Devil's Tower, Wyoming

The Knuckle Saloon in Sturgis.  Huge bar almost a block log.  

From Badlands we went North and stayed in Sturgis, SD.   This is where they have the motorcycle rally from Aug. 5th-14th.  This would have been a great experience to see all the bikers and antics that come with it but we are on a schedule 😞.   We did walk around the town and checked out the bars that will be hosting the events.   They are ready to go!   There will be live music daily during rally at Buffalo Chip.   Skynard's going to be there along with others.  

On our second day, we went to Devil's Tower in Wyoming   (60 miles West of Sturgis).  If you are older, you'll recognize the structure from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"  movie by Steven Spielberg.  Richard Dreyfuss has contact with aliens in his truck and proceeds to have weird thoughts that make him build the tower out of mash potatoes.  😆   As you drive up to the tower, it seems to be out of place compared to the area around it.   It was formed 50 million years ago from lava that formed under ground and seems to raise out out of the ground but actually came to be from erosion of the land around it.   As you get closer to the tower, you notice columns.   This was from quick cooling of the lava underground that formed 6 sided columns.   This is the first National Monument in our country during President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency under the Antiquities Act.   The name came from a translation misunderstanding of Indian Term "Gods Bad Tower" back in 1875 during Colonel Richard Irving Dodge expedition.     

It looks out of place as you drive up to the Tower

Able to get a Tatanka (Buffalo) in the picture just outside the park.

You can see the columns around the tower.

Side view from walk we took around the tower.

Black Hills around the the tower.  

As we walked around the tower, there were wild flowers and had to get a picture.