Cruised into rugged Medora, ND on Thursday with a plan to stay an extra day. The town and the beautiful Badlands region are all about Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and what formed him as one of the most fascinating U.S. presidents. His famous mantra “Sound body, sound mind” has stuck in my head from the first time I heard it. The area is chock full including the Teddy Roosevelt National Park, the Medora Musical and the Maah Daah Hey Trail, a mountain biking gem of the region. Check out Medora, it is quite place that owes so much to an individual benefactor Harold Schafer. It’s also home to Joe Wiegand, the sought-after TR impersonator who travels all around the country for historical and entertainment events. More on Joe later!
I timed my recess well as Friday was expected to be over 102 degrees. Despite the opportunity to sleep in and stay cool, I hopped out of bed for a guided morning hike with the head of the Medora Foundation, Randy Hatzenbuhler. Two words to describe Randy…total dude. He is a ND native and has devoted many years to serving Medora. When it came time to establish the TR Presidential Library, Randy was tapped to help raise the first $150M of private funding. He is so genuine and nice, our small group of hikers left full of admiration. The Library will open on July 4, 2026, our country’s 250th Anniversary, with a total investment of $450M. Hard to wrap your head around but it speaks to the importance of TR’s legacy as The Conservation President and Medora as the location. Friday afternoon, while just hanging out blogging in my hotel lobby, TR aka Joe walked in to visit with a family friend next to whom I was sitting. He’s in and out of character so much that you just accept this is Joe…or TR. He was enamored with my bike and sat with his friend and me for over an hour chatting about my trip and their lives in North Dakota. Closed out my Medora sojourn by hitting the entertaining Musical on Friday night in the beautiful, elevated amphitheater. As I reflected on my last night in North Dakota, the people here just love their home state…funny enough, so do I.
