Once we were done with the Rushmore detour, we got back on 90, and drove along at 75 mph, the speed limit in these parts. The "Georgia Rambler" episode of This American Life was playing, and the story had just mentioned an arrest made for speeding. Suddenly, Matthew started and I thought maybe there was wildlife or a very speedy motorcycle, but no, we were being pulled over. As an aside, the truck has a maximum speed of 75. You can push the gas down hard as you want, it won't climb past 76. Maybe downhill. So we probably were not speeding.
The police officer asked for Matthew's license, then the rental agreement, which took a moment to find in the mess. Eventually the cop explained that on account of the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, all trucks were being pulled over to check that rentals weren't carrying commercial goods. He had spent time in England a few years ago, so he and Matthew had a little chat about England. Nice guy.
After that, we made sure to drive extra careful, to avoid having to be pulled over by him again!
Thinking that time was getting precious, we pulled off at a tourist info center to find out how late we could get into a campsite near Devils Tower. Once off the freeway, there was a sign pointing to the right, so we took the scenic route. No phone service, winding roads up and down steep grades, with the speed limit at 65...I was a but nervous. But we rolled into Hulett, a logging town not far from the park, having caught only a glimpse of what was in store. The grocery store was closed, but the bar and an antique shop with a museum on the Lakota in back were both open. With a 6-pack of beer and whatever food we had leftover to cook, we decided to push on to the park.
Another breathtaking moment...Devils Tower is one lump of rock your eyes can't be pulled from. It's so much more than a lump of rock, but that is its essence. Rocky rockness.
The KOA was right at the entrance, but we decided to leave the park fee in the envelope and drive to the campsite inside. The sun was mostly set at that point, but with the lantern my dad gave us, we'd be fine. It was another 12 bucks for the camping, but for $22 to set up the tent at the bottom of the trails, with a decent view of the Tower, it was more than worth it. Unfortunately, I managed to let the lamp slip when I was unloading our dinner prep, so we made do with the flashlights. Matthew did most of the tent set up, then we wandered down the trail for a little look-see before all the light was gone. There was a presentation going on about the park and the animals. Prairie dogs are a keystone animal. There was lightning going on, and the rain was starting to fall, so we had to scrap dinner and have some rolls and a banana. And beer. Made it to the tent with plenty of time, but I stood out to watch as much as I could of the storm. Pretty neat to catch flashes of the Bear's Lodge rising up in the dark.
The tent held up quite well! The morning dew gets it just as wet. We woke up for an early hike up the hill and around the base of the tower. We saw a ton of prairie dogs, some deer, a few rabbits, and a lot of rocks. The walk took about an hour and a half, and we got to take in the tower from an up close angle. I still can't believe how many people were climbing it. Sheesh. Anyway, sounds fun and all if you're into that kind of thing. Not my bag, I'll enjoy the view from the ground, which is splendid enough!
Down from the hike, we made coffee, packed the tent, and started out towards Salt Lake City, Utah, with a lot of Wyoming in between. Highly, highly recommended.
Posing
Devils tower in the back, handsome devils in the front. I'm not sad, just squinting.
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