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In the northeastern corner of Wyoming lies Devils Tower, rising 867 feet above its base:
As the molten rock which formed the tower cooled, it contracted and fractured into columns (said to be the tallest and widest in the world). Devils Tower became the very first national monument in 1906.
Here’s a view from the Visitor Center:
We walked the shady, 1.3 mile trail around it to appreciate the tower close up. The start of the trail is at the bottom left in the photo.
For the more ambitious, climbing the tower is possible after registering with a ranger. We declined, to save our strength for an evening dance : ), but saw several climbers on the way up:
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After we left the area, we wondered how they made out because heavy thundershowers hit us some miles away near Sundance. (That was our first significant rain since leaving home 5 weeks ago!)
The scenery around Devils Tower is quite attractive:
We’ve arrived in Rapid City, SD, and plan a 4-night stay here, partly to rest and partly to see the sights in the Black Hills.
But, first, we greatly enjoyed the Dakota Polka Festival nearby on a Saturday evening. The Senior Center in which it was held outshines ANY senior center we have ever encountered for size, for activities and for its huge, floating maple dance floor. It was truly the best dance floor we have EVER danced on --- and that is quite a number. It was called a Polka Festival but the bands played a wide variety of music, making us very happy campers.