Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Day 11 - A new State & National Park

We left Montana, after one full week of spectacular sights & cycling.  We entered North Dakota, a new state for both of us, and saw Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We also saw the effects of the huge oil & gas development turning North Dakota into the boom state.  Theodore Roosevelt came to North Dakota in the 1880s to live the "strenuous" ranching life to help him recover from losing his mother & wife on the same day.  I never would have seen this NP or the North Dakota badlands without doing this ride - glad to see it.  Thoughts for the day:

  1. The oil development is truly changing lives for many of the old time North Dakota ranching families.
  2. The National Park system is a fabulous idea.
  3. Was nice to finish the day with another lake swim - Patterson Lake - not quite as clear as the Rocky Mountain lakes, but great temperature.

Not sure where this North Dakota town got it's name -it's a long way from Makapuu or Kalama or Sandys.

1 comment:

  1. Way to go on the new state! I think this is all so interesting about North Dakota....oil, Roosevelt, National Park, sunflowers....but yeah, definitely not Kalama. :)

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