Day 6 – Devil’s Tower

By Ben Chilcote in travel on September 12, 2015December 17, 2016

We awoke early and started packing – opting to not take showers, though the shower house was remarkably nice
While we packed, EB tested out his new slingshot (he bought at Wall Drug) and the kids climbed on a large rock formation right next to our cabin.
After a short play at the playground (long enough for CJ to get nice and dirty) we set off for our next destination
We made a short stop in Belle Fourche, South Dakota – the official Geographic Center of the United States and took some photos
We then headed toward the main event – Devil’s Tower
This, too, was an unbelievable site and we took many, many pictures that don’t even come close to capturing the immensity of this rock
We first saw it on the horizon from several miles away and it slowly grew bigger and bigger
We arrived, paid our entrance fee, then drove a few miles in to park right at the base
We made some PB&J sandwhiches and at them on benches for a quick lunch, then geared up for the 1.3 mile hike around the base (not everyone was enthused about the hike, though we all survived it)
The hike was paved and wove in and out of boulders, hills, and trees. We saw 2 chipmunks along the way, but no other animals
We spotted about 10 climbers up on the Tower (we read that Devil’s Tower draws around 5,000 climbers a year because of it’s unique structure) – the climbers are the best way to gauge the size of the mountain
We also spotted a few Native American trinkets that are left for religious/ceremonial purposes – that visitors are advised to respectfully leave alone.
After the hike, we headed out but didn’t leave before pulling over at the “Prairie Dog Town”, a natural area full of wild prairie dogs. We practically had to drag EL back into the van to leave!
We were all quite impressed by our visit to Devils Tower
We then drove and drove and finally stopped for dinner about 2 hours from our campground. We enjoyed dinner at Qdoba, a restaurant we eat at back home
We then headed toward Greybull, Wyoming via route 16 which was a scenic drive through the Big Horn National Forest**
We finally made it through the treacherous mountain pass and were rewarded with a picture prefect mountain sunset, with just about every color there is.
Right at dusk, we pulled in the KOA in Greybull, Wyoming, checked in, and were pleasantly surprised by the deluxe cabin with 2 bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and bathroom!
As usual, we unpacked what we needed, made beds, settled down and prepared for our early departure

**The Mountain Pass

This episode deserves it’s own bullet list

The giant mountain ranges had appeared on the horizon like clouds and slowly grew closer and closer.
We soon realized our road was starting to head into one of the mountains – not passing between, but zig-zagging up the side of a very tall one
Little by little, yellow signs warning drivers to slow to 25 MPH for curves started appearing
With each passing curve, went higher and higher
Nicole, who happened to be on the side of the van closest to the edge of the mountain, grew more and more nervous (to put it lightly).
We went higher and higher and higher – and on many of the curves, we could see nothing beyond the guardrail except what seemed like 100 miles of Wyoming from a few thousand feet up
It was nearing dusk so the sun was at the perfect level to blaze directly in through the front window, adding to the challenge
After about 30 tense minutes of driving, we made it up the mountain and found level ground – heaving a collective sigh of relief – partly that we were through, and partly because Mom was now calm.
Just when we thought we were clear, we encounter similar conditions heading down out of the mountains. This time it was a bit less intense and did not last as long, yet still stressful. But we lived to tell the tale! And will make a note to never try it again!