When I tell people that I camped for several nights at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota during my recently completed road trip, they have widely varying mental pictures about what that looked like. Some imagine that I was towing a recreational vehicle (RV) filled with all of the comforts of home and that I used hookups for electricity and water.
The truth, though, was that my form of camping was more akin to backpacking than to RV life. I carried with me a very small tent that I have owned for more than 30 years and more or less slept on the ground. I initially used the tent when I did some bike camping when I was stationed in South Korea in the late 1980’s during my service in the US Army. Before I left for my trip, I practiced setting the tent up in front of my house to reacquaint myself with it and to make sure I still had all of the component pieces.
Cottonwood Campground lies within the confines of the South Unit of this national park—there are two parts of the park that are separated by 75 miles (120 km)—and has relatively primitive campsites. RV’s are permitted, but most of the sites are pretty small and there are no hookups. Seasonally there are flush toilets available, a welcome surprise for me, and vault toilets during the off-season. There are no showers, but potable water is available. Because I have the lifetime Senior National Parks Pass, I had to pay only $7.00 per night for my site and I stayed two nights each time that I was there.
Half of the sites are by reservation while all remaining sites are first come, first served. I showed up without reservations on both my westward and eastward legs of the trip and was able to find a site both times without problem in the tenting area of the campground. In fact, I stayed in the exact same spot each time. I liked this spot because it was at the end of a row of spots, so I had a neighbor on only one side.
The first photo shows my view looking out from inside of my tent, with some buttes visible in the distance. The second image gives you a better view of the tent itself. It is taller at the front and has a vestibule area where I could store some gear. Importantly, there is netting to help keep the bugs out. I was not bothered by mosquitos, but there were a lot of grasshoppers and some flies from time to time.
The third shot shows the rest of my site that included a picnic table and a grill. In the photo you can see that I had a small cooler and I also had a water jug that held six gallons (23 liters)—many parts of the United States had been experiencing heat waves and I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of water in case I was stranded. You can also see my orange KIA Soul. I think that this was the only KIA Soul that I spotted when driving through North Dakota and Montana—most of the local folks seemed to be driving pickup trucks or large SUV’s.
I did not have a proper sleeping mat, but used a thick yoga mat, which did provide some cushioning from the hard ground. I had a blanket, sheet and pillow with me too and a sleeping bag. I did not think that I would need the sleeping bag, but the first night that I camped out, temperatures dropped to 44 degrees (7 degrees C), and I was able to snuggle up inside the sleeping bag.
In terms of cooking, I used a little camp stove with a propane/butane canister. The fourth photo shows my little setup as I boiled water to make instant oatmeal and instant coffee for breakfast one morning. I also had several boxes of granola bars on which I snacked throughout the day.
The final two photos shows views from the campsite. On the morning when it was cold, fog and mist were hanging over the Little Missouri River, which flowed very close to our location, and the surrounding area. The final shots shows the glow of the moon, which was almost full, just before it rose over the buttes in the distance. The lights in the right hand side of the image came from a row of cars that were heading in the direction of the park’s exit.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour of my modest camping setup. When I began my trip, I had no specific plans for camping, but brought along the gear so that I could do so if the right situation presented itself. I was really happy to find this gem of a National Park and would gladly return there in the future.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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Mike Powell 
Memorial Day 2024
Posted in Architecture, commentary, Nature, Photography, tagged Gettysburg Address, iPhone 11, Memorial Day 2024, Orkney Springs VA, Saint Francis of Assisi, Shrine Mont, Shrine Mont Retreat Center on May 27, 2024| 8 Comments »
Today in the United States we are commemorating Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor, mourn, and remember those who died while serving our country, especially in the armed forces. As some of you know, I spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and I personally feel a sense of gratitude to those who gave what Lincoln so poignantly called “the last full measure of devotion” in his address at Gettysburg in 1863. He challenged his listeners and continues to challenge us with these words, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
A little over a week ago I spent the weekend at a retreat at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, Virginia with a group from my church, St. Martin de Porres Episcopal Church. I was mostly unplugged all weekend in order to be more fully engaged with others and with the beautiful mountain setting. With my iPhone, though, I captured these images that give you a small sense of the beauty and serenity of Shrine Mont, including the outdoor cathedral that I visited each day in the early morning hours and at which we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with several other churches. Repeatedly throughout the weekend, I was captured by a sense of introspection and contemplation.
The third photo shows an extract from The Sermon to the Birds attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Here is the full text, “My little sisters, the birds, much bounden are ye unto God, your creator, and always in every place ought ye to praise him, for that he hath given you liberty to fly about everywhere, and hath also given you double and triple raiment; moreover he preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to him for the element of the air which he hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sow, God clotheth you, you and your children; wherefore your creator loveth you much, seeing that he hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praises unto God.”
Today is a day set aside for us be thankful, an attitude which I believe we should cultivate every day and not just on special holidays. I can’t help but think of the Bible verses (Thessalonians 5:16-18) that say, “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.” Not long ago I heard a sermon that has prompted me to look at that verse in a new way—the pastor reminded us that the verse says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. We definitely cannot control our circumstances, no matter how hard we try, but we can control our response to those circumstances.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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