7/6/2026

 7/6/2026

We are at TR's new Library in Medora, ND. It is very interactive. When you arrive, you type your name and email into a kiosk and a photo of you is taken. When you walk around, your armband allows you to see yourself in various "old time pictures". Here are some of both of us.. Note the wrist band matches the pic on the wall for interactive displays.

After 4.5 hours at the museum, we headed for Medora for ice cream. The outside tables were full so we shared a table with this lovely family. The boys taught us a lot about soccer!

Our batteries needed recharging since we had the air conditioning on for Sammy, so we rode around the Park one more time before heading to Cottonwood Campground. We leave tomorrow, heading east.

7/5/2026

 7/5/2026

We drove again to Dickinson for church at St. Wenceslaus, laundry, dog park, and a musical about Teddy and Alice at Dickinson State University. The lead actor did a great job as Teddy Roosevelt.

7/4/2026

 7/4/2026  America's 250th Birthday

We drove to Dickinson, ND (50 miles) today for their 4th of July Parade. We arrived 2 hours before the start of the parade at 10am, found an empty lot and parked. Ended up that we were near the beginning of the parade route, so we set up our chairs and waited. Michelle, a Dickinson resident, sat next to me. She has 3 kids, 22, 19 and 15 and the youngest was in the parade. We really hit it off and enjoyed one another's company. She recommended Phat Fish for lunch and when we arrived, we were seated at the table next to her, her husband and aunt.

The parade had 80 entries.

A great spot to watch the parade

Colors

Pack horses

Class of 76 had a lot more participants than any other class

Actors from the musical Teddy and Alice. We will see this play tomorrow.

Huge flag

our lunch spot

7/3/2026

 7/3/2026

We were up early, thanks Sammy, and decided to drive to the National Park despite high traffic congestion warnings. It was not at all busy. We drove clockwise around the park loop and were rewarded with Bison everywhere. The huge herd was relocating by using the road in front of us. They stayed on the road for over 30 minutes as we crawled at a snail's pace behind them. The blue car in front of us got bumped a few times. After this miraculous ride, we chanced heading into Medora and found a parking place right away. After a walk around town and an ice cream lunch, we returned to our campsite.

7/2/2026

 7/2/2024

We traveled from Billings, MT today to Buffalo Gap Campground, ND (off I-94). Fourteen miles from here is Medora, where many of the Fourth of July-250 celebrations will take place. This small town is so congested that they have designated specific exits off I-94 for remote parking with free shuttle access. We don't have any plans yet to go into town. Sunday and Monday we have reservations in the National Park, so we will have to go to Medora. (Photo is of hills along I-94)

This is our first hot weather in a long time. 86 today. Sunday will be 96. Glad our alternator is fixed!

7/1/2026

Our home away from home, Cracker Barrel Billings

 7/1/2026

This morning we visited a really nice dog park here in Billings. This afternoon, our new alternator was installed, but it was late afternoon, so we decided to spend one more night in Billings before heading to Medora, ND. A couple of pics back at Cracker Barrel for the 3rd night. If we stay longer we may qualify as residents. Happy Canada Day!

Back area of Cracker Barrel

6/30/2026

 6/30/2026

Life at Cracker Barrel:

Last night when we pulled in, there were a few RVs. By 9pm, the lot was full. We've never seen more than a few at any Cracker Barrel. Next to us on one side was a wreck of a small trailer pulled by an old truck filled with personal belongings in the truck bed. Pretty sure they were homeless. Until late, the guy worked on his vehicle which seemed to have major problems. At 10 pm, a U-Haul pulling a car slipped in next to us on the other side. He ran his engine all night for a noisy sleeping experience. At 3pm, the first neighbor started work on his truck again. That continued until about 7am. They are still here.

After breakfast (of course at Cracker Barrel), we relocated to an end spot with a power outlet and we plugged in. Woo hoo!

Our alternator is scheduled to arrive between 11 and 3 tomorrow. We are hoping for 11.

We are grateful that Cracker Barrel allows us to park in their lot, even if there are minor issues.