Triple digits! The temp flashed 111 degrees as we took the exit to Medora, and ultimately the Medora Musical. The weather service had predicted 107 degrees for a high temperature, but more often than not they miss their predicted high. 103, 105…hot? Yes, but Medora is always a bit warmer than the rest of North Dakota.

Then a text message flashed on my phone. The start of the Medora Musical would be delayed until 8 PM, MDT. Yep, it’s serious now folks. Arriving at our hotel I said a quick prayer hoping that our rooms would be cleaned and ready for move in. Never, you are thinking. Well, that is what I thought, too. But nope, not only were our rooms ready for check-in, but upon entering our room, the air conditioning, although I am sure it was working overtime, had the temperature at a very cool and comfortable 66 degrees. Heck, I even found the thermostat and turned it up a couple of degrees.

The only disadvantage of our room was that even opening the door for just a couple of seconds would expose us to the blast furnace that was the now 110 degree temp outside. Coupled with the southwest wind your decision was almost always a quick return to cooler confines of your hotel room.

What could I say about Thursday’s weather in Medora? I remember a couple of appropriate sayings. Harold from the Statler Brothers (Harold is now deceased) once said from the stage at a concert that he was “hot-ed to death”. And then there’s the infamous “you could fry and egg on the sidewalk” saying. And finally, the old folks back in my hometown would talk about days when “an ice cube didn’t stand a chance.” All of those certainly seemed appropriate.

We had great seats at the Medora Musical, right down by the stage. My friend, Joe Wiegand is a major player at the musical this year in the part of Teddy Roosevelt, or TR. Once they turned on the stage lights, I could feel the additional heat radiate towards us. You had to feel sorry for the cast of the musical, knowing that the heat, wind and stage lights would make tonight’s performance a challenge.

As usual, we enjoyed the musical, and eventually it cooled off to 97 degrees. Once the sun went down it started to cool down, of course in relative terms. At the end of the show, I shook hands with Joe, (ah-er, Teddy Roosevelt). The sweat was literally pouring off his face.

For those who haven’t wandered west to the Medora Musical, I highly recommend you choose a little more temperate day and book your tickets. Our stay included the Pitchfork Steak Fondue and Gospel Brunch. The scenic drive through Teddy Roosevelt national park is certainly a “must do” experience. This trip we were fortunate to see some of the wild horses that call the national park their home.

Joe also has a show as the infamous Teddy Roosevelt afternoons in downtown Medora, and although I haven’t had a chance to take it in, he also does Breakfast with the President. All in all, a great North Dakota mini-vacation.

A Changing Tapestry
If you haven’t noticed the North Dakota landscape is quickly turning from vast field of green, to the now amber waves of grain. The other notable landscape is the now 6-8 foot (and even taller) fields of corn. Soon harvest will begin. We were also aware of the now second crops of hay that were being cut in the many miles of ditches. Bales remained along many of the roads from what was a great first cutting in much of North Dakota. Again, thinking back to my younger days, we would have larger stacks of hay bales, kind of a “just case” reserve for next year if the hay crop was not as good.

Is It One of Ours?
I will close this week’s article with a bit of a story. Friday morning’s weather in Medora was much more conducive to sitting down on a park bench in the shade while my family wandered the shops in downtown Medora.

I was reading about the Russian and Chinese bombers that were intercepted while they tested the U.S. air defense system near Alaska. There was also a story about a B52 that made a trip to the Persian Gulf. In total, the mission was 32 hours.
I always glean through stories to see if it was a B52 stationed at Minot that was part of the BTF (Bomber Task Force). Today I was talking out loud to myself, and another elderly gentlemen who was sitting next to me said “why don’t they retire those dinosaurs?” I had a myriad of answers for him but told him of the many stories I heard about the B52’s flying these missions, and how their presence was certainly noted by both our allies and our adversaries. And, how the men and women of Minot AFB keep these “dinosaurs” mission ready, 24/7. Quietly I return to my cell phone and see that the B52 that flew the mission was from Barksdale. Nope, this time it wasn’t one of ours. But it certainly could have been.

Best Kept Secrets
This isn’t necessarily a “Best Kept Secret”, but worthy of noting. On at least 2 different occasions during the Medora Musical, TR will raise his right hand and boldly end the historical statement with a shout of Bully! We who are frequent visitors to 91st Missile Wing events respond loudly back “Bully!” So, what does Bully mean? According to Joe Wiegand, TR used it as a proclamation of superb, or wonderful. Bully, by all counts, was started by TR in 1903.
To the Airmen of the 91st MW- BULLY!!!

Today’s Chuckle
If you really want to know how a person acts under pressure, watch them while they help their kid with a science project.