Today was our last full day in Medora and as fun as this town is, there is only so much to do, especially when it is hot and the town pool opted to stay closed for the season. We had a couple of things left on our to-do list and then we planned to make a run to the booming metropolis of Dickinson, ND to go to Walmart.
Our first order of business was to stop by the National Park visitor center and seal the deal on our Junior Ranger program. Remember how they gave us just one book and I made the notes? They also told us to not do a ranger led activity because all of those were canceled. Well, we completed our book, minus a hike (there aren’t very many and the weather was dreadfully hot, but we did drive through the entire park and got out at several places) and Levi even did some of the activities in the older age group because he wanted to.
As we entered the visitor center, one member of our party was in desperate need of an attitude adjustment, so John and Levi went ahead without us for a moment. When Trista and I returned, John was demanding to have a comment card or see the ranger’s supervisor. I wasn’t sure what had gone down, but I could tell John was HOT. He walked away and told me I could deal with it. It was a good thing he didn’t tell me what she had said before he left, but she was very terse with us, but finally signed off and honestly they had one of the cutest ranger pledges I had heard, but I was only half listening because the ranger hadn’t been very nice to us and I knew something had happened with John…
RANT Let me say this about that and I very well may write a letter to the National Park Service, because I feel very passionately about this… Apparently, the ranger opened the book and we genuinely did everything that was required of us plus some, but there were a lot of graphics in the book and places to write in answers (which were in my handwriting because we were only allowed one book)… She may have asked Levi something, but he froze up because he was intimidated by someone in uniform behind a big plexiglass shield and this ranger said to John, “Did you even go into the park?” OK, my personal philosophy that I believe aligns with the intent of the Junior Ranger program is that we want kids to learn. Sometimes learn a little, sometimes learn a lot, have an experience and hopefully enjoy learning. This is a Junior freaking Ranger program, DO not make anyone feel like we are defending a thesis. Dear Rangers, you have the power to make or break an experience. We did the book, we went through the park, we had a great time, we are not trying to steal your little plastic badge – I promise (even though I am sure you have encountered folks who are)! If a child does not perform to your expectations, PLEASE do not question their motives or intentions, you know NOTHING about my child’s educational background or ability, you know NOTHING about how intimidating you may or may not be when you ask questions from a position of authority. PLEASE feel free to ask my children questions like, “Did you learn something?” “What did you learn?” “Did you like the park?” “Would you tell a friend to come here? Why or why not?” Please do not grill them on the content of the booklet as I have seen my children answer questions thoroughly and thoughtfully and then clam up in the presence of a ranger asking the same question. Now, we have encountered MANY rangers who are fun and positive and supportive and have given my kids goodies along with the badge or handed us the badges and told us to go ahead and give them the badges when we were done. These are the majority of rangers. However, the two that we have encountered that were mean and intimidating (even to me as an adult) or questioned our authenticity are, in my opinion, out of line and should not be allowed to ruin this experience for any child! END RANT
After this, we wandered over to Chimney park. This town was founded by the Marquis de Mores, who named the town after his wife. In the center of town he had a meat packing facility, that ultimately went bust and sometime later was lost to fire, but some of the foundation and the chimney still remain.
From there we were trying to decide whether or not to visit the summer home of the Marquis. The whole experience would have cost $23 and at this point we were seriously debating. Ultimately, we decided to experience what we could while we are here. John went into the place where you get the tickets (and then you drive up to the residence) and they asked if he was a veteran or anything and he said that he was. She asked for some kind of proof and he pulled out a copy of his DD214 and thought, ‘wow, that’s pretty intense for 10% off of a ticket, but whatever…’
She then handed back the paperwork and the receipt and said, “Thank you, you will be our guests today!” And did not charge for any of us!
Can you believe that I took a picture of this receipt and NOT a single picture of the dang house?? LOL (stole one off the internet for the top of this blog post) The house was basically a shack of a summer home compared to their primary residence in France. This house was HUGE and quite luxurious and fancy for the time and for North Dakota. The last summer they were there, they planned to return, but the business then failed and they did not come back meaning that there was a TON of original furnishings and dishes and water and wine bottles all through the house. It was worth the price of admission!
From there, we booked it out to Dickinson, ND to go to Walmart. Yay! Please leave a note in the comments if you would like more details about this visit! It was HOT!
After Walmart, everyone was hungry, so we set out for food. The kids wanted Subway and John wanted Qdoba. I just want to point out this picture. We are in Dickinson, ND. There are about 20,000 people in this town, there are less than a million people in the entire state. This Qdoba is not equipped for you to order food on their app, not even now, 4 months into a pandemic where most food is ordered via app. BUT look at all these shiny, Tesla charging stations! Maybe they know something I don’t know, but we didn’t roll up next to any Teslas on this journey.
From Qdoba, we went over to Subway (hot, cranky and having just been at Walmart) and discovered that Subway is conveniently located right next to House of Booze! Yes, please! We don’t generally travel with alcohol in Romeo Victor, but today, we fixed that!