So, the kids are wondering why so many things are named for the Devil out here.    We went to Devil’s Lake and hiked to the Devil’s Doorway in Wisconsin, saw the Devil’s Tower and hiked near the Devil’s Bathtub in Spearfish Canyon.  It’s a good question, but it seems like all the Devil’s namesakes are pretty amazing sites to visit.  If you know the answer, let us know.

Devil’s Tower is about an hour from Spearfish.  The kids are getting a little tired of all the driving we are doing EVERY day, but it has made me realize just how big this country is.  You look at a map when you are planning to go somewhere and see lots of attractions nearby…within about 2 inches of your “base” on the map.  Well, that 2 inches turns out to be a 90 minute drive…and that’s just one part of one state.  Bottom line, I budgeted way too low for the gas line item.

Devil’s Tower is just so weird.  It rises up from the surrounding plains, all on it’s own, in massive proportion to what is around it.  And the channels (or bear claw marks, according to the Indian folklore) cut into it are so squared, so sharp, that it looks like it was poured into a concrete mold rather than coming from nature.  We did the quick 1.3 mile hike around the base (well, it’s paved, so calling it a hike is maybe generous), watched the insane climbers scaling the cracks, and Maya earned another Junior Ranger badge.  We were all appropriately impressed and amazed by the whole thing.   I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way either…  

On the way home we swung through Belle Fourche to stand on a marker at the geographic center of the United States.  They had an old log cabin near the marker, and we talked about it for a while.  I’m reading Little House on the Prairie out loud on some of our drives and seeing things like log cabins and waving prairie grasses and the exhibits about life from 100 years ago have all helped us imagine the story better.  Or maybe the story is making these things we see seem more relevant.  Either way, if anyone has some other book recommendations for our time coming up in the Northwest, I’d love for you to send them to me.  Wyatt has also decided that his two preferred home styles are log cabin (the whole log style) and modern designs.  

The next day we drove around Spearfish Canyon on the scenic highway (more driving!).  Spearfish Canyon is another smell-anchored place.  Meaning once you drive through and smell all the pines, you can’t think of Spearfish without thinking of the awesome smell.  The weather was cool, chilly even, and there was fog that got thicker as we drover higher into the canyon (can you drive higher into a canyon?).  We pulled over at Bridal Veil Falls, right along the side of the road, and did a hike on a path along Iron Creek.  The little impromptu hike was fantastic…it followed along the creek, which had so many little waterfalls you had to stop counting, and together with the fog it was peaceful and beautiful.  Probably one of our favorite hikes so far.

That night we went to the RODEO in Belle Fourche.  It’s their 100th anniversary and we loved it!  The arena was extremely muddy which we were told made it tough on the athletes (human and animal), but we got to see all the classic events.  So fun!   It’s been raining a lot here and was calling for storms, so we didn’t take our good camera…no pics from it, sadly.