On the Road: Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming

We arrived at Devil’s Tower National Monument on June 22^nd. What a beautiful drive! Green grasslands backstopped by red rolling hills and ponderosa pines. On the way here, I saw several groups of motorcycle riders, black leather, cool bikes, etc. Many had pulled over to snap some photos of each other with the tower in the background and I was reminded of the 2007 movie Wild Hogs (you know, the one where John Travolta and his pals are feeling a little manopausal [yes, that’s how I meant to spell it] and decide to buy motorcycles and ride across country). Seriously, I didn’t see one biker who was under 55.

In 1906, Devils Tower was designed as our nation's first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. Indian legends hold that the Tower’s rough vertical grooves were caused by a giant bear clawing the sides as he attempted to climb the Tower to get the little indian girls at the top. And, that is exactly what it looks like. Because of the grooves, it is a popular mountain climbing site among the "crack climbers". Another claim to fame, the Tower was featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Spielberg science fiction adventure movie about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence.

We no sooner got situated at our campsite when the skies opened up and it poured. And what’s a ton of rain without a lightening show and really wicked winds that blow the branches off the trees and on to the roof of your motorhome? By the way, when rain, branches, or anything hits the top of a motorhome, the sound is amplified quite a bit. During this particular storm, the rain was so loud Mark and I had to yell at each other just to be heard. But never fear, Winston takes these storms in stride. He is unflappable. At this very moment, he is lounging on the driver’s seat fast asleep while the rain pounds us.

We stayed at the KOA right outside the gate to the Devil’s Tower National Monument. It is a lovely park, lots of nice trees, level parking spots, full hookups, a million dollar view, and a nightly movie. Tonight’s movie (and the movie probably every night)? Close Encounters of the Third Kind, of course!

The Devil's Tower National Monument is spectacular. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. This is a definite must see if you are ever in north eastern Wyoming.