Day 20 - 8/4/2004 - And on to Wyoming...

We got up early from our campsite at Spokane Creek near Keystone SD.  It was nice to spend two days in one spot (even with some rain).  We knew we would be moving slowly, due to twisty roads and tourists.  We also wanted to spend some time at Devil's tower.

We reached Devil's Tower just after noon.  It is one of those geologic marvels that you see from miles away and spend another 1/2 hour driving to.  Pictures really cannot fully describe the size when you stand below it.  Hunter and I both enjoyed reading about the magma upwelling that formed it, and how we were standing 1000 feet below what used to be the ground level.  The trail around the base is about 1.3 miles!  One side of the tower has a field that is overrun with prairie dogs.  

After lounging around for an hour or two, we decided to hit the road and get as far toward Yellowstone as we could.  We cruised up I-90 through Sheridan, hopped off onto a mountain highway, and started looking for a camping spot in the Big Horn National forest.  As we drove up a mountain, we saw one of the thunderstorms we were dodging moving off into South Dakota.