Yesterday, we headed back into the park (Devil’s Tower) to hike the trail around the base. It was cold and the wind was howling. We both took big jackets, hats, & gloves. The trail that goes around the base is 1.3 miles and is said to be relatively flat, paved, and easy. My definition of easy is different once we got started. And we decided that we didn’t need the really big jackets once we got into the forest at the base. Well, the trail was up and down, up and down. The up was a killer. But I was determined to make it. It was beautiful to look off to the left and see the hills and terrain below us. We saw several deer as we walked. And being so much closer to the base gave us a much better view of the Tower.
There were many, many rock climbers all around the Tower, all at different heights of the climb.
I was really glad to get to the 1/2 mark because I had contemplated turning around.
Notice that the jacket had come off! I think the sign was holding me up!
But once there, it was just as quick to continue on around. I had to sit and rest quite a number of times, sometimes on the rocks if there weren’t benches close by. My legs did well – I was just getting very fatigued and unsteady from the MS. But I made it! That was a good feeling.
Back to the start – the finish line. I was a little bit winded!
After the hike, we drove into Sundance. (This is not the same Sundance that Robert Redford has the film festival.) We went to the Crook County Museum, which the sign out front said it closed at 3:00. I called the number and a lady answered and said she was still there and was waiting for a group to get there, so come on in. And we did. There were over 7,000 artifacts (all donated by Crook County residents) and multiple dioramas. They have outgrown the space and are moving to a bigger facility in March. The lady, Cricket, said all of the employees and volunteers have tons of packed items in their homes because they have run out of room.
We struck up a conversation with her and found out that she and her family own a 10,000 acre ranch between Sundance and Upton. She said she had found hundreds of arrowheads and petrified wood on the ranch and that there were even tipi rings on the ranch. I asked if she had facilities to camp, which she didn’t, but said they were planning a B&B for the ranch. And she sincerely invited us to come to the ranch and we could go artifact hunting and see the tipi rings. We exchanged cards and told her we would definitely be back in the area and take her up. She said, on her own ranch, she had gotten lost before, looking down for arrowheads and wandering out of view of her truck. We meet such interesting people.
Then we finally made it to a restaurant, which she recommended and said her daughter worked at – The Longhorn Saloon + Grill. My first excellent steak since we’ve been on the road.
Time ran out to see the Vore Buffalo Jump, so we headed back to the camper and decided to stay one more night here and to drive out later today to the Buffalo Jump and to ride by Cricket’s ranch, just to take a look. I will post that adventure later.
GA Gypsies - Fulltiming 