Wyoming Road Trip Day 6: Devils Tower National Monument

Today was Rapid City to Cheyenne via Devils Tower National Park. The weather was definitely much colder than it was the first half of the trip - and the wind didn't help either.

Route: I-190, I-90, US 14, WY 24, US 14, I-90, WY 59, I-25

Photo Set on Flickr: Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower as seen from US 14.

Outside the entrance to Devils Tower National Monument at Wyoming State Highway 110.

If Rocky Mountain National Park amazed me, Devils Tower National Monument inspired me. From the moment it first came into view on US 14 - and during my hike around the tower - I continually was in awe of it.

Devils Tower rises 867 from its base and 1267' above the Belle Fourche River.

Native American names for Devils Tower include Bear's Lodge or Bear's House.

Devils Tower is the United States' first national monument. The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the President of the United States "to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected."

"The Window"

Devils Tower is the largest example of columnar jointing in the world.

The establishment of Devils Tower as a National Monument came from efforts led by Wyoming Senator Francis E. Warren and Congressman Frank W. Mondell. Their efforts resulted in President Theodore Roosevelt declaring Devils Tower as the first National Monument on September 24, 1906. This designation preserved the natural wonder from any future development.

Rock climbing is a popular activity at Devils Tower.

At the park, I did the 1.3 mile paved Tower Loop Trail. This trail runs the closest to the tower - and during Summer months is the most popular. With it being November, I pretty much had the entire hike to myself. It seemed like along every step, I found a new vantage point, a new detail, a new majesty to see.

I took so many photos that it did allow me to try various filters, settings, etc. in Lightroom. As you can tell, I got carried away.

There are plenty of other trails at Devils Tower - many through the prairie and along the Belle Fourche River. These trails offer more distanced views of the tower and include the entire prairie landscape. Of course, there are numerous rock climbing trails on the tower itself.

The trip back to Cheyenne was another great example of the openness of Wyoming.

Wyoming 59 is pretty much a straight shot connecting Gillette and Douglas. Other than a town called Bill, it is wide open with more windmills than services along the 100 or so miles between the two towns.

Windmills and snow along Wyoming 59.

Interstate 25 South offered a lot of scenery - and on this day a lot of wind. Stopping at the Rest Area at US 18 in Orin was quite blustery.

We got into Cheyenne about 3:30 or so. Again, I was exhausted to really go out and explore the town. We did stop at a local brewery for pizza and a beer and drove around town a little bit. Cheyenne seems like a great small town that I'd like to see more of.

Photos not watermarked - taken by post author.

2021 Wyoming Road Trip Site Navigation:

Day 5: Wind Cave National Park & Mount Rushmore
Day 7 & 8: The Return Home

Also at Gribblenation:

2016 Summer Mountain Road Trip Part 10: Devils Tower National Monument

The case to move Interstate 73 in Southern Ohio onto US 33

Every decade or so, Ohio pushes to revisit the proposed Interstate 73 that would connect Michigan to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's been happening since Congress legislated the route in 1991. Within Ohio, Interstate 73 generally follows the US 23 corridor from Portsmouth through Columbus to Toledo, and into Michigan. Since High Priority Corridor Five was created , Ohio has really done nothing to move forward with Interstate 73. Sure, there have been feasibility studies here and there. But actual dollars and construction just haven't occurred. The US 33 Nelsonville Bypass appears to have been built to Interstate standards. However, Ohio has been slowly upgrading US 33 to a full freeway through Southeastern Ohio. Bypasses of Lancaster and Nelsonville opened in 2004 and 2013, respectively. Other sections of two-lane road are being twinned, some to freeway or, at a minimum, to expressway standards. Currently, a $274 million widening project in...

Local Sign Find - The last remnant of Business Interstate 95 between Kenly and Rocky Mount , NC

As you head north on Interstate 95 at Exit 107 for Kenly and US 301, you'll notice something odd about the overhead sign for the exit. Peeling off the sign for all that can see is the word 'NORTH' off-center from the US 301. This old sign (probably close to original from when this section of I-95 opened - more on that in a little bit) gives a hint to a short-lived Business Interstate Route that ran from here to Rocky Mount. The last hint of the Kenly-Wilson-Rocky Mount Business I-95 (Shaun White - August 2020) Interstate 95 in North Carolina has a unique history. But one of the overlooked and forgotten pieces of Interstate 95 in North Carolina is the 38 mile section between Kenly and Rocky Mount. When opened to traffic in late 1978, it was the next to last piece of Interstate 95 in North Carolina to open replacing a four lane US 301 from Battleboro through Rocky Mount and Wilson to eventually tying back into the Interstate in Kenly. Though it was not delayed in l...

Nostalgia fast food with style - Returning to Rax

Nostalgia. It sells. It evokes, and more accurately, warps memories of days gone by. Things were better, simpler, and we eat it up. Nostalgia can make you drive three hours and over a hundred miles out of your way just to reconnect with a dying fast-food restaurant you last enjoyed in the early to mid-90s. That person was me - that restaurant was Rax. I could go on about Rax's history, but in short, Rax was briefly a very popular roast beef fast-food chain. Growing up in the 80s and early 90s in Western PA, Rax was the good fast-food spot. The milkshakes. (Personally, the chocolate chip milkshake was heaven.) Uncle Alligator Kids Meal with the chocolate chip cookie. Take that McDonald's Happy Meal! The fancy salad and hot foods bar. Going to Rax was special. Like so many similar restaurants, various investments, management decisions, etc., led Rax to almost disappear overnight. By the time I graduated college in late 1999, abou...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog