DAY #10 - JUNE 19, 2021 - DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA - BILLINGS, MONTANA - WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM & A BROWN SIGN - 364-MILES (3,170)

(BILLINGS, MONTANA) Today’s adventure started in Dickinson, North Dakota where I spent the Night. From My hotel it was just a short 30-miles drive to the small town of Medora, North Dakota, and the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I visited the North Unit yesterday with only a few other visitors. There was plenty of room in all the North Units parking area and I could explore at my own pace. That was not the case at the south unit. I arrived at the entrance station right at 8 a.m. and there was already a long line to get in. It took about 30-minutes for me to make my way through and enter the park. Once in I skipped the Visitors center and began the driving the scenic loop. Once in, I found the beauty of the Badlands along the Little Missouri River to be just as amazing as the North Unit. I enjoyed wonderful views at the first few pull outs, but the deeper into the drive the parking areas and pull outs were full. Several times during the drive I encountered a Bison Jam, where herds of Buffalo were grazing in the fields right near the road. People, including me would stop to take photos before moving on. The Buffalo here roam wild and according to a park ranger, these buffalo were introduced into the park in 1956 when 29 animals were relocated here from Nebraska. The herd has grown until it was capped at 400 in the south unit and an additional 300 in the north unit. Once the herd exceed the cap which is designed to ensure the health of the herd as well as the landscape, the excess animals are relocated to other park and private habitats. The ranger wenT on to say that the Buffalo was once almost extinct, but today there are over 500,000 roaming the range in both public and private settings. Buffalo are notorious for having poor eyesight but have keen sense of smell and hearing this was evident when a couple of kid got too close to one to the big shaggy’s and you could tell when he heard them, he started shaking his head and charged a few steps at them. I cut them a wide path because I remember what Pea Eye told Gus in Lonesome Dove, “Those big shaggy’s will hook ya.” The Theodore Roosevelt National Park was supposed to be my only “planned” stop of the day as I had about 300 miles to travel to get to my Hotel in Montana. So, most of my afternoon was spent driving and I was making good time until I saw one of those Brown Signs and away I went on another Brown Sign Adventure to Pompey’s Pillar National Monument. Located just about 20-mile northeast of Billings, Montana, Pompey’s Pillar is a huge sandstone rock that sits on the Banks of the Yellowstone River. For centuries it has served as an observation point for Native Americans who have carved thousand of petroglyphs into its face. On their return trip from the Pacific Ocean, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark split their exposition near present day Missoula Montana. Lewis followed the Missouri River to the north in hopes of contacting the Blackfoot Tribe while Clark took his group east to map the area along the Yellowstone River and to attempt to contact the Crow. On July 25, 1806, Clark wrote in his journal that he arrived at a “remarkable rock situated 250 paces from the river and from the top had a most extensive view in every direction. This rock which I shall call Pompey’s Tower after Jean Baptiste “Pomp” Charbonneau.” Charbonneau was one of Clarks most trusted guides. While camped here on the banks of the Yellowstone River, William Clark carved his name and date into the face of the huge rock. Today, Clark’s carving is visible behind a protective glass plate. My little Brown Sign Adventure to Pompey’s Pillar was well work the side trip even though it made me considerably late getting to my hotel. But it was another good day on the road.