Weather: 80s and lovely
 Location: Medora, ND
 Highlights: PItchfork Fondue, Musical
 Lowlights: Leaving Medora
 #of Swearwords: 1 accidental on the toilet
 People we met: An older couple traveling across country from Florida even as far as Banff, Vancouver and Seattle in a motorhome. She said she only said to fly her home once. haha
 Activities: Medora Musical, Pitchfork Steak Fondue
 Hotel: Americinn Medora
 Helpful hint: Order Medora Musical tickets ahead of time. Get to Pitchfork fondue a little early before the AARP bus shows up. Restaurants: Pitchfork Fondue
 
 Sorry for the delay in writing if you are a loyal follower. Yesterday we left Medora. Medora was a great place. Thanks to my friend Michelle who suggested it. It is an old western town founded in the late 1800s by a Frenchman and named after his wife. Later Teddy Roosevelt visited while hunting in North Dakota. He loved the area so much that he decided to start a conservation movement when he became President. He established most of the National Parks in our country today. Another man (?) came in and restored the town and its old hotels to what it is today. Still old feel but with modern amenities. 

You can stay at the Rough Riders hotel. Aside from the ghostly boy wandering the halls of the 3rd floor, we needed a room that would fit all five of us so we stayed at the Americinn. It is a chain but we didn't feel at all left out of the old west feel and still got a giant room that had a king bed, two twin pull out couches and a whirlpool hot tub. Free breakfast too. 

We took a stroll through the little town of Medora. Shops, shooting galleries, museums and restaurants. We had evening plans for the PItchfork Fondue (steak cooked on a pitchfork) and buffet for dinner. It was deeelicious and fun. It was outside high up over looking the badlands with a country band playing. Much nicer and yummier than I expected. Apparently the AARP crew thinks so too. They will blatantly cut the line knowing I'm not going to take down a geriatric. Everyone loved the ribs, chicken, steak, baked beans, etc. and the atmosphere. 

After dinner we had tickets to the outdoor show, Medora Musical. "The Best Show in the West". We happened to be here on its 50th anniversary. There was singing, dancing, comedy and some horses. The boys (all 3) were done with the singing and dancing after about two songs but everyone loved the well-known comedian, Jeff Nease. We got lucky on that one. It was his last night. Oh and on Wednesdays in the summer, kids are free. Got lucky there too. The comedian was hilarious. At the end of the show, they light up the actual mountains behind the stage with an American Flag and sho nuff there was a deer dead middle of the mountain. Picture perfect. Everyone thought it was fake until it mosied on back up the bluff and disappeared. Everyone had a blast. It was a great way to get a feel for the west and the history of where we were, in Medora. 

 Thanks Michelle for both the dinner and show idea!

Before we headed out in the morning....warning TMI moment....I was going to the bathroom just before the kids woke up...or so I thought. The toilet was inches from the bathtub. All was peaceful until....Ben burst out of the shower making some animal growling sound. All I saw was brown hair and a growling sound. Scared the pants off me, well....scared the poop out of me. He had to be in there for at least 5 minutes because I didn't see him go in and I thought he was in his bed that I walked past. Too funny.

In the morning, we checked out and headed into Theodore National Park. The entrance is right in Medora. Amazingly beautiful. The layers of rock mountains are so beautiful. We fell upon a prairie dog town. Pretty cool to see them in their natural habitat. They are loud, chirping, and very active. I could have watched them all day. Great day.

On to Billings, Mt. 3.5 hours. Another awesome day.