Day 14 - Six Degrees of Chatham — North Dakota Edition
October 2nd, 2025
Painted Horses and Prairie Skies
We get an early start for the Royals (10 a.m.!) with the morning fog hanging over the far side of the giant Lake Sakakawea, but crisp, clear skies on ours. Next stop: Watford, ND — the North Entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, about 220 miles away.
Once again, we roll past endless stretches of farmland and cattle ranches growing corn, sunflowers, soybeans, and hay as far as the eye can see. But as we get closer to Watford, the landscape starts to change — oil wells now dot the horizon, some with small flames burning off natural gas. This is indeed the “High Roller Plains.” Everyone’s driving shiny new trucks and SUVs, and every ranch looks perfectly manicured and well-kept.
Soon, we’re spotting signs for the park, and with our National Park Pass hanging proudly from the mirror, we cruise past the closed welcome station (thanks to the federal government shutdown). The North Unit covers over 70,000 acres — created in 1935 as the Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area and later designated a National Park in 1978.
The winding road leads us through stunning, rugged terrain — spectacular vistas around every curve. Eventually, we make our way to the South Unit, where we’re greeted by prairie dogs, bison, and even wild horses. These horses, believed to be descendants of Sitting Bull’s herd and related to the Nokota breed, roam freely across the rough, open landscape.
We follow the Little Missouri River as it winds through the park, spotting more bison cooling off along its banks. By late afternoon, we reach the small town of Medora near the South Unit entrance. We stop at Boots Restaurant for an early dinner — bison meatballs and an elk burger for me, Brussels sprouts for Jess, plus a cold local beer (for me) and a margarita for the queen. The friendly local girls running the bar made us feel right at home.
Before long, we’re headed just 10 minutes outside of town to Boots Campground (yep, same guy). It’s a tiny spot, and after one slow lap around, we find our site and back in beside an RV with Massachusetts plates. Out step Mark, a recently retired Delta pilot, and his wife Karen, a retired schoolteacher from Osterville. When we tell them we’re from Chatham, they can’t believe it. Turns out, Karen’s mother once had a house in Chatham, and she and Mark even had their engagement party at the Bovey House in the early ’80s.
Small world!
We chat for a while, swatting flies and swapping stories, then retire to our RVs as the sun sets over the North Dakota horizon. Another full day of adventure is in the books for the Royals.
What a beautiful country we live in. 😎🍺
