Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Whew,
Today has been great, but a lot of scenery to take in. I got up and headed to the northern part of the park which is about 67 miles from where I am staying. There is a 14 mile scenic byway there so I traveled along that. At one point I met one of the rangers and turns out he moved out here 3 weeks ago from Eagan, Minn. Small world! He followed me down to the lookout because there had been some baby rattlers around there. I was lucky in that I did not see any, but it was good to know to watch for them.
I probably spent about an hour exploring the northern unit before heading south again. I stopped at the rest area along 94 for Painted Canyon and ate my lunch there. Then it was on to the southern unit. That part has a 36 mile scenic route. I saw prairie dogs, wild horses, and lots of buffalo. I was looking for elk, but did not see any. I chose to climb Buck Hill which I believe is one of the taller peaks in the park. All I can say is that you really should not do that on a day with a wind advisory! I made it down the hill, but I will say my extra weight helped me out.
All in all, I probably spent close to 7 hours in the park today. It is just beautiful and I would highly recommend it.
Then I came back to the hotel and parked the car. I chose to walk into town for some shopping and dinner. I got some nice souvenirs and then went and saw "Bully" the play about Theodore Roosevelt. It is a 45 minute one act play about his life. The actor that plays Teddy is from Apple Valley, Minn. Again small world!! It was a nice play and great way to spend some time.
I then had dinner, did a little more shopping, and am now going to get ready for an early evening. I want to hit the road early tomorrow since I have a longer drive. I head off to Rugby, N.D. tomorrow to see the geographical center of North America and head up to the International Peace Garden.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Paula