Buffalo = Bison

After leaving the exciting town of Fargo, we headed across the prairies of North Dakota towards Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). Along the way we stopped at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Point where we learned about how native Americans from the region used their resources of flint to trade with other tribes throughout the entire west.

Teddy Roosevelt National Park is the location of North Dakota’s bad lands. While beautiful on its own right, the sudden contrast with the rest of the environment makes it that much more interesting. We drove through miles and miles of rolling hills of wheat and sunflowers then all of a sudden this spectacular landscape explodes before you.

After pulling in and setting up camp, we were told that a bison was down at the other end of the campground.





No kidding. He was that close. Buffalo (AKA bison) used to roam the prairies in the herds of millions, but they were driven very close to extinction in the 19th century. We managed to see a herd of about 20 or so, but with all the fences put up throughout the country, the days of the roaming buffalo herds are long gone.



On Friday morning, we talked to a ranger to confirm that trail running in the park was not that risky. As long as we gave the bison a wide berth and kept an eye out for rattlesnakes we would probably be ok. After parting ways with Meg, I saw some wild horses and a bunch of prairie dogs. It was great to enjoy this awesome landscape away from the crowds of tourists and the roads.