Tuesday, July 13, 2010

This picture is a view from our campsite of the Devils Tower

We started the day with our trip to the Devils Tower National Park. The park isn't very big so there seemed to be a lot of people there, but actually wasn't. Even though we knew we had a big day ahead of us, we decided to take the 1.3 mile hike around the tower. It had been a while since we had been in a part of the United States where humidity exists, so we all started the day hot and sweaty. We all thought that was the longest 1.3 miles we had ever seen. The trail around the mountain was filled with people at the beginning, but as you keep going, the crowd disappeared and we had a pleasant hike.

Devils Tower

I had to include this picture because Sammy had mentioned the fact that there wasn't an apostrophe in Devils. I overheard him ask Addie, "Addie, why isn't there an apostrophe in Devils? Does that mean there is more than one devil?" I never heard her reply, which could have meant she was trying to ignore him, or she just didn't know how to answer him.


The white cloth tied to this tree is just one of many prayer clothes found along the perimeter of the mountain. This tower is sacred to many Indian tribes and these prayer clothes are from their prayer rituals. There is a sign at the beginning of the path asking that these clothes not be disturbed, and, believe it or not, I didn't witness one person even pretending like they were going to disturb them. The different tribes seem to each have their own legend about the mountain, but most of them describe the marks on the tower as the claw marks from a huge bear. If I remember correctly, some tribes still hold ceremonies at the Devils Tower.

The fields flanking the road near the entrance of the park were filled with prairie dogs. They were obviously very acclimated to humans. There were signs everywhere asking that we don't feed the prairie dogs. We didn't. Addie asked if we could bring them home. We didn't see a sign that said we couldn't. Addie couldn't catch any of them, though. Next time we will have to remember to pack our traps. It's really cute how the alpha dog will sound the warning squeal, when someone gets too close, and even the baby dogs return to their home. If this is any indication of how tame these wild dogs are, they even let Hoke get close enough to snap a few pictures.

Mt. Rushmore

We left Devils Tower and went to Mt. Rushmore about 130 miles away. Basically, all we cared to do while there was take the pictures, watch the film, and get back on the road. We heard rumors that there was a trail somewhere, but not one of us cared to embark on this mission. Notice that Craig has his arm around Hoke in this picture? It isn't because he likes his little brother, it is only to make sure Hoke stands still in the picture. I had forgotten that the monument was never finished. The figures were originally supposed to have a portion of their torso included and in the original sculpture you could see more of Abraham's head. One of the original mountain carvers was is the bookstore/gift shop the afternoon we were there. We didn't get to talk to him, wish we had. The road leading to the monument was crowded with tons of touristy shops and, in my opinion, took away some of the nostalgia associated with Mt. Rushmore. As we near the interstate highway, Sammy turns at an intersection, and guess what? The RV cuts off. Don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but we had just bounced a little and I still wonder if we shook something loose. Sammy was somehow able to steer into an adjacent parking lot and out of the road. After putting it in park and trying to get the engine to turn over, he pops the hood and gets out to investigate. I immediately retrieve one of the 30 amp fuses from the supply we laid in back in Utah and make my place by his side. Sammy already has his arm in the engine compartment in an effort to remove, what we hope is the culprit, a 30 amp fuse. Effortlessly, he pulls his arm from within and reveals the prize, a seemingly perfect fuse. While we stand in this parking lot, underneath a small tree on a sunny afternoon, we momentarily study this fuse and silently think, "surely, this isn't what is wrong". Regardless, we open a fresh fuse and give it a try. We held our breath as we wait for the key to turn. It cranked. Sammy replaces the fuse cover, which is a darn aggravating task, and we climb back in, lock the doors and skeedaddle. The harshest words to cross his lips from this ordeal were, "If this fuel pump gets us home, it is coming out!". We leave the Rapid City, South Dakota area traveling west on I-90.

Wall Drug Store, Wall, South Dakota

We stop for the night in Wall, South Dakota to make sure we visit the famous Wall Drug. The campground we chose just happened to be across the street from the attraction. We walked over to the store about 9:00 that night, having been told the place closes at 10:00. At 9:30, they were turning out the lights on us, but not before I could get this picture of Craig. Three things off our list in one day, whew!

We have to be home this weekend, so there is no time to rest and take a break. The next few days we are going to have to put some miles behind us.