Blogs from Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, United States, North America

Such an amazing morning. Took a two hour drive to Wyoming to visit Devil’s Tower. I have always been a fan of Stephen Spielburg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind And wanted to go there. To be able to be up close and personal with the monument, hike 1.6 miles around the whole base, see people climbing up to the summit and smell the Ponderosa pines was a dream come true. We learned so many interesting things. Devil’s Tower started out as a magma plug in a volcano that never erupted. As it cooled inside the chamber, long columns formed around the edges. The whole structure was covered by land mud and slit over the following millions of years, and then through erosion by winds and water emerged as what is seen today. The Native Americans ... read more

Can you believe this is what we woke up to this morning...Richard Dreyfuss was no where in sight...and after we traveled so far!!! Anyway, I guess 40 years is a little to long to stay on site. Al & Sue heading for Billings this morning to find local authorized Winnebago dealer to fix their hot water heater. Tom & Peggy have decided to keep them company and provide shelter & solace in case they have to leave RV at the service dealer. Tom & Peggy have already seen Little Bighorn National Monument, so won't be missing anything. If all goes well with the water heater fix, hopefully, The 3 From Naples will meet up this evening in Cody, WY. Dorrie off on our own to Little Bighorn and then on to Cody, WY... read more

DAY 16 - Tuesday, July 12, 2016 Spearfish, SD to Devils Tower - Wyoming to Buffalo, WY Just winging it. Before ever leaving Spokane, Geoff and I mapped out as many details about our trip as we could. But ever since Day 12 - when Spirit needed repairs - we’ve been “going with the flow” a bit as we head back west. It’s a good feeling to wake up and talk with God, “Okay, Boss, what do You have for us today?” Every day should have that simple focus - whether we’re on vacation or at home doing our “normal” daily jobs. This morning was relaxing and we scheduled horse rides in the afternoon somewhere around Devils Tower near Sundance, WY. It was an easy drive - distance wise - but boy can that wind blow! ... read more

Livingston to Beartooth Pass This morning we were straight into Yellowstone NP. Our first stop was the terraces, they were very beautiful with all their icy looking platforms and colours and I couldn't help but wonder if New Zealand's pink and white terraces would have rivalled these if they were still visible. Stopping here was probably my favourite attraction of the day as the park just got busier and busier with RVs and tourist buses ? Next we rode to the middle part of the park, on the way in I spotted coyotes, loads of buffalo and antelope. No bears today!! Aside from the ever present awe inspiring mountain vistas there were also guysers aplenty, burbling mud pools and pretty sapphire blue pools of very hot steamy water. We rode around in here until about 4.30 ... read more

Day 9: Devils Tower, WY, Latitude 44.59, Longitude -104.71, 75 Degrees and Cloudy. Day trip to Devils Tower. The boys now want to see Close Encounters. Tracey was skeptical why we had to drive another two and a half hours each way for one mountain. However, you can see it from fifteen miles away...and then when you are up close, it is so unique and impressive Tracey then appreciated why I dragged us out here. We hiked a loop around the base of the Tower. We could spy a few people ascending. One of the pics below shows someone nearing the top making the 90 degree incline of the climb. As we finished the hike we listened to Teddy Roosevelt giving a talk for a bit. The rain kindly held off until we were done the ... read more