The Badlands of North Dakota — Streaming Sunsets

(Originally posted by Sandra on Facebook on September 1, 2026)

Nature, Entertainment and Education

Heading east from Montana toward Minot, we made a two night stop in Medora, ND.

Monday 8/18

Leaving Montana, we crossed the North Dakota state line marking a new state for us. Arriving mid afternoon, we got settled at a Rough Rider State Park just south of the western town of Medora.

We needed to get settled quickly as we had a show to get to, The Medora Musical.

This summer, the musical was celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States as well as making note of the accomplishments of Theodore Roosevelt. The show was fun! The adorable stage opened up to the spectacular scenery just as the sunset.

The cast of the Medora Musical in denim and red, white and blue on the open-air stage, backed by a painted Western storefront set under the Blackstone Ranch arch — The Medora Musical — a Western main street that opens to the buttes behind it

The next morning, August 19, we set out to explore the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We stopped at the south visitor center, gathered information about the park and stamped our book. We drove the 36 mile scenic loop from the south entrance. We spent most of the day exploring the Badlands of North Dakota that Roosevelt loved, escaped to and hunted.

Layered badlands stretching to the horizon in bands of rust, cream and pale green, cut by ravines and dotted with juniper — The country Roosevelt loved, escaped to, and hunted

Tom and Sandra in sun hats at an overlook, the Little Missouri River winding through the badlands below and behind them — Above a bend in the Little Missouri

We scoped out the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. After having dinner back at the campsite, we returned to the National Park to take in the sunset. The colors of the landscape lit up magically.

The sun dropping behind a flat-topped butte in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, rays fanning up through pink and gold cloud, sagebrush in the foreground — Worth going back for

Our last morning in Medora, we visited the newly opened (7/4/2026) Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. We had an absolute ball interacting with and exploring the exhibits.

The entrance wall of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, dark lettering on vertical wood slats beneath a curved timber ceiling — Opened July 4, 2026

A sepia-toned image of Sandra in a period gown stepping up into a horse-drawn carriage on a cobblestone Manhattan street — One of the library’s exhibits drops you into Roosevelt’s New York — these two portraits are AI-generated by the museum, not photographs

A sepia-toned image of Tom in a period suit standing in an open motorcar, hat raised to a crowd on a Manhattan street — Tom, working the crowd

We are so grateful for his love of nature and his forward thinking to preserve and protect our nation’s most beautiful landscapes for future generations.

A darkened curved gallery wall carrying Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech in raised letters, lit so the words catch the light — “It is not the critic who counts…”

The Library’s architecture blends perfectly with the landscape, creating public spaces that encourage one to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. We wished we had allowed more time to enjoy the outdoor spaces that were so thoughtfully laid out in front of us.

Medora is a small town that caters to summer travelers. Let’s just say, Medora has figured out how to manage thousands of visitors arriving daily to enjoy the musical, the National Park and the Presidential Library. In our opinion, if your travels take you near North Dakota, add Medora to your list.