Medora Musical: Wednesday, June 30th

Wimbledon is experiencing quite a few early upsets this year.  We were sad to see Federer lose in the quarters this morning but happy to see Murray make it through against Tsonga.  Given the exposure to tennis in the last few days, the kids went to the office to request tennis racquets and a ball, then headed over to the courts to play a little bit.  It was so hot though, half an hour was enough running around for them and they returned to the a/c of the camper, collapsing through the door, red-faced and begging for water!

We went to the community pool in the afternoon, which is kind of attached to the campground but open for use by anyone.  We had to pay a small $ amount for the privilege, given that the temperature was up to 95°, it was definitely worth it.  Unfortunately there was no shade so I curled myself up under the umbrella I brought with me!  About an hour after we arrived, a bus full of teenagers descended, I counted almost 60 of them, the pool was pretty small so with those people already in there, it left little water space once they all jumped in!  The kids didn’t seem to mind too much.  Instead of swimming, Jake went to play tennis against the wall; needless to say, he was a sweaty mess on his return!  This was another place with a bizarre rule of clearing the pool for 15 minutes every hour; Caitlin painted with water and the other two rested in the tiny bit of water by the side of the pool, on the hour, kids jumped in from every direction, it was chaos!

We all showered and smartened up before leaving for the Pitchfork Steak Fondue and Medora Musical.  The fondue location was on a bluff at the Tjaden Terrace, overlooking the picturesque badlands.  We arrived reasonably early (shocker!) and found a great seat to watch some of the Musical cast members sing some western melodies.  The nationally acclaimed Pitchfork Steak Fondue is a ‘traveler’s delight.’  Each evening the chefs load steaks onto pitchforks and fondue them western style – it was very cool to see lines of pitchforks with raw meat speared onto them (says the vegetarian!).  I ordered a meat option too because the kids generally prefer proper meat to the kiddie hot dog option - there were plenty of other things for them to enjoy too, including dessert.

Prior to the Musical, there was time to wander around, admiring the great views of Medora below.  Unfortunately, although we were only across the road from the campground, a large hill obscured our view of it, would’ve been neat to have taken a photo of our camper from this vantage point.  While we were taking a photo of the kids, a lady came over and told Nate this if he smiled well, she would give him a dollar!  It sure worked, he super-beamed but then the other kids were less than impressed!

The magazine’s paragraph on the Medora Musical: The all new Medora Musical will be performed nightly from June to September at 8:30pm.  Enjoy family entertainment while in the outdoor splendor of the North Dakota Badlands in the 2,852 seat Burning Hills Amphitheatre.  This professionally produced, high energy, Western style musical is proudly dedicated to the legacy of America’s 26^th President, Theodore Roosevelt, and the time he spent here in North Dakota’s Badlands.  Each show pays tribute to American patriotism and the old-west way of life.  Audiences are treated to an exciting array of song and dance routines performed by the Burning hills singers and accompanied by the on-stage band, the Coal Diggers.  The Musical is fun for the whole family and offers a breathtaking extravaganza of fireworks, horses, and outstanding professional entertainment.  Kids are invited on stage to join in the fun at every performance.

While we were waiting for the show to start, we watched a couple of elk in the fields behind the stage.  A short while before it began, a cowboy on horseback came through and moved them along, we were to realize later the next day that they were moved along for good reason.  

Throughout the awesome first half, in which the kids were called up on stage, we were also treated to a massive lightening storm taking place in the background.  The sky got gradually darker towards intermission and by the time the break arrived, small raindrops started falling.  We were all hopeful that the storm would pass but after a few minutes, the director came on to announce that the storm was definitely heading our way and they would have to cancel the rest of the performance.  We filed out with the masses and sat in the truck while Dave took pictures and videoed the incoming spectacular storm!  Thankfully we arrived back at the camper just in time to escape the worst of the rain.