Bear Lodge...aka Devil's Tower

 Saturday, September 30, 2023

Today's plan was to repeat several things we did in 2021...and add a couple of other stops that we weren't able to do on the previous trip. Our main destination for the day would be Devil's Tower.

Our planned route for the day.

Our first view of Devil's Tower. The three hills on the left are the Missouri Buttes.

Since our last trip, the Guide Along app has added narration for Devil's Tower so we listened as we drove. Besides pointing out things to see, the app covered some of the history of the tower. Each of the Native American tribes from the region has their own legend in regards to Devil's Tower. To them, this is a sacred site that they refer to as Bear Lodge or Bear Tipi and they resent the name Devils Tower. Many believe the current name came from a poor translation of the Native American word "bear" into "bad god". Several different tribes have called for the changing of the name.

One story that has been passed on concerning the tower's origin came from the Crow Tribe:

Once when some Crows were camped at "Bear's House," two little girls were playing around some big rocks there. There were lots of bears living around the big rock, and one big bear, seeing the girls alone, was going to eat them. The big bear was just about to catch the girls when they saw him. The girls were scared and the only place they could get was on top of the rocks around which they had been playing

The girls climbed the rock but still the bear could catch them. The Great Spirit, seeing the bear was about to catch the girls, caused the rock to grow up out of the ground. The bear kept trying to jump to the top of the rock but he just scratched the rock and fell down on the ground. The claw marks are on the rock now. The rock kept growing until it was so high that the bear could not get the girls. The two girls are still on top of the rock. (nps.gov)

As we reached Devils Tower around 10 am we noticed a portable stop light on the road to the visitor center. At the time it wasn't functioning so we were confused by why it was there. Rather than hike the paved loop around the base of the tower as we did before, we had decided to take the Joyner Ridge Trail which has a view of the tower from a distance. The road to the trailhead turned off before we reached the visitor center and only one other car was in the parking lot when we arrived. 

From reading reviews on AllTrails.com, we chose to hike the 1.5 mile loop in the clockwise direction. The trail follows a grassy path across Joyner Ridge at the beginning but then there is a steep and rugged drop-off down into the draw with a more gradual incline back to the top of the ridge. I was glad to have my hiking poles going down the steep slope to take a little pressure off my bad knees. The trail goes through various terrains in the loop and has a great view of the tower. At the top of the ridge the cool breeze was pleasant but it was on the warm side down in the valley. 

The steeper downhill portion of the trail.

Bob never passes up an opportunity to scramble on rocks.

Bob found a praying mantis on the trail.

We made it! There was a "selfie station" at the trailhead where you could prop up your phone.

Knowing we had more places to visit for the day, we decided to skip driving to the visitor center...and that was a wise move. As we turned onto the main entrance road the stoplight was now functioning and a VERY long line of cars were stopped at the red light. Our guess was that the parking lot at the visitor center was full and cars were not being allowed to get in until spots opened up. It was a beautiful weekend day, but it seemed surprising that on September 30th so many people would be visiting. Then we remembered that a government shutdown was looming for the next day. Perhaps many people decided to squeeze in a visit to Devil's Tower before it was too late. (Note: The shutdown was averted at the last minute.)

We drove to the picnic area and pulled out the cooler and made sandwiches for lunch. From past experience, we knew the view of the tower from there was outstanding!

View from picnic area.

Bob picked up some of the red soil to use when he makes pottery.

Taking the northern part of our mapped out route, we began the return trip with a stop in the town of Hulett, Wyoming. Hulett is a tiny town but we wanted to re-visit Bob's Rogue Gallery located there. It is a combination of a gift shop and art gallery but mostly it is museum. And in spite of its small size the place is probably the most unique and interesting museum ever! The place is full of cowboy and Native American memorabilia. One of my favorite exhibits are these two photos which change depending on the angle that you view them from. They go from interesting vintage photos to downright creepy!

Leaving Hulett, we moved on to the even tinier town of Aladdin...population 15. The main draw was the Aladdin General Store right on the highway. Lots of tourist-type stuff for sale in the downstairs while the upstairs was appropriately called the "Antique Attic". Bob saw a sign displayed for an upcoming community "pie social" and it made me wonder how many pies would be needed for a social in a town of 15? 😄

Aladdin General Store

The antique display case held all sorts of different kinds of candy.

The Tri-State Museum in Belle Fourche (pronounced bel foosh) was our next stop. The museum had been closed when we were there in 2021 but based on a friend's recommendation (thanks, Sherita!) I wanted to visit. The museum exhibits did a great job of recording history from the local area. 

An exhibit showing what a beauty salon would look like in days gone by. Need your hair curled??

When Hawaii became a state, the geographical center of the U.S. shifted to about 20 miles north of Belle Fourche. The actual center is on private property but the city of Belle Fourche decided they would build a monument. Also on display at the same property is the first log cabin built in the northern Black Hills.

The scenery on our drive was so beautiful but yet different than the more jagged rocks of the southern Black Hills. I was getting tired, but still wanted to visit the Friendship Tower on Mt. Roosevelt near Deadwood. A winding 1.5 mile road took us to the trailhead and it was another half-mile hike to the top of the mountain where the tower was located. It was close to sunset and the golden glow of the sun made the trail especially beautiful. The Friendship Tower was erected by Seth Bullock (the first sheriff of Deadwood) in honor of his friend, Theodore Roosevelt. A very steep spiral staircase led to the top of the tower where you could look out across the expansive Black Hills.

Friendship Tower on Mt. Roosevelt

End of the day shadows.

Climbing the tall, narrow stairs was not easy for a short person!

Back at the condo, dinner was leftovers. For me, the Indian taco from the previous night and Bob had some soup. We sat on the balcony while we ate and FaceTimed with our son and grandson. The 2nd floor condo had a great view of the city of Lead.

This aerial photo shows just how close our condo was to the giant Homestake mine pit.

I waited anxiously for the full harvest moon to rise, but realized right away that the view was blocked by a tree. Eventually it rose high enough in the sky and was a beautiful sight! The condo was quite warm so it was pleasant to sit in the chilly night air as I finished up this blog post.