May 7: Rain, Snow, Ice, and Bison

Yesterday, I visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park by Medora, North Dakota. On my way across ND, it rained quite a bit, and I also encountered a little snow at Bismarck. Apparently, the weather had been much better the day before, according to the woman behind the counter at Taco John's/Goodtimes. I wondered how this would affect my plan to visit the park. However, as I was pulling into the Visitor's Center for the Painted Canyon part of the park, I saw a bison grazing off to the side of the parking lot--this made it a successful visit already. Later, after I checked into the Badlands Motel in Medora, I got in the Equinox to drive around the thirty-six mile loop of the park, and all of a sudden, ice pellets started falling. I debated about continuing with my plan, but I went ahead, and the weather improved with the sun coming out eventually. I was able to see many more bison in the park, along with prairie dogs and wild feral horses.