Medora, Montana and the Reading Room

MEDORA

So this weekend, I finally got out to Medora. On Saturday morning, the other intern and I left- heading west. When we got there we drove into Teddy Roosevelt National Park and we didn't have to pay- it was a free weekend! We got our campsite, set up the tent and had lunch with the badlands in the background. I don't really know how to describe the badlands- but it's canyon like and you can see the multi-colored layers of sediment from thousands of years ago. The rock there is really brittle too- you can break it in your hand and when it gets wet, it is slippery. I think a lot of it's called bentonite, which is just really fine stuff and that's why it's so slippery.

Before heading out to Medora we stopped at the visitor center and went on a short tour of Teddy Roosevelts cabing- the Maltese Falcon. The guide told the story of the rich young man coming out to the country side in fancy get-up- a newly made fringe coat and pearl studded pistol (or something similar). He wanted to shoot buffalo, but everyone was afraid of taking him out on a hunt for fear he would die and they would get blamed. He eventually found a guide and hunted a buffalo and had his own hunting cabin made (the Maltese Falcon). After he became president, he helped start up the efforts for more conservation which is why the park is named after him.

Then we drove out to see the town of Medora, there was a buffalo by the side of the road. We walked around the tourist town- I tried on a cowboy hat and bought postcards. We thought about kayaking, but it was overpriced and the water was really low in the Little Missouri River. Afterwards we headed over to the Chateau de Mores (we got in for free there- the benefits of interning). The Chateau is a glorified hunting lodge for the Marquis de Mores and his wife Medora (hence the name of the town). They lived there during the summer as the marquis tried his hand at a ranching business enterprise and she went on buffalo and bear hunts. When we got there, there was a live action show and this guy came on to tell stories of his historical character. He told stories of hunts and it transported you back to the old west- but he also talked about the sad decline of the buffalo- at one point there were only 600 left. We toured the house and walked around the grounds- among the tree-lined river bottom which almost felt a little like home.

When we got back to our campsite, we started the coals and took a little path down to the Little Missouri River- it was pretty low, but I decided to take a dunk. And with the other intern's new camera which can go in water, I tried taking some pictures. I couldn't swim or anything, but I could float for a little bit before ending up on a sandbar.

When we got back, the coals were ready and we grilled out. A park ranger came around and told us about an evening campfire thing. He asked us if we were newlyweds and seemed surprised that we weren't even married. I tried not to laugh too hard, but it was hilarious. We went and listened to more about Teddy Roosevelt.

Since we knew the Perseid meteor shower was going on, we hoped we could get a look. We had an idea of where to look (courtesy of a book at the visitor center) and the sky cleared in time (it had showered off and on earlier). We took our chairs and a blanket and headed back out to the Little Missouri and walked down aways. When it got really dark, the stars were amazing. I saw the milky way and we spotted a few comets. The grass rustled and I was afraid that we were going to encounter a buffalo which is not uncommon. Then the sky started clouding over, so we headed back which was harder in the dark- we almost missed the little trailhead and our feet started sinking in the muck, but right then we found it and made it successfully back to camp and bed.

In the morning I woke up first and headed out to the river again. I crossed it and decided to climb around- mind I was just in my pjs and I'd brought only my sandals 'cause I thought I would just take a dip. So I hiked around barefoot and in my pjs with a sweatshirt which I think is hilarious. I got further than I'd planned on going, but since I had no idea what time it was or when my camping buddy got up, I headed back, stopping to float in the freezing cold water of the river. I felt very adventuresome.


MONTANA

We drove off to Montana after loading up the tent and supplies (which had gotten a bit wet during the night). We stopped in a little town called Wibaux- walking up and down the main street. There were many bars and all the little shops were closed- it being a Sunday. We took pictures of Montana Centennial Train and then went to a park. We played on a tire swing. He pushed me and when I was done, I pushed him- but only once! Tire swings make him very dizzy apparently- it was funny.

Then we drove north through the state- it was very pretty- lots of grass- lots of hills- and even a mountain! At one point the road turned to gravel and my map had said it was all paved! Well, it didn't last too long and we stopped in a town called Sidney for lunch before heading onto the North Rim of Teddy Roosevelt National park back in ND.

I tried stayed awake, but having just eaten lunch and the sun so warm, I couldn't help it! Finally, I had him stop, so I could get some caffeine. I didn't really have any cash by that point and I didn't want to charge anything, so I brought in a handful of change, picked out some tea and asked how much it was. The cash guy told me and I said "let me see if I have enough" and was pulling out my wallet to go through the change purse and he said not to worry about. And because it was a two-for deal, he told me to get another one because it was a Sunday. I felt a little bad, but it made me very happy. It was good sweet tea too.

We got to the park and headed in. We stopped at some of the scenic overlooks and got out to walk along one trail. Since it was fine to walk off trail we picked a peak that looked climb-able and went for it. When we started getting a bit further up, I started worrying about heights and so instead of going along a narrow ridge, I suggested that we backtrack and go up the more tree-lined route, because I reasoned that way I couldn't fall far- sure I'd get banged up- but I wouldn't die! I did get banged up though- the trees were thick and I scraped my leg, but oh well. I also put my hand on a prickly pear cactus twice too and got stuck with well over 10 spikes each time. It's really not that bad, but pulling out some of the longer ones hurts. I was glad the other intern had a pair of tweezers with him. Eventually we reached the top though and the view was amazing. Amazing. Badlands everywhere. And then it was time to start heading down. For some of the steeper areas I took the butt-sliding approach which is exactly what it sounds like and very effective too. We went down a different way which was pretty nice.

Before we left, we took the scenic drive around the rest of the park. For awhile you could see where the grasslands started- there was grass on one side and badlands on the other. I still want to know how exactly the badlands were formed! There was a herd of buffalo and as we drove back we came not more than 30 feet from two buffalo who were hanging out near the visitor center. It was pretty nifty. Just to mention it- most buffalo weigh 2000 pounds and they can run 30 mph, so you don't want to ever come too close to a buffalo.


READING ROOM

We got back a little late, but it was fine and today was my first day in the reading room. My datebook internship is up (although I'll probably still write stories) and so I've been looking up obituaries and helping people find their family histories. It can be pretty exciting when you finally find a date for a person or the article you were looking for. But copyright laws seem like they could be a pain. We shall see how it goes. I do miss having my own computer (I still have it, but I need to stay out in the other area so I can see people when they need help), but it should be a good new experience.

Okay, I should head out now (buy some more antiobiotic stuff for my scrapes) and make dinner. Night!

Surprise Party, Apples to Apples, Art Fair, Canada, the Volunteer Banquet and Remastered movies

So last Friday there was a surprise brunch for one of the people here. Everyone snuck their goodies to the room- one person put all the plates in cups in one of the boxes and wheeled it around like it was full of archives and I avoided a run-in with my bowl of potato salad coming up the stairs. She was surprised which was exciting. And that evening, some us interns and other people from work were invited over to the birthday girl's house. We had a tour (which made me really want my own home to decorate and all that) and played apples to apples- very nice.

Saturday I spent running errands- looking at tires and the like. Can't say I found anything cheaper for the miles. And I stopped off at the capital grounds. Art booths were set up all around the mall with photography and all sorts of crafts. I stopped for some mini doughnuts (I am so sad that I will miss the Middleton Goodneighbor Fest- everyone back home will have to ride the Monkeys and the Eggroll for me and eat lots of mini doughnuts and cheese curds) and watched some kids do traditional polish dances all dressed up in their costumes. Heading back to my car, I found a cute little place that used all sorts of antique magazines and things so I bought a necklace- now of course though I will feel the need to start visiting antique stores on my own so I can make my own!

But Sunday was much more adventuresome. We drove up to the International Peace Garden, stopping in Rugby to take a picture at the moment proclaiming the spot the Geographic Center of America and in Dunseith to take a picture next to a giant turtle made out of wheels. We were heading up on the Turtle Mountains- which aren't really mountains, but the largest thing around. Some pioneers were getting a bit too hopeful when they saw them. When we entered the International Peace Garden we ate lunch next to a pond surrounded by birches before heading onto the formal gardens. Starting with the concrete peace towers, we headed down past floral displays of American and Canadian flags, a monument to 9/11, America's gift store which was in a pretty building, but really didn't have that much inside that pertained to peace- they even had the wooden pistol things! But it is in the process of being completed. We saw the floral clock and and the fountain and headed back along the Canadian side. The international border runs right through the grounds!

Afterwards we drove to Canada. The Canadian border guard was nice and in retrospect I should have asked him to stamp my passport! We stopped in a city called Boussevain to marvel at another giant turtle and browse a gift shop complete with a gate made out of deer antlers. I refilled my water bottle so I could drink Canadian water, which was very similar to American water and we drove parallel to the border, driving through some small towns and seeing many oil wells. When we hit the border, the American guards asked us a lot of questions and looked through the trunk. He asked about my internship and was like "What the heck do you do that for- fun?" Really now!

For dinner we stopped in Minot. We walked around the historic downtown hoping to find a local place, but everything was empty. Music still played though. We found a place, but still there are too many chains in ND! Minot was nice though- nestled in a river valley and with more taller buildings than Bismarck (although I do believe the capitol building is the tallest building in the state). We didn't get back too late and then it was back to work.

This week I've been finishing up my stories for my theme week. And I've been encountering some inconsistencies- you can't trust anyone! People forget, mis-record, make honest mistakes and all that, but I would much prefer it if they didn't. Oh well. Next week I start working in the reading room- I'll still write stories in any down time, but I have been training in for the job. As I was looking up gambling history for one of my stories there was a great line from the governor about allowing bingo so as to keep the grandma's off the street which I thought was funny.

And on Tuesday I went to the volunteer banquet (because interns ate free and other interns were going!). There was borsch and cheese buttons and kuchen and some other German from Russian food (there were lots of immigrants from Germany who went to Russia and then to ND) and raffle prizes. I got a mug with volunteer written in gold plating. So that was fun.

But yesterday wasn't so fun- I had to turn my computer in- I will be without it for 2-3 weeks. The problem seems to be with the motherboard which is covered under my warranty which will be up shortly. Please, keep my poor computer in your thoughts.

Today was more fun. At work for lunch we've been watching a silent film that we watched earlier, only now someone at work has added in music and they're still working on adding in the dialogue- it is all quite hilarious.

That's pretty much it.

August 4th

Wow- it is crazy how time flies- soon my Dakota Datebook internship will be over and I'll start working in the reading room.

So today there's this market on the capital grounds- there were about 10 stands and it was nice to walk in the sunlight. I bought some green beans, but I miss the stand at the Madison farmers market with a plastic pool filled with green beans and I thought about buying some jelly, but I couldn't help but miss the Jam guy who knows and cares about the very important difference between jam and jelly. The singing guitarist was nice, but I missed the washboard tunes of Madison. Oh Madison Farmers Market, how I doth miss you, even with your crowded sidewalks.

And now for some things from some newspapers past:

Ad - Yes we have no bananas and we have no sale! but we do have top quality towers, antennas and tv sets even in living color! But you come on by and we'll find some bananas! Yes we'll give you a sack of bananas free with each....

And a story about some boys who stole liquor and then got away on their get-away-bikes. A little while later a policeman stopped them and caught them.

Killdeer Mountain and the Tornado Warning

Howdy
On Saturday I got up ridiculously early again for a Saturday- somewhere around 6. I was going to go on a hike up Killdeer mountain for a historical talk given by someone at the Historical society and the bus left at 7:15. We drove out and saw a sculpture of flying geese along HWY 94 and met up with a bunch of people at the base of Killdeer Mountain. Killdeer Mountain isn't really a mountain, it's actually a butte (a smaller mesa), but it is the tallest thing around. Anyway, it was the site of a battle.

In 1860 something, after the US Dakota War of 1862, Sully's troops headed out to attack a village at the base of the mountain. Part of it was retaliation for the war, regardless of whether or not those villagers had actually participated in it. They shelled the village which had about 1400 lodges and eventually the villagers fled, some say through a hole in the top of the mountain you can still see today. Throughout the tour different people piped in adding to the story which was fun and interesting. One of the guys was a descendent of someone in the battle and he said that the hole in the top of the mountain was sacred and should be respected and that it used to whistle and people would leave offerings. It doesn't whistle anymore though. There was also discussion of a possible negotiation before the battle and how many warriors the village had and other things that it seems that only history knows.

For lunch we stopped at a grill and as the food was coming out, mine fell, so I had to wait which was horrible. The waitress brought me pickle spears though.

That was the excitement for the weekend. On Sunday I ran some errands and I will need to give up my computer for a few weeks to have it fixed before my warranty runs out (if my warranty covers the repair anyways). Basically my computer doesn't realize when it's being plugged in. So not horribly exciting.

Yesterday we had a tornado drill at the museum. It reminded me of school drills, everyone shuffling out to the hallway, including heritage center visitors. I was in the museum looking at objects for a theme week I'm going to do. Though we were probably safer in the storage area than out in the hallway, we eventually joined the crowds. Someone handed out coloring pages and crayons. It can be hard to color in thin lines with a big crayon- my picture wasn't a masterpiece shall we say.

Today, there was a talk from one of the interns at the former Governor's Mansion. She'd worked on an oral history project from the time when the place served as a mental care outpatient facility- one of the first in the country. Anyway, it's always good to get cookies at 9 o'clock in the morning.

And that's all folks.