Close Encounter with Devil's Tower
Updated: May 31
We left Denver expecting an uneventful afternoon of travel. After all, the truck was repaired and running great; the electrical system on the RV was fixed and the solar panels were charging our batteries. Well, life on the road is never completely uneventful. About an hour and a half into our journey north on Interstate 25 as we were approahing the last exit for Cheyenne, Wyoming, our trailer's TPMS alerted. A TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) is an optional feature you can put on your tires to alert you of low tire pressure and excessive tire heat. The alert we were getting indicated that the driver's side front tire on the RV was losing air quickly. We went from 85 PSI down to 35 PSI by the time we took that last exit.
We bought our trailer tires at America Tires, also known around the country as Discount Tires so we google searched for a dealership in Cheyenne. Fortunately there was one only three miles away and we headed for their location. We got there just in time, our tire was down to 29 PSI of pressure! We have made it a practice of purchasing the tire warranty, given we are on the road constantly ,and once again it proved to be a prudent decision. So we headed into the tire store with the expectation they would take care of the problem. Ramon was our service adviser and he looked up our account. He told us they would take care of the problem, so we left the RV and walked to an early lunch. Two hours later we were back on the road with three new tires. Three tires? Well, the service manager looked at the side wall bulges I mentioned observing earlier in our trip and he authorized replacing all three of the questionable tires at no charge. Yay, amazing customer service, product quality control and integrity. Thank you Lord once again!
We got to Riverside City Park in Douglas, Wyoming along the North Platte River. Meticulously groomed, wide easy pull thru sites, a dump station & potable water along with a restroom/shower building (we didn't use so no comments). Thank you City of Douglas for a lovely one night stay at no charge.
Wednesday, May 29 afternoon we reached Devil's Tower, Wyoming after a short break in our journey for fuel for the truck and the driver. We stopped at the Coffee Cup Sinclair truck stop in Moorcroft, Wyoming for a Pastrami sandwich at Heidi's Brookyn Deli. The staff was very nice and they served a delicious Pastrami sandwich on Marbled Rye.
The first come, first served campground (no reservations) called Belle Fourche River Campground is a 2-loop, 46-site campground (43 pull-through sites with room for RVs up to 35'), 4 ADA sites and 3 tent-only group sites. Drinking water is available at water spigots and in the restrooms. No hookups are available and there's a 14-day limit on occupancy. Large cottonwood trees provide shade. A picnic shelter and tables are available north of the campground. We picked out a pull-through campsite at the very end of the A loop with a spectacular view of the "Tower" from our big windows.
Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet (386 m) above the Belle Fourche River and features the world's largest example of columnar jointing. A sacred place to over 20 Native American tribes, the Tower is also known as Bear Lodge. Devils Tower was designated as America's first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Our first night in camp we had to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind...so we rented it on Amazon Prime.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon and Teri Garr. The Tower features heavily in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The film tells the story of several individuals’ experiences with extra-terrestrial phenomenon. Focusing on the experiences of Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), the story follows him from his initial encounter with a UFO to his growing obsession with visions of a mountain and desire to go there. After Neary’s actions grew more intense, his family leaves him. He decides to travel to Devils Tower with fellow UFO witness Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon), whose son had been taken by the alien visitors. The Tower had been selected as the contact point, and the area was evacuated by the military under the guise of a chemical leak.
Made on a production budget of US$19.4 million, Close Encounters was released in a limited number of cities on November 16 and 23, 1977, and expanded into wide release the following month. It was a critical and financial success, eventually grossing over $300 million worldwide.
On Thursday, May 30 we drove to the visitor's center at the base of Devil's Tower and walked the mile Tower Trail. This paved trail starts across the upper parking area from the visitor center; an accessible concrete path leads past the pavilion and up to the intersection of the loop. The Tower Trail is a 1.8 mile loop around the base of this magnificent rock tower. The Tower is also a popular place for rock climbers; we saw 3 people climbing as we walked the trail.
As we walked the Tower Trail, we noticed cloths or small bundles attached to the trees. These are Native American prayer cloths and represent the spiritual connection many tribes have with the Tower. The park service asks you to not touch, disturb or remove these prayer cloths. It is even considered culturally insensitive to photograph these prayer cloths, so I respected their wishes. The tower is impressive from a distance but even more awe inspiring up close and personal. The shear scale of the column doesn't hit you until you're standing next to one in the boulder field below. Despite its long exposure to the elements, the hexagonal column shape is still visible.
Where does the name come from? Richard Dodge in 1875, commanded the military escort for a scientific expedition into the Black Hills. Keeping a journal during this expedition, Dodge wrote that "the Indians call this place 'bad god's tower,' a name adopted with proper modification..." And so the label "Devil's Tower" was created.
According to the park service, as darkness falls on Devils Tower, a different kind of light illuminates the sky on a clear night. That light comes from objects in deep space, and transforms the night from a place of darkness into a place of wonder. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't cooperated for any night sky viewing. I'd like to come back on a moonless night with clear skies to see the view from this vantage point. This is a spectacular place to hang out for more than two days. Maybe we'll return next summer with one or more of the grandkids.
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I saw that you were headed to Alaska and so not attending the Alliance Rally. Mike and I couldn’t attend this year either, but we drove to the fairgrounds for the day to check out vendor deals and look at the new models. Beautiful day in Northern Indiana. Sorry our paths didn’t cross. We did visit for awhile with Sean and Nancy as well as Anita and Don. Have a fabulous time on your Alaska adventures. Looking forward to reading your posts.