Except for the beautiful Yellowstone/Grand Teton corner, Wyoming has never really been near the top of our favorite-places list. We just haven't found much of the rest of it to be our kind of place. But we kind of forgot about the national monument called Devil's Tower. To be more accurate, we didn't actually forget, we just forgot it was in Wyoming. Because when we went to see it, we were staying in Sturgis South Dakota. It was an easy day-trip from our RV Park, through farmlands and plains and across the pioneer Bismark Trail.
The Tower rises 1600+ feet above the Belle Fourche River, and so we were reminded about our 2004 visit just this past spring, when we stayed one night in the town of Belle Fourche, South Dakota. We remembered that we'd stopped there before on our way to the tower. We'd wondered then how to pronounce the name. ( Click here to see how and to read about our adventure there.)
President Theodore Roosevelt named Devil's Tower the first National Monument in 1906. The Park covers over 1300 acres of pine forests, woodlands (a rarity in this part of the country) and grasslands. As you can imagine, it is a prime location for rock climbers. We don't climb, but we hiked the 2-mile trail around the base, admiring how the Tower view changes on every side.
The Tower is a sacred site for regional American Indian tribes and it is closed during the month of June when there are ceremonial tribal gatherings. We were there in August and saw remnants of the prayer cloths used in these ceremonies.
Devil's Tower was an interesting and educational place to visit and a perfect day trip from Sturgis.
And I really feel bad that we've never given Wyoming credit for this scenic corner until until now.
What a great place! Looks like it has a lot of character.
Posted by: BPOTW | September 20, 2009 at 07:33 PM
Thanks for visiting Buttercup! We'll be here in Oregon for a while, but there will be some daytrips. We plan to start our Fall roadtrip in November.
S
Posted by: Sallie | September 14, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Just discovered you blog. Can't wait to travel with you!
Posted by: Buttercup | September 13, 2009 at 07:27 PM
Thank you Eileen and Joe.
Joe, Don't let my impressions of Wyoming stop you from looking forward to going there. You can read some about some of my reasoning on our other posts about the State (click on Wyoming under categories).
Posted by: Sallie | September 13, 2009 at 03:26 PM
Enjoyed the photos and commentary. I have a romantic view of Wyoming and found your comment about "it not being your kind of place" interesting.What is it about Wyoming other than the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area that you are not particularly fond of? I have not been to Wyoming but if I go the info could be very helpful. Thanks Joe Todd
Posted by: Joe Todd | September 13, 2009 at 08:30 AM
Great pictures of the Devil's Tower. It looks like you two are having the times of your life. I love traveling and visiting the parks. Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting.
Posted by: Eileen | September 12, 2009 at 03:09 PM
TypePad HTML EmailThanks Chatty -- it was a great spot. I'm off to look at your blog nnow.
Posted by: Sallie (FullTime-Life) | September 11, 2009 at 11:23 AM
TypePad HTML EmailHi Pat. Sure, feel free to use the "Friday Flashback". We started blogging somewhere around three years ago and we've been full-timing since 2003. So at first many ,if not most, of my posts were old stories. I do a little better keeping up with our real-time travels now, but sometimes there is still one I forgot about or just want to say more on.
I'm honored you'd like to be a follower of fullTime-Life and I don't know if Typepad supports that, but I will research it and let you know.
Posted by: Sallie (FullTime-Life) | September 11, 2009 at 11:21 AM
It's fun to see the places you've traveled - we've been to some of them, too. We winter in Mesa, AZ. This year we are going early, from 11/1-4/1. But we are stopping in Albuquerque for the annual hot air balloon fiesta. I'm so excited! We've never been there during the fiesta. Great photo ops!
I really like your idea of "Flashback Friday". Do you mind if I use it? I just started blogging almost a year ago (NOV). We've been full timing for 4 1/2 years. Before blogging, I kept a journal on the Good Sam site for friends and relatives to read.
I'm trying to see how I can become a follower of your blog. Is it possible?
Posted by: Pat | September 11, 2009 at 07:01 AM
That looks like a wonderful place to visit.
Posted by: Chatty Crone | September 11, 2009 at 04:27 AM