A Devils Tower we will go!

And yes, it's not a typo.  It is officially Devils Tower, no apostrophe!  It got accidentally left out of the original proclamation and was never corrected.  So it is, to this very day, apostropheless!



The sky cleared at some point and it almost seemed like a different day -



For a rock sicking up out of the ground, it is pretty cool.  Even much more than that, there is really something special to this place. As we got closer and closer you could just feel it's presence.

But before we actually entered the national monument, we passed by this and thought it warranted a picture of it's own since it made us laugh! No, we didn't stop.....



Since this was going to be a very short stop, we got busy right away on the Jr. Ranger projects, in the shadow of the tower -



So what IS Devils Tower anyway??

Well, geologically speaking, it's kind of an unknown.  There are a few theories out there but no definitive answers.  One of those theories is as follows:  Many millions of years ago the earth's surface was much higher than it is today.  At least here.  At that point, magma started to push up from deep below, where magma usually pushes up from of course.  As it pushed up through the layers of the earth, trying to form a volcano, it stopped.  Suddenly, just like that, before making it to the earth's crust.  Having stopped bubbling and pushing up, the magma hardened and stayed as it was, forming this cone deep under the surface of the earth.

More millions of years went by as erosion wiped away layer after layer of the earth's surface, finally reveling this poor attempt at a volcano.

Another explanation is that it was indeed a successful volcano that has lost it's outer shell for some reason.  That seems less plausible though as there is non of your typical evidence of an active volcano in the area.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell.

Now, the Native American tradition has an entirely different spin on it of course.

Many legends are told about 'the rock', but the one that seems to be passed along the most tells of a group of seven little girls being chased by a bear.  They climbed up onto a rock and prayed to it to save them.  The rock heard their prayers and began to rise up out of the ground higher and higher.  As it got taller the bear tried to climb it, leaving behind it's claw marks of course, as we can see today.  The rock eventually rose up to the sky where the girls became a groups of 7 little stars, the Pleiades, AKA The Seven Sisters.

The traditional name of this place is hence Bear Lodge.  Many Native Americans oppose the modern American name since it has such a negative connotation.  This place is in fact the exact opposite of what the current name conjures up.  The tower was and is sacred.  During the month of June many come together here for a large spiritual and social gathering, as they did in days past.  There is even a voluntary climbing prohibition in June to honor this event.  The area has great religious significance and while hiking around the tower one can see many traditional offerings hanging from the trees (fabrics in culturally significant colors as well as various beadwork).

As we walked around the tower, approx. 1.3 miles, one could most definitely sense something.  There was absolutely something in the air besides just a rock.  Now, I'm not a big meditator, as much as I try cause I realize full well it's benefits.  But believe me when I tell you that I could have sat there all day and meditated.  If it weren't for constant distractions and demands from the peanut gallery, not to mention a time table we were trying to stick to, I would have.  It just has this pull that's hard to describe.

On our hike we enjoyed many views, of the tower and otherwise, watching wildlife, mountain climbers, and just feeling the earth beneath our feet.



There is a very old wooden ladder going up one side of the tower.  That's what we're trying to get a peak of -





And yes, the fastest earned Jr. Ranger Badges ever!  They did do all the required work though, not to worry.



Back to the logistics of it all, we had planned to arrive earlier finish up earlier and head on over into South Dakota by evening.  However, we were, for a change, running late.  By the time we wrapped up our activities at the tower it was nearing 6PM and we had not even had dinner yet.  So, before heading out we headed down to the picnic area for a bite.  Much monkeying around was had while dinner was being prepped.






Whirlwind was disappointed about one thing after all this.  He said: "I wish Devils Tower was not rock so we could go inside it".  That would be pretty cool.

We had debated and debated whether or not to stay and camp here for the night instead of pushing on as we had originally planned.  The park's campground was about a hundred yards away.  The decision was made to push onward, despite mixed feelings about leaving the place so soon after we'd arrived.  Was that ever a mistake.

Before we headed out though we made one last stop at the park's newest addition, the "Circle of Sacred Smoke".



The circle represents the first puff of smoke from the pipe the tribes used to pray.  It was a sacred pipe given to the Lakota at the tower centuries ago.  That pipe still exists today and is in the hands of the 17th generation (!!) "keeper of the sacred pipe".

The statue was designed so that the tower can be seen directly through the circle of smoke.



So, like I said before, we left as darkness was falling.  And so began our nightmarish trip into South Dakota....

Gillette! The best a man can get......

If you didn't get it, you're not watching American TV, which is just fine :-).  We ourselves have not had regular TV programming in our house for quite a few years now.  Guess that ad just permeates all airwaves, not just TV.


As some of you must have noticed, S has a beard!  He's never had a beard.....It started from just not wanting to shave, to not wanting to waste water in the RV to shave, and now, knowing we were heading to Gillette, to wanting to wait and shave in Gillette!  Not that this Gillette has anything to do with the whole shaving industry, but he had it fixed in his head.  And as some of you already know, when he has something fixed in his head, it stays there.





Anyway, THAT was our excitement about arriving in this town.  That's it.  Little did we know.....
Backing up here a bit, there was one bit of info regarding our drive I forgot to mention previously:  The great spill!


We were about an hour away from Gillette and the natives were getting very restless, it was dinner time after all.  So, we found a rest area and pulled over to have some dinner.  In we go and start sliding out when I look down and over towards the pantry and the kid's bedroom.....There was broken glass, and worse, red sauce combined with OIL was all over the carpet.........You know panic is setting in when you don't quite know what to do first.  After staring in shock for what seemed like forever, we got the kids on the couch and began mopping it all up.


Clean up took a good half hour, including blotting and scrubbing of the carpet.....The final report is that the oil actually didn't do as much lingering damage as we thought it would and the red all came out.  What happened was that our pantry flew open, probably when we hit a real bumpy portion of the road, and some of the contents got shaken out and onto the floor.  Crash boom bang and all....This BTW, was not the first time items went flying.  Previously, our freezer apparently flew open while in transit since we came in to find most of it's contents all over the floor.....several hours later.....Yet another important newbie lesson learned here:  Always stop, get out, and check the contents of the RV to make sure all's in place after hitting a rough patch!


Even after all that mess, sometimes timing is a funny thing, this is what S had to say: "You know, this RVing lifestyle is really pretty fun!"  You'd think it would have the opposite effect, and no, he wasn't being sarcastic.  Really :-).


So, we finally had our dinner and set off once again.  Arriving in Gillette we settled into yet...another Walmart! This one was a little busier and not quite as peaceful as the one in Cody (can you use peaceful and Walmart in the same sentence??) but we managed just fine.


S being S, he started chatting up our neighbor, who was more than happy to oblige.  He soon learned that Gillette is a coal gold mine! (was that a pun?)  We were sitting on top of a HUGE vein of coal!  This town is the second largest producer of coal in the world!  And apparently, it's the more environmentally friendly stuff too.


If you're thinking right about now, ok, so why is this exciting?  Well, you and I have something in common then.  Can I tell you now that I don't think I've ever  seen my husband get so excited about nearly anything?  Really.  I mean, the man was giddy!  Of course, his giddiness was contagious and the boys joined right in too.  They didn't need much convincing about it either.  I mean, dirt, HUGE trucks, HUGE machines, HUGE holes in the ground - WHAT could be better?? What I ask you?!


Now, I have to admit, we were told the mine offers tours and the educational aspect of it all got *me* excited, but alas, the tours only ran through August so we were a no go.  We would be able however to go and watch the digging and the dumping from an observation point, no tour necessary.  Oh joy!  We also would be able to go across town and climb on those huge trucks and such that were out there on display.  OK, at least we, um, they, get some exercise in.  Finally, there was also a small rock museum, that's it's name as well as it's contents, or so we thought.


Well, we had our day planned out then.  Done deal.  Guess we were hanging around for more than just a night. Travel plans continue to be flexible.


So, the next day turned out to be quite chilly and cloudy, but that wasn't gonna stop us.  Everyone started with a smile on their faces :-)





See?  Giddy I tell you! Absolutely giddy!





This thing looks like a little Tonka truck from here, but later when we saw a truck the size of ours down there next to it, well, our monstrosity looked like a toy!  That thing is 3 stories high!





And this is it's wheel, one of 6.....





It costs 38,000 per wheel.  That's PER wheel, not even including the truck itself yet!


Well, this is the scoop that scoops the dirt and coal out of the 'hole' and dumps it in the truck.  Pardon my lack of knowledge in the technical terms department.....About 3 of these scoops fill the truck.  As you can see, it can scoop us up easily!  We have a humungo pick up truck btw, the biggest standard one there is, just so you have a frame of reference.....





So moving right along with our day, the museum was next. Well, it was not a plain old 'rock' display museum like we though.  It was full of artifacts from the original town, obviously a mining town at it's origin and still is. Small exhibits about daily life, ranch life, mining, etc., dotted the place.  And there was plenty of hands on stuff to do for the kids, it was perfect!


This one looks kind of like a painting....





This is one of the first RVs!  It's a sheepherders covered wagon with all the trimmings, minus a bathroom though.  It even had insulation! These wagons were also used by families vacationing in cooler spots for the summer, truly an RV.








Analyzer tried her hand at sending a telegraph using Morse Code -

This was one of the better hands on activities, the boys loved it!  Obviously this was a demo of the
original general store in the town -

And this is a photo of the original store, which made me smile cause in our family we have almost the exact same photo, except with my family members in it.  More specifically, my great grandfather, Grandpa Charles.  I'm trying to get a hold of the picture to share with you, since it's so remarkably similar.  I guess all store owners of that time stood posing in front of their goods  :-).







On to our next and final stop, climbing! Finally!


What can better than large heavy equipment you can climb on?!  In increasingly cold temperatures I might add......


This is one of those large collecting/dump trucks, but *smaller*. The kids were quite petrified up there!








Inventor was quite petrified up there too!





And that brought our day to an end, finally I might add :-).  Our plan was to leave the next day, but the weather had other ideas....


Oooh! Almost forgot our new addition!  A Big Buddy!  Yes, this is exciting, believe me.  We are now no longer dependent on our centralized heating system, which ended up being very expensive propane and battery wise. When S discovered how inefficient the heater system was, he went on a crusade.  He found a 99.9% efficient portable indoor/outdoor propane heater that will do the job much better.  He then proceeded to design and fabricate a hook up in the most ingenious and 'optimized' fashion, as only he can.  Thanks for keeping us toasty warm bubby! :-)

The never ending Yellowstone - Mammoth Hot Springs

Although outside of the caldera, Mammoth Hot Springs is a direct result of the same catastrophic volcano 640,000 years ago.  The same magma chamber under the eruption site provides the heat for this area as well, a good 20 miles north! There are two differences here though:  The 'plumbing system' shape and form and the composition of the earth.  Regarding the plumbing system, here, instead of large 'pools' underground, we have cracks and fissures that allow the underground water to rise up and come out.  Regarding composition, limestone is the key component here as opposed to the rest of the park.  Why does that make a difference?  Well, the main component of limestone is calcium carbonate.  The acid in the water dissolves the calcium and at the surface hardens and becomes travertine. Yup, that same stuff that tiles bathrooms and floors and has a beautiful whitish creamy look to it!

The terraces (some large and some small) btw are formed by the water (of course), the general slope and any objects in the water's path. They say they are constantly changing, sometimes even over night!



Dried up terraces with no life.  At the moment anyway.  Looks like snow!

Terraces with life -

Still some life here, but you can start seeing the calcium deposits developing on the branches that fell in.  Soon, if this area dries up completely like it did above, the branches will be totally white and on their way to fossilization with the help of the calcium carbonate.

Hard to see, but Inventor found (he *always* finds things!) what we decided was a  human hair that fell in and soon became caked in calcium:



We looooove getting closer looks!





I think they were watching a poor insect that fell in.  Obviously he won't be long for this world...



After Mammoth, we headed south towards the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  Did you know there was one?  Well, now you do.  It is told that the first explorers out here didn't know it existed, obviously, and would have fallen right in if it weren't for their horses that stopped short.  They knew better.
Again, photo doesn't do it justice.


Standing above the lower falls of the canyon.  It was a steep hike down and up.  When you consider that we couldn't let go of Whirlwind for a second, it was slightly challenging....



Having fun with our food, apparently, at our evening picnic.



Whirlwind showing off his self made geyser, using sticks and branches -



Is there anything better than hanging out in an open field sketching?  Anything?

More Yellowstone, in a photographic nutshell

This post shall be mostly pictures, as there is just no way to convey it's magnificence in words. I'm only sorry I'm not a better photographer cause these pictures don't even begin to do it justice.  I could upload the 5,000,000 pictures we took but I might crash my computer.  It was sooo difficult limiting myself!   Yellowstone is endless, with so many different faces, there's always more to see, and more and more.....



Waiting for one of the larger geysers to erupt. Didn't happen.




A hot, acid, bacteria laden waterfall.....Yes, there is life in the river despite the acid flow!



Head first.....



Trying to get a closer look without falling in....



There's a hot spring out there surrounded by circles and circles of thermophiles.



I know you're just so anxious to see what these bacteria mats look like face to face, so here you go!



Taking it all in......they were all truly fascinated and can tell you exactly what's going on out there!







Analyzer working on her young scientist book to earn her patch.



Watching a mechanical geyser at work from the inside out, at the visitor center -



Enjoying an open meadow while a picnic dinner is prepared.....



I realized poor Labra didn't get much coverage so far, so here's his moment of fame!



As we worked our way from West Yellowstone to the north entrance of the park we stopped and visited a few more geysers.

Here we are, watching the tallest geyser in the world, not erupting.  We could have waited, but you never know if it'll be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 YEARS!



As we wound our way out the north entrance we drove by the Travertine terraces of Mammoth Springs that we would see tomorrow.  Once again we were in Montana!

It was getting late and we were driving in search of a campsite that according to our map, existed.  Well, after driving for about an hour here and there with no luck, we were told of another campsite that hopefully had room but it was up a very steep hill with a gravel road....not having much choice, we went in search of it.

Indeed, it was quite the road, and then, quite the ordeal parking. Not because it was a difficult site, no, it was extremely large and easy to maneuver in.  However, it was sloped at various spots.  Not having thought about this ahead of time (newbie slap on the head! Duh!), we parked, lowered jacks, secured tires and such, a whole process that can take a good 15 minutes start to finish.  Well, come to realize once we went inside, that the whole RV was sloped....So, we moved it.  Not to a different site, but to a different location in the same site.  This time, we were straight and great!  But.....S decided he didn't like that we were parked on an angle with our rear facing downhill (yes, you can be parked on an angle but not have the RV actually sloping with it, it depends on how you level it).....after going back and forth about it we decided it would be ok if we secured it better.  So, another 30 minutes went in to securing the tires and placing large boulders in back of them so we wouldn't find ourselves rolling down into someone's tent in the middle of the night....

The kids during all this were remarkable.  Thankfully the area was beautiful and space plentiful that they could explore and run around in.



We had a cute little babbling brook right behind our RV -



Analyzer also worked on teaching Whirlwind how to write his numbers -



Tomorrow, yet more exploration!