DAY #9 - BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA - DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA - ENCHANTED HIGHWAY & TEDDY'S NORTH UNIT - 391-MILES (2,806)

(DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA) This marks Day #9 of this adventure and it started out with a little hiccup. I Spent the night in Bismarck, North Dakota and when I was trying to leave the Hotel this morning, I couldn’t get the doors to unlock using the key fob and had to use the hidden key. Then when I attempt to push the button to start the car it wouldn’t start and there was a message on the display to hold the fob near the start button. Still no luck. So, I called the Honda Dealer in Bismarck and talked with a guy in the service department. He immediately told me that the battery in the fob was week and ask me where I was. I gave him the name of my hotel and without hesitation he said he would be at the hotel in 15-minutes. Fifteen Minutes later he pulls in wand quickly replaces the battery in the fob. When I ask him how much I owed him he said nothing. I insisted on paying him for his time and he refused, telling me to enjoy the rest of my trip. Thanks to Darren(?) at Bismarck Honda for saving the day. This little hiccup cost me about an Hours but a few miles west of Bismarck I entered the Mountain Time Zone and gained my hour back. This day was about one particular stop and what a stop it was. Today, I visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Now this National Park is unique in the fact that it is split into two units that are about 65-miles apart. So, I opted to visit the north unit which is the more remote of the two units. It reminds me a little of Big Bend National Park in that you really must make an effort to get there. I am certainly glad that I made the effort. I didn’t not know what I expected, but I was blown away by the contrast in the different areas of this North Unit. I didn’t know that North Dakota had its version of the “Badlands”, but they do and a large part of it is protected by the National Park. In addition to the “Badlands” and the Little Missouri River there are grasslands where herds of buffalo roam free. The driving tour is a 14-mile out and back drive (total of 28-miles) and along the way I took a few of the shorter hikes. The longest I took was a 2-mile loop. It was a nice day to hike, temps were on in the mid-70’s, low humidity but strong winds all the way. The wind is always blowing on the plains. It was amazing and in no way do the photos capture the beauty of the area. I am looking forward to visiting the South Unit tomorrow. It took me a little over an hour to make it back to Interstate 94 and I still had a lot of day light left so I decided to make the 32-mile drive down the Enchanted Highway from I-94 to the small town of Regent, North Dakota. Along the 32-mile drive there are a series of gigantic metal sculptures that were created in 1989 by a local artist named Gary Greff. As I drove south on the Enchanted Highway, the sculptures were space about 5-miles apart. Each sculpture was so unique and different from the other. I am no art critic, but they were super cool and a little quirky. The drive down the Enchanted Highway was a great way to bring this day to an end. Tomorrow, I will probably say goodbye to North Dakota and enter the land of the Big Sky. The adventure Continues.