Devils Tower National Monument in WY, After 45 years of being captivated by the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, we finally visited one of the most astounding geologic features in America: Devils Tower. When the GPS showed that we had eight miles before our destination at the KOA campground right next to Devils Tower, we could even see it in the distance. It just stands out in a compelling way that one Kiowa writer describes it “…upthrust against the gray (or blue, in my perspective) sky as if in the birth of time the core of the earth had broken through its crust and the motion of the world was begun.”
We biked three miles uphill to the Devils Tower Monument from our RV site and could not believe we were so close to that iconic feature with “columns”. No wonder Richard Dreyfuss obsessed with the imminent landing of aliens, made a replica of Devils Tower with mashed potato, using his fork to create the columns…Believe it or not, as we walked over a mile around the DT’s base, we could see the rock climbers up there. That is purely suicidal, but those climbers knew what they were doing…And there were “prayer cloths” hanging in the trees, so people flock to Devils Tower to represent a personal connection to the site. In addition, American Indians consider Devils Tower sacred. To me and Steve, it was a powerful experience to walk around such a beautiful towering magic.
It is not only the Devils Tower that shows beauty in the area, as there are amazing red rocks and a majestic countryside around the Tower. Prairie dogs take up a large field and are not even shy. I swear they DO wag their tails! We were fortunate to be able to stay at a wonderful KOA with a sunset view of the Devils Tower. At least we did not get snatched up by the aliens with Richard Dreyfuss…
