2JeepPeeps

We departed Theodore Roosevelt National Park and continued our journey to South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park. Our route took us through Sturgis, Rapid City for a quick gas/coffee stop, and Custer for some informative maps. We arrived at the park and located our spot at Elk Mountain Campground. This campground straddles the edge of a Ponderosa Pine Forest and is minutes from Wind Cave.

Exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park-2
The next day, we began at the original park entrance sign located at Painted Canyon Visitor’s Center.
We continued to the north unit entrance of the park, exploring the unique features offered throughout this side of the park.
We drove back to our campsite on the south unit and explored a couple of other sites along the way.

Exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park-1
We started exploring the features of the park from the south unit, enjoying the beautiful landscapes and unique features it had to offer.

After leaving Livingston, Montana our next destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our route followed the amazing Yellowstone River for many miles. We stopped at the Custer rest area for a break and a quick hike to an overlook. We also visited the US-12 Lolo Pass Rest Area at the state line, where Sherry was able to get stamps for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the Nez Perce National Historic Park.
After entering Medora at the South unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we visited the visitor center to see the log cabin containing some of Theodore Roosevelt’s personal artifacts. On the way to our campground in Cottonwood, we encountered some wild horses and a few prairie dog towns (yes, that is the first of many buffalo we encountered).

For the final day of the Range to Ranch event, we needed to leave camp very early to begin our nine-hour drive to Livingston, Montana. Because of the early departure, we unfortunately could not stay for the drawings and closing ceremony 😢. The beginning of our route followed the Salmon River, and we even pulled over for a moment to take in the scenery. From there, we made haste through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest and into Montana, stopping only for gas and coffee. We have since spent a couple of days with friends in Livingston. We enjoyed exploring the town, hitting the hiking trail, and catching up on laundry. It has been a very relaxing and enjoyable trip.