Mile 10,408 – Sundance, Eastern Wyoming.
Once Upon a Time, man invented the [New England] hiking trail, narrow with lots of rocks and challenging obstacles. Then man moved West, where there’s more space, and man invented the wider, smoother hiking trail. Then hiking trails needed to be made accessible, and they were paved, and man saw that it was good. Today, I walked around the Devils Tower in Wyoming and discovered another incremental jump in hiking technology— paved hiking trails with speed bumps (for bicycles)! I can’t wait for hiking trails with traffic lights and interchanges!
All kidding aside, Devils Tower (remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind?) was interesting and impressive. We walked around its perimeter, at the base. Watching others climb the tower was an enjoyable spectator sport.
Earlier today, we drove across the Big Horn Mountains, an unusual mountain chain. The southern end (Cloud Peak Wilderness) is essentially a plateau that was pushed up above the surrounding countryside. The oldest rocks are on top. There are no towering peaks like the Grand Tetons along the plateau, but there are deep canyons where roads wind up and down to the high plateau. Powder River Pass, at 9666 feet, was the second highest elevation of our trip (after Wolf Creek Pass).
Before we leave Wyoming: my compliments about the Rest Areas maintained by the state of Wyoming. They are not only on Interstates but also on the long, endless highways and byways, and they often have informative geological, cultural, and historical displays.
Vintage Postcard Project: September 26: Devils Tower, Wyoming
[Photographs © 2012 P.J. Gardner. All Rights Reserved.]