Spearfish and Devils’ Tower

Today [ed: it was really Monday] was a long, but wonderful, day. I made an email
run into town early in the morning, then we all saddled up for a trip out to
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. It’s about 120 road miles from here to there; the route
goes through Deadwood, Lead (rhymes with "seed", not with "bed"), and Pactola
Lake.

Deadwood was our first stop; we hit one of the local casinos for a bathroom, then went down Wall Street to the spot where Wild Bill Hickock was killed in 1876– coincidentally, on August 2nd, the same day we were there. There was a terrific character actor cowboy who regaled the boys with tales of his gunslinging; we also saw something you’d only see in Sturgis: a hybrid VW Bug/motorcycle painted to look like a giant American flag.

After Deadwood, we got back on the road. Lots and lots and lots of motorcycles,
of all shapes and sizes. Matt quickly discovered that some were tricycles, so we
entertained him for the whole trip by playing spot-the-trike. We hit a short leg
of I-90 through the town of Spearfish and into Wyoming; I was able to sneak in a
couple of email sessions when we stopped for gas thanks to the local Verizon
coverage.

Devils’ Tower was amazing. Until you get up close, you don’t really realize how big it really is, or how big the groove-like rock formations on the sides are. I found a guide company that offers climbing trips; they promise that with two days of training you can safely climb to the top. That’s now officially on my list of Things To Do Before I Get Too Old. The scenery en route was astonishing too. We ate lunch at a roadside restaurant just outside the Devils’ Tower park gate. Brief review: avoid.		Some random, beautiful hill on the road to Devils’ Tower
The boys with Ranger Dave	The boys were fascinated by the Indian legends surrounding Bear Lodge (as it’s known by the Lakota). One legend has it that a boy was chasing some girls, got turned into a bear, and raked the sides of the mountain in his anger at not being able to catch them. That particular story is Matthew’s favorite. David learned a couple of other legends at the visitors’ center, but I can’t remember what they were.	Two views of Devils’ Tower
Our next stop was Spearfish Canyon, which I’d never heard of before this trip. I’m sure ready to sing its praises now, though. Towering rock formations, two beautiful waterfalls (well, one, anyway; we didn’t see Roughlock Falls), and a long, curvy road through the canyon and its surrounding areas. Dad and Tim (who rode the entire 270+ miles on his bike) were grinning from ear to ear at the scenery. Bridal Veil Falls was pretty, but there was very little water.

On the way back, we stopped at Pactola Lake. As we were getting out, a B-1 from Ellsworth AFB flew overhead– that was neat because we don’t see many of those back East. Apart from having an amusing name, the lake is beautifully scenic; as you go north, you come around a curve and see this broad vista of rock formations with a beautiful lake at the bottom. The lake is named for the former ghost town of Pactola, which was flooded when the reservoir was created. Arlene was in photo heaven; she got some great pictures.

Before we left, Mom and Arlene had stocked the crock pot with red beans and
sausage; when we got back, we had a feast of red beans, rice, and pineapple. The
boys played in the center of the cabin area until it got dark (after which a
good-sized rain/thunderstorm rolled in) and we all went to bed.