I’m driving down a narrow road, and suddenly surrounded by red rock. I pull over to the side of the road and grab my camera, jumping out of my car to grab a quick pic.
All of the sudden, a strange sound enters my ear.
“Arf! Arf!”
What is it? I can’t place it with any animal I’ve heard before.
I quickly scan the landscape, searching for the culprit. ‘
I see a head pop in and out of a hole in the ground.
“There you are!” I whisper to myself.
A prairie dog.
Then I see one dash behind the other.
Then another pops in and out of another hole.
As I start to pay attention, I notice more and more.
Hundreds running around, and posing in and out of an underground tunnel system.
I spend about an hour with them, snapping away, before I continue on to my destination.
I doesn’t take that long until the scenery starts to change and the open fields turn into dense forest. A parking lot opens up and shortly afterwards is a trailhead decorated with scarfs. I’m told by a park ranger that they are placed there by Native Americans. This is a sacred place to them. As I look through the foliage I can see the reason why towering above me. The Devils Tower.
The Devils Tower has the honor of being the nations first National Monument. Established by Teddy Rosevelt in 1906, the tower has drawn people from all around ever since humans have seen it. Cutting 1200 ft in the air, it can be seen from miles around and the moment it enters your view, something takes a hold of you and you just need to get closer.
At least, this is the feeling that came over me as I was driving down the back roads, exploring to my hearts content. I just had to go stand beneath this gigantic butte. The hike around the tower was just as majestic. Every inch of the tower is different, giving a different view from any angle. The elements have slowly been shaping it throughout time. It’s all at once humbling and awe inspiring. I can’t wait to go back.
Closest Supercharger Spearfish South Dakota 56 mi
3275 Old Belle Rd, Spearfish, SD 57783
The Devils Tower
WY-110, Devils Tower, WY 82714
