This Means Something.... This Is Important!

This morning, we finally reached Devils Tower! This was something that Andy had been wanting to see for nearly thirty years, ever since it was featured in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As Kala had not seen the film until just a few nights ago, her anticipation was not quite as great. Still, when the Tower came into view, we behaved as excited children trying to catch the first glimpse of the Matterhorn at Disneyland. Kala spotted the monument first, by the way. She gets the nickel.

Devils Tower, according to Native American legend, was formed when seven sisters were being chased by an enormous bear. They leapt upon a rock and, as the bear came nearer, prayed that the rock would protect them. As any good rock would, it obliged, rising up into the night sky, and leaving the hungry bear clawing at its sides. The girls were stranded up in the sky and can still be seen today (tonight, really) as the Pleiades.

The legend doesn't mention what happened to the bear, but we wonder if maybe it didn't break apart into the thousands of prairie dogs we saw at the base of the tower (ok, we didn't actually count them, but there were a lot!). Popping up out of their holes, looking for food, and posing for pictures, the colony of prairie dogs gave the appearance of a giant game of Whack-a-Mole. No, we didn't whack any. They were just too cute! (And too darned fast!)

As we approached the state line, we saw a sign warning us that we would soon be passing our very last opportunity to buy gas at the low Wyoming prices. Fear of the unknown South Dakota prices (and the promise of a free soda with a fill-up) compelled us to stop. We were rewarded for giving in to their scare tactics with the unexpected bonus of a free mustard tasting. There were more than ten varieties from which to choose, and the ones we sampled were yummy, but we didn't buy any. The taste of pretzels and horseradish lingering on our palates, we resumed our trip east toward Mount Rushmore.

As we entered the Black Hills, Andy noted that they didn't look particularly black. It wasn't long before we happened upon what may have been a "blackening project": The mountains were on fire! We weren't in any danger, but the smoke was so thick in the air that we doubted we would be able to see Mount Rushmore. Fortunately, the monument was on the other side of the mountain, and our view remained unobstructed.

The "Shrine of Democracy" stands tall and proud over the surrounding hills. The view from the observation platform was magnificent, but we think that the mountain goats got the best seat in the house.

We are spending the night on the smoke-free side of the Black Hills and look forward to a full day of driving tomorrow.