Sightseeing Day:
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Belle Fourche historical town, and Geographical Center of the Nation
Up at our regular time this morning, late. So, we got on the road about 10 AM. Destination today is the Devils Tower National Monument for a "Close Encounter of the Third Kind."
As we were getting on the freeway, the car in front of us threw up a rock and cracked our windshield. In no time, we had creeping cracks out two sides of the "hit."
In this picture of our cracked windshield, you can see where the rock hit just over Smookie's shoulder.
I have never seen a crack creep that fast; you could just watch it move. So, I had to get on the phone to the insurance company and make arrangements to get it repaired the next day.
As we drove onward, we hit a bit of construction at the point where we were going to exit the freeway in Sundance, Wyoming.
Doesn't Sundance, WY, "ring a bell"? Well, here's why. In 1887, Harry Longabaugh was convicted of horse theft and sentenced to 18 months in the Sundance, Wyoming, jail. Because of this jail time Harry was called the Sundance Kid. Longabaugh likely met Butch Cassidy sometime after Cassidy was released from prison around 1896. They formed the "Wild Bunch Gang." Together with the other members of the gang, they performed the longest string of successful bank robberies in American and Old West history.
OK, back to the town--all of the roads going through town were being torn up and replaced. So, it was a bit tricky to get through town. Of course, we also took an additional "scenic route." When we found our way back to town, we asked one of the highway workers for a restaurant recommendation, and then we headed for it.
The food was pretty good, and we had a young waitress with a great sense of humor. If you have been out to dinner with Dave, you know how he loves to tease restaurant servers. She played right back to him, so he had a great time.
After our breakfast, we drove onward. As we got close to the tower, the terrain changed, surprisingly. There was a lot of red dirt and small canyons. This area is a dryer part of the country. There are a lot of desert and prairie plants.
The monument is magnificent. Here's our first glimpse!
Again, you just can't capture its height and magnitude in pictures. It's something you need to see in person--and we are so glad that we did. As we made various turns, I'd try to figure out where the movie scenes were shot. Some were easy to recognize.
There isn't much to do at the visitor's center. And, they don't even have a video to watch--you know that was upsetting to us (hee hee). But, we did find time to pose for this picture!
There were mountain climbers going up the tower. You can get permits to hike up. I think you are only allowed to go "so far."
In the following two pictures, I have tried to share the climbers. After you locate them in the zoomed-in shot, you may be able to find them in the distance photo. They are below the "break" in the vertical column and to the right, just a bit. In the distance photo, the climbers are almost dead center, horizontally. And, they are somewhat lower than dead center, vertically.
Here's some close-up and distance views of this magnificant monument; the first national monument in the United States.
After we walked around for a bit, we headed back to the main gate. On the way, we drove through the park's campground and spotted a couple that had been staying at Chris' Camp (where we are staying) for the BMW Motorcycle Rally. So, we visited with them for a few minutes.
Just outside the campground is a Prairie Dog Village. So, you KNOW we had to stop and walk among the dogs. They are so cute as they stand up on their hind legs and bark at one another and then run from burrough to burrough. They love to preen one another as well. It's so adorable. Yes, I know they are rodents. But, cute ones!
While in the park, we took a couple of gravel roads and got to see some mule deer and wild turkeys. But, alas, no extra-terrestrials were to be found. :-(
Upon exiting the park, we stopped at the junk (souvenir shop) and got my silver charm and an ice cream cone. As we were heading back to the freeway, we ran into some more construction just a few hundred feet down the road. At that point, we decided to take a different route home; and, we are so glad that we did. We went north and then east. This took us through some very small towns. One only had a population of 90!
On the way, we spotted a sign that commemorated Custer's route to the Battle of Little Big Horn. So, stopped for a quick shot of the sign and landscape.
I cannot get over the beauty of this part of the country. I love the rolling hills, prairie grasses, and wide-open spaces. There is always a gentle breeze and although the locals complain about the humidity, it sure feels dry to me (compared to Georgia). If it weren't for the harsh winters, I'd be moving here in a heartbeat. I sure wouldn't mind spending summers here.
Our next stop was the city of Belle Fourche (pronounced "Bell Foosh"). This town became the geographical center of the United States when Alaska and Hawaii were added as official states. So, we stopped to take pictures of the monument and walk through the museum.
We continued on back to the RV Park. We had planned to grocery shop today, but got back too late. However, a more urgent matter was a very overdue pedicure. I dropped Dave off at the RV, and I drove to the nail place near Wal-Mart. When I got there, I realized that they have not opened yet; it's a new store. I called the RV park owner and she said there was only two places in town. All you ladies in Atlanta, we are so blessed that we have a nail salon on every corner. Competition does wonders. Do you know it cost me $40 to get a pedicure--not including tip!! One salon charged $40 and the other was $45. Phew. But, it's done and I'm good to go for a few weeks now.
For dinner, I stopped by KFC and took home a couple of plates. Dave was happy. He loves his fried chicken.
The windshield repairman is scheduled to be at our campsite at 10 AM tomorrow. After that, our plans are to head for Deadwood. All in all, a good day today, and we are ready for a good night's sleep.
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