Sunday, November 8, 2020

Leaving South Dakota already and heading towards Wyoming.  Both these states are full of prairie lands...certainly thinking of "wild west" country as we are traveling through these states.  Wide open prairies and dark pine forest (Black Hills) and beautiful canyons and a very strange outcropping (think Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind).

Right before we crossed over from South Dakota to Wyoming we visited Deadwood - Deadwood is a city in South Dakota known for its gold rush history. Mount Moriah Cemetery has the graves of Wild West figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.  But recently it applied for a license to open casinos to help rebuild the city and bring it back to those days when it was a thriving western town.  The casinos were subtle but everywhere and apparently the money coming in from that endeavor has helped create a delightful rendition of the past.  

I would say that 3 out of every 4 store fronts are actually thriving casinos.

Now onto stranger things....Devil's Tower.  This monolithic thing in Wyoming just juts out from the prairie lands (I am sure a geologist is cringing somewhere with this description.)  But check it out from afar and then the following pictures were up close and personal.

Afar...

Closer.....

I tried to use Bob again in the "Where's Waldo" affect but it was very difficult to take a picture that really gave you the perspective here.  This thing rises rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, standing 867 feet from summit to base.

This mountain is sacred to many indian tribes and although it has become popular for climbers to scale the tower, Native American leaders objected to climbers ascending the monument, considering this to be a desecration.  In the above picture you can see "prayer cloths and prayer bundles", placed there by many tribes for traditional ceremonies. "Visitors will observe prayer cloths and prayer bundles attached to trees around the park, especially along the Tower Trail. These represent a tangible connection which native peoples still maintain with this area. Please do not touch, disturb, or photograph these cloths."

Big weather change on our trip.  Both Sioux Falls and Rapid City reported unusually high temperatures the last couple of days (the low temperature during that time was higher than the average high temperature for that time period!).  Today is was rainy, little snowy in parts and very very cold.  When we hiked the trail for the Devil's Tower it was 28F and a little windy.  Our face masks became face warmers.  Double duty!!!