-- North Unit of Theadore Roosevelt National Park --
The North Unit of the Theadore Roosevelt National Park has much of the same wildlife as what I saw in the South Unit yesterday, and has similar badlands with stratified buttes and hills, but in addition, the North Unit has spectacular views overlooking the Little Missouri River.
I seemed to be the only one awake when I left my campsite in the Juniper campground early this morning and started driving along the North Unit's 14 mile scenic drive (28 miles round trip).
One of the first things I heard and saw was a helicopter in the distance that was flying low and causing a herd of bison to stampede. I wondered if the herd had gotten too close to the park boundaries, but I later learned that the boundaries are all fenced, and that the rangers started a bison roundup today.
I found out about the roundup this afternoon, when I stopped at the visitor center on my way out of the park. A sign posted at the visitor center warned visitors that this week is the bison roundup. A ranger explained to me that a bison roundup is like a cattle roundup. They get a head count of the bison and do a health check on each of the bison in the park.
All of the bison in the park are herded into a corral, and a veterinarian checks each of their health as they pass through the chute. I imagine the herding could take awhile, as the park is pretty big and the bison are spread out. The bison run away from the helicopter, though, so that helps. I didn't get a good photo of the herd being chased, but I got one of the helicopter, flying low.
I stopped at some overlooks as I drove to the far end of the scenic road, at the Oxbow overlook. The overlook has a sheltered viewing area a short distance from the parking lot.
I think I read that the flat grey rock on top of the mountain just beyond the overlook, on the left in the photo below, is bentonite clay from ancient volcano ash.
The overlook parking lot is a trailhead for a couple of trails, and I hiked one of them. There were wild turkeys near the trailhead.
The trail I took went through grassland, and a few bison were grazing in the distance. I was glad that they didn't move in my direction. I didn't want to have to find another way back to my car.
A small snake was lying in the trail, and I was able to get around it. I don't know what kind of snake it is. I was going to show the photo to a ranger, but I forgot.
One of the stops along the road had the sign I've included below. It explains that the central plains are in the rain shadow of the rocky mountains, which draw the moisure out of the air. The moisture falls as rain and snow in the mountains, leaving the plains dry. Shortgrass prairies are shown in yellow, mixed-grass prairies in light green, and tallgrass prairies in dark green -- based on the amount of moisture they get. The park is in the mixed-grass region.
I saw grasses of different types and lengths along the hike.
There were also groves of aspen trees. The aspens seem to grow in creases or depressions in the terrain... possibly because the soil is less exposed to the sun and retains more moisture?
I saw bushes with small berries among the grasses alongside the trail, and wild roses with just the red rose hips remaining.
The trail offers a nice view of the oxbow bend in the Little Missouri River.
I did an out-and-back hike, and opted not to descend into the river valley.
One of the other stops along the scenic drive has a hillside with round stones called "cannonball concretions". The concretions can actually take on a variety of shapes -- not just round cannonballs. They are formed when mineral rich water seeps into porous rock and binds the sediments together around a core. They build outwards, like a pearl, and get exposed when softer materials around them erode.
Another sign at one of the stops discussed "slump blocks". When the Little Missouri River was flowing through and carving out the buttes in this area a long time ago, sometimes it undercut the river banks. The area above the undercut was then unsupported, slumped (i.e., slid or fell) into the river channel.
The fallen mass retained the same layers of strata when it fell, and you can see the strata repeated on smaller mounds, in front of and below, the buttes behind them.
For example, look at the lower hills that repeat the layers of strata found higher on the mountain in the photo below.
The black layer is Lignite Coal, which is a soft coal. I touched it and it pretty much fell apart in my hands.
The blue-gray layer is bentonite clay, which can absorb several times its volume in water, and often expands and flows down hillsides. Below is an example I of bentonite clay that saw on the ground.
-- Drive to Williston, ND --
I don't think I mentioned that I saw a lot of oil fields in the midst of farmland when I drove from the South Unit to the North Unit yesterday. The same was true while driving from the North Unit to the town of Williston, North Dakota.
One of the towns I passed through on my way to Williston was Alexander, North Dakota. As I entered town, I saw this billboard with the ten commandments.
-- Williston, ND, and "The Overnighters" Movie --
Williston and the surrounding area was mainly agricultural until the practice of fracking brought about an oil boom to the region.
I remember watching a documentary movie about Williston several years ago. The movie's title is "The Overnighters", and it was produced in 2014 by Jesse Moss. It tells about men from all over the nation who heard about the oil boom and well paying jobs in the oil fields, and came to Williston looking for work.
Many of the men left their families behind, hoping to get hired and send money back to their family. Unfortunately, the there were more newcomers than jobs, and many ended up being penniless and homeless. Those who were able to get work often didn't have a place to stay.
The minister of the Concordia Lutheran Church opened the church to many of the men, letting them sleep in cots, on the floors, and in their cars in the parking lot. He also provided meals.
I don't remember all the details, but the pastor was a do-gooder and had good intentions. The townspeople were concerned, with good reason, about some of the men and their history. The fire martial was also concerned about having all the men overnight in the building.
It was an interesting movie, and a real life story that has an unexpected twist at the end. I won't tell you more, in case you want to watch the movie. The movie is rated PG-13. It is available on Tubi TV, among other places. I watched it on my Roku a few years ago.
When I got to Williston, I drove by the Concordia Lutheran Church and the parking lot, and took a few photos. It reminded me of the movie. The movie was my first exposure to Williston and some of the complications brought on by the North Dakota oil boom.
Due to Williston's history with homelessness issues that were brought out in the movie, I was a little apprehensive about finding a place to sleep in my car tonight! I saw several other cars and trucks in the Walmart parking lot tonight, so I am joining them.
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