Day 38 Devils Tower WY

Long days of car travel really don’t sound very exciting, until you drive through some of the countryside that we’ve gone through. Montana (where we spent most of our day) is so incredibly scenic that it’s as if we are sitting in front of a beautiful painting that changes as the miles go by. Sometimes the changes are slow and subtle, sometimes dramatically rapid – never, less spectacular. I’ve heard it said, heck I’m sure I’ve even said it myself, that ‘some place or other’ is the most beautiful place on earth. Now I know for sure that that isn’t true. There is no one place that is most beautiful. In fact there are many spots that share that honour. I have been asked so often to identify my favourite place on this trip. The truth is, there is no possible way I could choose. The wide open spaces of Montana, the desert landscape of central Washington, the wild Pacific surf in Tofino, the humility in watching a moose drink with her calf in Jasper or the majesty of the Rocky Mountains – how would one go about beginning to focus the critical eye needed for ranking? And knowing the rugged beauty of a Newfoundland coastline or the Cape Breton Highlands or the views of Hawaii that my friend Dwight has blogged this past summer, I have come to the certain conclusion that there is no one place that is the most beautiful. There are many spots that share the title of ‘most beautiful place on earth.’

Montana ranches that go on forever.

Interesting rocks that just appear.

Spectacular views out the front window while we're driving.

Geography that is ever changing and always interesting ... all four of these shots were taken from the truck, along I-90!!

Laugh if you will but one of my guilty pleasures in traveling through the US is stopping to eat at the Cracker Barrel. Today was no exception. Now heaven knows I have a healthy appetite and it had been a while since our early breakfast, but our $23 lunch offered more food than we could both eat and when we left, not only was I full but my purse was also full of leftovers!

Crossing the state lines I didn’t expect any real change. After all, other than a sign and a manmade border, it’s the same, right? Wrong! I guess it’s the composition of the asphalt used by the state but the minute we left the yellowish roads and the golden fields in Montana we found ourselves in the lush green valleys and red roads of Wyoming! Now the area where the states meet is full of history. While it may not seem politically correct in many places, here this area is referred to as cowboy and Indian country! This is where the Battle of Little Big Horn occurred and every business in the area in prepared to cash in on the lure of the past. Thus you have Custer’s Campground, Big Horn Ford Dealer, you get the idea! A great portion of the Interstate runs between two large pieces of reservation land. And it isn’t difficult to imagine the Lakota and Cheyenne galloping across the plains to defeat Custer and his men.

Red roads and greener surroundings than we've seen in a while - instantly as we crossed the state line.

Wyoming is the least populated of all the states apparently but certainly can boast some of the most spectacular vistas. The campground where we had reservations was a considerable drive off the Interstate. Following a long day in the truck, surrounded by such beautiful scenery we really wondered if Devils Tower KOA was worth the effort … and then we arrived! Not sure how to explain the instant surge of energy we felt at the first sight but we were like two kids on Christmas morning not knowing where to look or what to do first!

For the last two days we have been surrounded by a motorcycle swarm descending on Sturgis SD for the annual American Motorcycle Rally. Apparently they can’t just drive by Devils Tower without a look so we stood talking with some of them for ages, all completely slack jaw at the sight. Eventually coming to our senses we head in to register and set up in as quick a time as we’ve ever done, just so we can start exploring.

This is the location where the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind was filmed. We are camped directly under the iconic rock tower that was made famous in the film. The 50 million year old rock formation was the first National Monument in the US. Thank goodness we had planned a couple of days here! Tomorrow we plan to hike the trails at the base, visit the protected prairie dog town and stop at the visitors centre to learn more about the history and geology. Stay tuned.

A Close Encounter from the front of our trailer!!

The red cliffs along the Belle Fourche River - named by the fur trappers in the 1700's.

The sky starts to turn purple as a storm approaches.

After getting our bearings, the plan was to go to the outdoor theatre to watch the nightly viewing of Close Encounters! By the time we’d made a mug of tea, the most incredible storm had moved in so instead we sat in our lovely, cozy trailer and watched the storm move across the prairie through our huge back window in our comfy, dry chairs! … and that was plan B – what a life!