This Means Something

I went camping this past weekend. On Saturday, I went to Devils Tower in Northeast, Wyoming. I think it took about 6 hours to get there. I saw over a hundred antelope on the way up. Devils Tower gets a lot of day use, but not to many people stay there though. They only had one campground loop open with about 22 sites, and it wasn't full. They other loop was closed because prairie dogs have invaded it.

That's me in the boulder field at Devils Tower.






Sunday morning, after a mornings hike at Devils Tower N.M., I made my way into the Black Hills of South Dakota. That's another new state for me, Bro! I drove through parts of Spearfish Canyon. That is where the winter camp scenes were filmed in Dances With Wolves. From there I made my way to Mt. Rushmore. I made the mistake of driving through Keystone, South Dakota. It is a minature Pigeon Forge; it is not a real town. Very crowded, busy, and tacky. It is right next to Mt. Rushmore, but it is possible to get to Mt. Rushmore without going to Keystone. Mt. Rushmore is also quite busy. I am sure it is number one destination for people visiting this state.

Here's the standard Mt. Rushmore picture.








From Mt. Rushmore, I went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is quite an ambitious project that has a long ways to go. When finished it will be bigger and grander than Mt. Rushmore. I doubt it will be finished in my lifetime. From Crazy Horse, I went to find a campsite. After an early dinner, I went for a drive in Custer State Park along the Needles Hwy. This road is real cool. It is narrow and winds through some amazing rock formations.

The next day, I got up early and hiked to the top of Harney Peak. At 7,242 Ft., it is the highest point in South Dakota. Harney Peak has an amazing Fire Tower on it. It is a small rock castle built on top of a cliff. It had living quarters that looks like it included plumbing and electricity. The water was taken from a dam that was created in between rock formation on top of the mountain. I was impressed by this abandoned Fire Tower's complex.
The Fire Tower on top of Harney Peak

That's me looking towards Cathedral Spires and Little Devil's Tower from Harney Peak.


After spending an hour and a half up top, I came back down. It was 6 miles round trip. It was time to start making my way back home. I drove through another part of Custer State Park on the way back. I also drove through Wind Cave National Park. I didn't stop and see the cave, but the countryside was gorgeous.
I did take a picture of a Tatanka while driving through Wind Cave N.P.





I was home by 6:00 P.M. on Monday. Not a bad three-day weekend.