May 21 - Spearfish to Medora and Theodore Roosevelt State Park - Leaving Spearfish, we drove north on Highway 85 in wet weather. The farther north we went the weather became warmer and dryer. Passing through Belle Fourche again, we eventually reached Belfield, ND, where we had lunch in the Roughrider Bar and Steakhouse. This was an old-style bar with several locals having their lunch.

Driving west on I94, we soon took the turnoff to Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our hotel for the next two nights was the Americinn. Our room was clean and quiet. It faced the hills of the park. We didn't stay there very long. We drove a short distance to the Visitor Center wher we briefly looked around inside. Then we walked over to the cabin where Teddy Roosevelt stayed when he visited. It was very small and looked like it shouldn't be used in the winter. There were plexiglass walls in the cabin to protect the displays from visitors, so the photos are a little distorted.

That evening we had an epic dinner at Little Missouri Saloon and Dining. It was epic in the sense that it took about two hours. I had a yen for fish, so I ordered walleye. Its description looked good on the menu and I had heard good things about walleye. It seems, however, that the chef was new and didn't know how to cook it. So he had to phone the manager who had to drive over to show him how. I will never live this down with John and Juan. The food was really good after we were served.

May 22 - Scenic Drive Through The Park - Part of the scenic loop road was closed for repairs. We had to do an out-and-back. This was not an issue, though, because the drive was beautiful. We saw wonderful rock formations and lots of animals - bison, horses and prairie dogs. The weather was cold with showers. Being off-season, there were only a few other cars on the road which meant less distracted drivers. Click on any of the photos below to see a larger version.

On the way back to the hotel, we briefly stopped at the Visitor Center. Then we drove to Badlands Pizza Parlor. We felt lost in the huge building with no other customers. At least we couldn't see and other customers. The wait staff outnumbered us. Nevertheless, the pizza and beer were very good and the deep-fried pickles were a new treat.

After spending the afternoon in the hotel swimming, reading and relaxing, we drove over to Boots Bar and Grill for dinner. The food was good and the service was fast.