Day 7: The Devil Among Us

So today we left Custer State park to head further west into Wyoming. Out of a day of mostly traveling in the van, we made 2 stops.

The first was at the iconic Devil's tower, hence the title of this post. We took a short hike around the base of the structure and then had some lunch. I will skip the geology lecture for today and instead will comment on the native american orign story. Legend has it that two children were chased by a great bear and so the children climbed up on a rock and prayed to the gods and the gods raised the rock up out of reach of the bear. But the great bear still tried to claw its way up, leaving behnd the gouges seen along the sides of the tower. So, if the children were saved by the gods then why is it called Devil's tower? Well when Custer's expedition came across it, the translator said that the native american's name for it was "bad god's tower" which was shortened to Devil's tower, but it was likely a mistranslation. So had the name been translated properly, it would likely be called God's tower today. Sadly we did not see any aliens on our stop, but we did see a film crew that was working on a movie.

Devil's Tower during approach

Devil's Tower from the base

Our second stop was the Eagle Butte Coal Mine, where we recieved a driving tour of the grounds and a short lecture about the geology of the area and what geologists do for coal companies.

Part of the open-cut mining area at Eagle Butte

From there we headed to Buffalo, WY where we set up camp for the night at a cute little roadside campground called Deer Park. With laundry facilites and an evening off, spirits were rejuvenated thanks to clean clothes and a delicious meal.

View from tentsite at Deer Park

Note: For those concerned about my shoe situation, through wearing thinner socks, lacing my shoes differently, and only wearing my hiking boots when we are hking, they have become much more comfortable and while I still prefer my Chacos its good to know that my feet will not feel like they are dying when I need to use them.

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