Day 4 – Close Encounters of the Wyoming Kind

The day started as the last couple, cool morning that ended in the 90’s. Don’s Strom showed 49 degrees when we rolled out of camp. Ran north past Pactola Lake and to the town of Leads. There’s a giant open gold mine in town. Operation was abandoned several years ago but the surprising thing is what the old mine tunnels are currently used for. Sanford Labs is conducting dark matter, neutrino properties, and gravitational wave experiments a mile beneath Leads. Scientist from all over the world come to this small Dakota town.

We cut through Spearfish Canyon and then turned towards Wyoming. Western Wyoming may have Yellowstone and the Tetons, but the east side isn’t bad either. Our destination for the day was the centerpiece of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Devil’s Tower. It is both impressive and bizarre. Unlike in the movie, there is no walking up the back side to reach the top and jam with the aliens. It is a very popular attraction for climbers though.

“Devil’s Tower” is an unfortunate name. The feature is very holy and sacred to several Native American tribes. It is referenced in the old stories of the oral tradition. The Lakota or Sioux called it Bear’s Tipi or lodge. In the Lakota language, “black bear” and “bad god” are very similar words. It is thought the current name given by European explorers is based on a misinterpretion. Devil’s Tower is also a very unique geological feature. No one knows exactly how it formed. The various theories generally involve the hardening of magma deep underground of a volcanic event. Supposedly, this tower of rock was much taller and deep below the Earth’s surface. Over eons of time, the softer surrounding dirt and rock has washed away leaving the tower standing. It’s 867 feet from the base to the summit and is still “growing” as the surrounding land continues to erode.

It was another spectacular day but most of my pictures were disappointing. The smoke from the western wildfires is creating a general haze over the area. On to Custer State Park tomorrow if we don’t freeze. Temps seem to be plummetting tonight.