Should Have Bought a Topographical Map

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One thing became clear while we were in the Black Hills - we need a new car battery. After having it die once before in Ontario, and almost again in remote forests of the South Dakota, we made it a top priority to get one at our next opportunity. So, that opportunity arriving in Spearfish, SD, we were put a little off our intended schedule and had some ground to cover. What was originally going to be an overnight at Devil’s Tower turned into a day trip, and since neither of us are rock climbers, we both agree that’s all we needed anyhow. Besides, even if we were climbers, there is a voluntary climbing ban on half the monument for the month of June in deference to Native American ceremonies, and a mandatory ban on the rest of it due to breeding nests of falcons.

The monument is most famously associated with the Steve Spielberg movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and sure enough, that's pretty much what it looks like--a giant pillar of rock rising abruptly from the surrounding ranch land. There are several different versions of the monuments creation, all of which are rather interesting. The Kiowa Legend tells of seven girls playing near some big rocks when a bear began to chase them. They climbed up on the rocks, and the Great Spirit, noticing they were in danger, caused the rock to rise out of the ground until they were pushed up into the heavens as stars. The bear continued to scratch at the rock, creating the deep grooves we see today. Geologists tell us the rock was formed from an intrusion of igneous molten rock into the earths crust. As the surrounding landscape eroded away, the hard igneous rock withstood the weathering now appears to rise out from the plains below. As the lava cooled, hexagonal columns formed and began to fracture of. From afar, the columns look small, but the closer we came, the larger we realized the columns to be. We chose to take the 1.3 mi (2km) Tower Trail that circumnavigates the base of the monument itself. With each changing position of the sun and angle, the monument takes on an entirely different facade. We particularly liked the view from the south side; it seemed the most impressive. There was no one climbing the monument the day we were there, but some still choose to make the ascent even with the voluntary ban in place, a topic that everyone seems to have a very strong opinion about either for or against. On the east side, we saw the remains of the wooden ladder used to first ascend the monument in 1893 and marveled at the falcons circling overhead as we moved around to the north. The walk wasn't difficult, but it was nearing lunch time and was fairly hot so as we left the town we stopped in for some ice-cream, which was ridiculously expensive, so instead we bought two ice-cold sasparillas. I guess you could just call it rootbeer, but sasparilla makes it seem so much more "Western."

By this time it became clear that we weren't going to make it to Yellowstone by nightfall. We'd be lucky to make it there tomorrow so we pushed on. We reached Big Horn mountain as the sun was beginning to set. We diverted off to a campsite at the base of the mountain, but once we arrived it didn't look promising. I think it was intended for hunters, something we didn't want to find out for ourselves. Once we started climbing towards the pass, the temperature dropped dramatically. Snow was still lining the sides of the road. Andras was having to be particularly careful of the deer grazing in the nearby meadows; several times we had to slow as one ran on or off the highway. The sun was almost below the horizen by the time we reached the summit. Several times on the way up we pulled off into a campsite intending to stay the night, only to push on further until we dropped back down to where the temperatures weren't so bitterly cold. We were definitely not prepared to spend the night at temperatures below freezing. What was a long drive up was too short a drive down. The incline was steep and as we made our way down the pass in the dark we could smell the burning heat coming off the brakes. Several times we had to pull off to let the brakes cool lest they give out completely and we plummet down the mountain uncontrolled.

It was nearing midnight by the time we descended but now that we were out of Big Horn National Forest, campsites were further and few between. We found out later that we'd passed Medicine Wheel up on the mountain, a National Historic Landmark recognized by the Native Americans, but it was dark. The map showed a National Recreation Area about an hour further so we rolled the windows down to wake ourselves up and continued driving. The entrance to BigHorn NRA was not well marked and we overshot by 30 minutes before backtracking. If felt like we were in the middle of no-where. An automated fee collector didn't mention any camping fees, so I just threw our park pass on the dashboard and hoped for the best. The winds were getting stronger as the night wore on. We found the flattest spot we could find in the dark, but pitching the tent on chipped rock and sagebrush in the windstorm was no easy task. To save time we decided not to deal with the air-mattress and to just thrown the foam on the ground but no matter where we positioned it, something hard was poking out somewhere. I'm surprised either of us slept at all as the wind continued to assault us through the night. We awoke to find our tent poles permanently bent and didn't waste any time breaking camp. It's already Thursday and if we want to have any chance of finding a decent campsite at Yellowstone we need to arrive as soon as we can. Once the weekend hits, we both know our chances will not be good. We're both hungry but don't want to stop to prepare something so I get some hot water at a gas station in Lovell while Andras fills the take and make instant oatmeal in some cups we have in front seat.

We headed into Montana on Highway 310 and looped back south towards Red Lodge. It's a cute town--definitely has either a lot of visitors or a lot of well-to-do individuals which is a stark contrast to the farming and ranching communities we'd been driving through. This was our last chance to stop before Yellowstone. I'd read that Bear Tooth highway, which runs from Red Lodge into Yellowstone, was one of the most breathtaking drives in the country, so we had to plan it into our route. The reports I'd read were not wrong, but they did fail to mention how steep and narrow the roads were! We zig-zagged our way up...and up...and up...until it felt as though we'd fall off the earth. I'm not afraid of heights, and even though we were technically on solid ground I must admit it was a bit nerve-wracking! I simply cannot imagine being part of the Army Corp of Engineers that put this road through back in the 30s. At its peak, the pass reaches 10974 feet. I believe it's safe to say this will be the highest elevation we'll reach this summer---at least I hope so! Luckily we didn't have to drop back down because I'm quite sure the breaks wouldn't have made it. Andras geared down for much of the descent which wasn't as bad as going up since Yellowstone is also at altitude. Honestly, the past 24 hours have given us some of the most stressful driving conditions. I hope this is the worst of it.

We're finally approaching Yellowstone. It seems like this is the half-way point of our trip, even though we've barely just begun.

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Photos

Prayer Bundles
These bundles of cloth, feathers and tobacco are physical and symbolic prayers of the National American peoples of the area.

Sunset
Outside Big Horn National Forest

BearTooth Pass
Beartooth Highway as it winds through the mountains at 10,00ft