We were up and out early to race to Mount Rushmore National Memorial before check out. Driving up into the Black Hills was fun, and we certainly could have spent more time. We had just half an hour to see the sculptures. This was enough time to enjoy the area without doing any of the hikes up to the base of the hill. We found the Massachusetts and Montana state flags and plaques, I checked out the pegmatite boulders (pretty granite with big crystals), and we may have had enough time to take a few photos smooching George (gotta love perspective, and no, I won't post those here).
After racing back to Rapid City to clean out our room, grab the cats, and complete check out by 11:00 a.m., we were on the road again. And we couldn't resist driving into Sturgis to see what all the commotion was about. The rally didn't officially start for two more days, but the entire area was gearing up. The region (and I mean all of South Dakota, plus Wyoming, plus Montana, as far west as Missoula, as far as I can tell) really gets psyched up for this event. It is a major influx of tourists and tourist dollars, and everyone goes out of their way to enjoy and accommodate the bikers - yes, Steve K., you must go! We took the Sturgis exit, and drove the loop through town, taking photos until we reached I-90 again. Kids were selling lemonade, water, and soda; families were renting out tents in mini-cities on their lawns. If I had any bad-ass in me and didn't stick out like a sore thumb, I could see totally enjoying it!
We headed for Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming) after leaving Sturgis. My first view of the tower was almost disappointing, but by the time we entered the park and drove up to the base of this ancient volcanic neck with columnar jointing, I was a happy geologist again! Native Americans believe that a ginormous (technical term) bear clawed the sides of the tower, leaving the pattern seen, but most geologists believe that the tower was created when lava plugged the neck of a volcano, cooled into the columnar pattern (like mudcracks), and then the Belle Fourche river eroded away the "softer" rocks of the volcano itself. So amazing. I'm glad to be relatively close to all of these sites, so to have the chance to go back and visit them in more detail. As we left the park, we stopped to watch members of one of the few protected prairie dog colonies do their thing.
From Devils Tower it was many more hours of driving across Wyoming, watching the deer and the antelope play. Mostly antelope. As we turned to the north, we watched the sun fade behind the Bighorn Mountains. We finally entered Montana under cover of darkness, arriving at our motel again near 11:00 p.m. The parking lot was nearly full, but, with the help of my trip partners, I did one well-executed parking job, if I do say so myself.
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