trail goes through the Fergus Falls area, near where we live in Minnesota, and also through Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

After a short hike on the North Country Trail we came upon this troll.

We did not have enough time to see all the trolls, but we did see the world’s largest turkey in Frazee, one of many giant bird sculptures in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

In the past we have taken visitors on a scenic drive to see some of the other giant sculptures in Otter Tail County, including a Prairie Chicken, a Pelican, a Loon, an Otter, and a Fish.

After the outing we came back home to the lake and worked on preparations for the next part of the vacation. We finished packing and got our fifth wheel trailer connected to the truck, so that we would be ready to hit the road first thing in the morning.

It was much easier to pack for this trip than either the Yellowstone RV vacation last summer, or going to Arizona in the winter. This trip did not involve any overnight stays on the way to the destination. For the first time ever, we connected the RV refrigerator to electricity a couple of days before the trip, so it could cool down while we were still at home. I loaded cold food into the refrigerator before we left, rather than buying it when we got there, or trying to keep it cold in coolers on the way. As always, I packed several knitting projects to work on, including the small Agi the Sheep stuffed animal that I posted about here. She came with us on some outings and to restaurants.

Wednesday, September 16: After three of the couples had various vehicle and trailer issues last year, we briefly talked about caravanning on the drive from Minnesota to Western North Dakota. That did not happen, but no one had any problems. I was glad to have a lot of time for knitting in the car, and I drove the truck towing our fifth wheel trailer for about an hour to give Wayne a break.

Everyone arrived at Medora Campground at different times from early to late afternoon. The campground is in a valley located near the town of Medora, just outside the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and past a new hotel. It took us the rest of the afternoon to get the RV set up. Following is our fifth wheel trailer, with Steve and Sally’s Aliner in the background, next to Loren and Linda’s rented travel trailer. We were on the end next to a road.

Wayne had reserved campsites next to each other, two on each side of a lane. They were a little close together, but otherwise nice with full hookups, trees and a picnic table. There was a newer section that did not have any trees. This was way nicer than some RV campgrounds that have sites jammed together on a parking lot. The campground also has some cabins, and a few Conestoga wagons for rent. The covered wagons get booked up way ahead of time.

There are at least 150 campsites total. There was a train going by regularly, but it was far enough away that I barely noticed it.

The next photo shows a different view of our four campsites with our fifth wheel trailer at the back left of the photo, next to Harvey and Glenda’s travel trailer. Loren and Linda’s rented travel trailer is in the foreground next to the road, and left of Steve and Sally’s Aliner.

Everyone had agreed that we would eat all the dinners out, rather than bringing a lot of food or buying groceries after we got there. As it turned out, there is only a small convenience store in Medora. The closest full service grocery store is 40 miles away in Dickenson, North Dakota.

After we were all set up, there was enough time to do a scenic drive while it was still light out, followed by dinner at Little Missouri Saloon & Dining.

On Thursday, September 17 Steve and Sally prepared a group breakfast at their campsite. Their ALiner trailer does not have a kitchen, but they are pros at cooking a full outdoor breakfast of eggs, sausage and pancakes.

After some time to clean up and get ready for the day, we stopped at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitor center. We noticed that TR’s horse in the following display is constructed the same way as the giant trolls with narrow strips of wood.

Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin from his ranching days has been moved around a few times from it’s original location about seven miles south of Medora. TR spent a few years in western North Dakota after both his wife and mother died on the same day in 1884. Today it is just outside the visitor center and open for self guided tours.

After checking out the Visitor Center, we went on the 36 mile scenic drive through the park, with the four couples in two vehicles. The scenery was beautiful and we saw endless prairie dogs, large herds of buffalo, wild horses, a coyote, and possibly a fox. A couple of times we got out of the car for a short hike. Due to the big late breakfast, we brought a few snacks in the car but did not have lunch.

In the next photo I am wearing a pair of socks I made on my circular sock machine.

At one point we stopped with all the other cars on the road due to a buffalo walking across the road. There were many buffalo on both sides of the road. While we were sitting there watching, a coyote came trotting across the field on the left side of the road, walked across the road, and continued on the other side. A buffalo started chasing the coyote for a short distance until he disappeared into the woods.

After some late afternoon down time back at the campground, we went out for dinner at the Rough Riders Hotel. This is a cool building having a lobby like a cozy living room, with a massive fireplace and wall of bookshelves.

We celebrated Steve and Sally’s 48th wedding anniversary. Towards the end of the meal, the waitress asked us several times if we wanted to order dessert. Several times we said no, thank you. Finally just as we were about to leave, she told us that Steve and Sally would get a free dessert because of their anniversary. She brought out a large serving of chocolate lava cake with ice cream and eight spoons. We were a little confused, but gladly passed the dessert and spoons around. The following historical photo of the Rough Riders Hotel is in the lobby.

I took my own photo of the Rough Riders Hotel as it looks today.

On Friday, September 18, each couple was on their own for the day. We had a slow morning. There wasn’t any wifi at the campground, but the cellphone reception was good. I was able to use my laptop with a personal hotspot. I started knitting the sheep’s purse. We had lunch in the RV. The weather forecast was looking wet for the days ahead, so Wayne and I took advantage of the beautiful day to walk on a scenic path that went along the Little Missouri River right next to the campground.

In the afternoon we went on a tour of the Chateau de Mores, a large historic home just outside of Medora. I have been to Medora before, but I don’t remember this place or anything about it. A French Nobleman, the Marquis de Mores, and his wife, Medora, were there for a few years in the mid 1880’s at the same time as Theodore Roosevelt. The town is named after Medora. Her father was a rich banker in New York City. The Marquis and his father-in-law had the idea of raising cattle and processing the meat on site out west, and using ice from the Little Missouri River to ship it to Chicago on the train. The Marquis built a large meat processing facility, but in the end the venture was not successful.

The Marquis de Mores and his wife built a large 26 room summer country home in Medora. The house contains many of the original furnishings. The second floor has bedrooms used for their children, guests, and servants. For people of their class out east, it was not normal to put the guests on the same floor with the servants. There was only one staircase, without a second one in the back for servants, as would be expected. They would communicate this setup ahead of time to guests, explaining that it was a concession necessary in the wild west. Medora’s parents apparently were not comfortable with this layout. They had a house in Medora where they stayed when visiting, rather than share space with servants. I got a photo of the Chateau as we approached from the parking lot.

Following are photos of the family dining room, and the servants dining room which shared the wall to the left where there is a pass through window.

There was one 1880’s version of a bathroom in the house, which was used only by the Marquis. Even his wife was not allowed inside. One of the interpreters told me that they have not found any evidence of an outhouse anywhere on the property. Residents and guests were from upper class society, so they likely used chamber pots that were emptied outside by servants.

After touring the chateau, we walked around the small town of Medora. Being after Labor Day, many of the stores were closed. The famous Medora Musical was done for the season, but we had seen it before. It got up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which I think is way above average for the date and location.

For dinner, we ate leftovers from our restaurant meal the night before. After dinner we drove to Wind Canyon Trail for a short hike, and to view the sunset from an amazing vantage point. We saw wild turkeys, buffalo and prairie dogs.

Wayne expected that the campground would not be crowded, assuming that we would have the option of changing sites, or possibly add on an extra day after we were checked in. During the day many spots were open, but each night every RV site was occupied. We concluded it was because of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library which opened this summer that has gotten excellent reviews.

Having watched the weather reports ahead of the trip, and hearing from several sources that it is recommended to buy tickets ahead of time, everyone in our group had purchased tickets to see the Library the following day.

Saturday, September 19: The forecast was for rain most of the day. Steve and Sally prepared another group breakfast at their campsite. It started out sprinkling a little, and then rained harder. Loren and Linda put the awning out on their trailer next to Steve and Sally’s, where breakfast was served on a picnic table pushed under the awning. I hope the other people did not think I was being antisocial, but Wayne brought a biscuit, egg and cinnamon roll to me in the RV. I stayed inside while eating my breakfast and drinking a morning mocha. He assured me later that it was OK, there was not room for another person at the picnic table anyway. One reason I like having an RV is to enjoy National Parks without sitting outside in the rain.

We all met at Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, but each couple went through at their own pace. This place is amazing, more like a high tech museum and not really a library. It is built into a hillside to blend in with the landscape, with natural prairie plants on the roof.

There was an inviting breezeway area between two parts of the building.

Upon entering the main building, we got our photo taken and were given a token with an ID on a wristband, to be used for interactive exhibits.

Following are images from the paper visitor guide, with an index of exhibits and the ideal order to view them. There were displays about every part of TR’s life and family from his childhood, to his legacy and passing.

After posing for more photos and answering a few questions, AI produced an early 1900’s campaign photo and poster for me. Vote for me on Tuesday!

Included in the many excellent exhibits, there was a 3D campfire experience with stories about TR’s life out west, and 3D movie about a treacherous trip TR went on with his son and a few others to map the Amazon River, when he was already late in life.

One of the most unique exhibits in the library was a simulation of Theodore Roosevelt in his office, using AI to answer questions from “constituents” in real time. Wayne partook by walking up to the microphone and scanning his token. TR greeted him by name and asked what he would like to know. Wayne asked a question about how TR felt about immigrants. “Theodore” said “um” and looked like he was thinking for a moment, but then came up with a reasonable answer consistent with what he probably would have said, something about immigrants being good as long as they learn the language and contribute to society.

When we were done touring all the exhibits inside the building, it was drizzling. We put our windbreaker hoods up and walked the one mile boardwalk path outside.

I learned a lot about Theodore Roosevelt during our time at the library/museum. He loved nature and science, and worked to improve his poor health with exercise. He got involved in politics in New York as a young man, was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and then soldier. He served as governor of New York. The big wigs of his time did not like his progressive leaning politics, so they thought they could keep him out of the way as Vice President for William McKinley. That backfired when McKinley was assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt become president.

As with other people who have made important contributions to our country, he is complicated and has contradictions. TR does not have a great record in regard to African Americans or Native Americans. On the positive side, he worked to reduce corruption in government and improve conditions for working people. He worked to preserve our natural resources by protecting 230 million acres of public land, including creating five national parks and the US Forest Service.

I highly recommend a visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. If you are not into camping, there are other options for lodging including a brand new hotel. After spending the afternoon at the library/museum, we regrouped back at the campground, and then went to dinner at “Boots” in Medora.

Sunday September 20 was our last full day at the park. It rained overnight and in the morning. During the night I heard a loud noise like something big, maybe a tree branch, falling on the truck. After we were both awake in the morning, it happened again. Wayne went outside to scope it out and found that pieces of bark were falling out of trees and landing on the RV and truck. They were not as big as the sound they made, and luckily there was not any damage.

We had a relaxing morning and early afternoon staying at the campsite. I worked on my knitting, and after the rain let up, I went for a walk around the campground, going up and down each lane. I saw every type of option for camping, from tents to giant motorhomes. There was even an ice castle trailer normally used for ice fishing, and a large horse trailer with a compartment for people.

Wayne watched the Minnesota Vikings football game on my laptop. I had forgotten that Wayne needed the hotspot on my phone to watch the game. When I got back from the walk, I found out that Wayne had missed part of the game due to getting disconnected. I would have come back with my phone, but it had taken him some time to figure out what was wrong. Oops.

After the game we went to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora. They had a lot of photos and memorabilia from rodeos, and displays about cowboy life. There was a life size chuck wagon, made by the Studebaker company.

The four couples went to dinner at Beaver Creek Brewery in Wibaux, 35 miles west just across the border in Montana. Loren had been there before on a motorcycle trip with his brother, and we thought it would be a fun last outing before the end of our time together. It looks like the building used to be a movie theater.

Agi the Sheep with her clothes and accessories were complete by then, and came with us to the brewery.

We had not gotten a good photo of the entire group, so this was the last chance. It was not the best setting considering all the amazing scenery we had scene. One of the employees came outside and took a photo for us.

Wayne had fun with AI, changing the background to one of the photos he had taken at Wind Canyon Trail. We COULD have taken this photo!

On Monday September 21, Steve and Sally, and Harvey and Glenda, were heading to the Black Hills for the annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park in South Dakota. This is about four and a half hours straight south of Medora. Steve and Sally had done all the preparations necessary the night before, so they pulled out first thing in the morning. Harvey and Glenda left soon after.

Loren and Linda got going early too, as they had a long day ahead of them. They had to drop their rented RV off in Fargo, and then continue all the way to their home in the Minneapolis area.

It took us longer than everyone else to shut down our 5th wheel trailer and be ready to go. We don’t use it often enough to have all the detailed steps memorized (disconnecting utilities and water, draining water tanks, closing slides, connecting to the truck, etc), so I held the checklist and guided Wayne along. We finally pulled out at 11:35 am, arriving home in the evening.

After we were back home, we found a fact based historical fiction series on Amazon Prime called “Elkhorn” about TR’s time in North Dakota. It was a little amateurish, but we enjoyed seeing what it might have been like for Theodore being a rancher and cowboy in the west. There is also an excellent documentary series on Netflix called Theodore Roosevelt.

One of the things mentioned in the Netflix documentary is that even though TR came from a privileged background, he enjoyed meeting all kinds of people and listening to their stories. He wanted to know what life was like for normal people, at a time when there was a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor.

In my mom’s memoir, she writes about her grandfather, Leonard Eriksson, who emigrated from Sweden at age 14 with $10 in his pocket that got stolen while he slept on a park bench. Later, after more challenges and hard work, he ended up in Law School at Georgetown. His congressman arranged a one-on-one meeting for him with Theodore Roosevelt, who was president at the time. It was supposed to be for 10 minutes, but lasted a half hour. After learning more about TR, this is consistent with who he was.

I think everyone in the group considered this another great vacation together. I expect there will be another one in our future, with the timing and destination to be determined.