Today we got up, packed the car to move on, and drove back into Custer State Park once more to see the Needles Highway which had been closed for resurfacing the last two days. It was spectacular! Here are a few pictures of the narrow winding road that passed through very narrow tunnels, past spires that look like rock needles (how it got its name) that really don't do it justice.
Below is the eye of the needle rock formation.
Then we stopped at Sylvan Lake for a nice hike (2 miles) around a beautiful man-made lake.
After that, we drove another two hours West into Wyoming to see Devils Tower National Monument.
Wow, was it big! It stands 1280 feet high in the middle of the high plains a few miles over the border from South Dakota, in an otherwise mostly flat plain area.
There are several Indian legends on the origin of this prominent feature. They say that "seven Indian girls were playing when a huge bear approached them. The girls were terrified and they ran for their lives with the bear right behind them. They came to the stump of a great tree, the tree spoke to them, saying to climb upon it. As they did so, it began to rise and grow larger, bearing them higher than the bear could reach. The angry bear reared up against the tree and scored the bark with its claws, causing the marks that still remain to this day. The girls continued to rise into the sky and eventually became the stars of the Pleiades constellation".
I don't know if it is true, but it was fun listening to the story. I met several dozen nice people who enjoyed petting me and talking to my human parents. Many people seem surprised that we have come all the way from Rochester, NY.
Then we drove to Belle Fourche, SD where we will stay overnight and press on to North Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt National Park tomorrow😉.
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