Thursday, 25 August
Rained last night. Hotels are good. But my budget is suffering. (In a hotel tonight too!)
Today was mostly about Devils Tower. (Why there is no apostrophe is a mystery.) First I stopped at Moorcroft, WY Museum. Not much there.
The Tower is all one could expect. Seeing it up close is worth the trip, though it seemed to match my expectations for size. 900 feet tall. People climb it often. The Park Service doesn’t have any qualification requirements, nor do they have a rescue service. You’re on your own. The 1.2 mile walk around was entertaining and not difficult.
There are a lot of motorcyclists in the area. Very few Gold Wings.
Visited Deadwood, SD, but they were having an old car rally, so parking was scarce. Just drove in and then out. Been there before, so no loss. It is a great place to visit.
Sturgis! Larger town than I thought. Pretty normal looking for the most part. Obviously a lot of motorcycle shops. Some of the temporary structures are still standing. But overall there wasn’t much buzz. Don’t want to be there when there is. (Gas stations/minimarts began welcoming bikers and selling merchandise 160 miles away!) This year was their 76th rally. Hadn’t planned on buying a t-shirt, but considering I’m an Annapolis grad of 1976, it’s now tempting. I’m still nearby, so who knows.
Another trail
Calf Skin! Museum in Moorcroft, WY.
See the climber?
Closer
There he is. Just standing there. This is apparently the hard side. There were about 8 on the other.
There is still an old wooden ladder from long ago. Mostly I’m impressed by the photo. I had no idea were it was. Just took a guess.
Happy 100th Birthday to the National Park Service. I’ve been to at least 12 Parks or Monuments this year. First cake though.
“I’ve been to Sturgis.” Got that out of the way.