September 24, 2008

Hi Everyone,

So here we are checking out the site of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (the movie location). The mountain (Devils Tower) is here -- but there is no place where the space crafts could land on the backside of the hill. Thus, the landing was just Hollywood at work!

If you are an Earth sign -- Capricorn (Shan, Erin, Natalie, Pat, Pinky, Story and Mary Stewart), a Tauras (Daniel, Raul, Ninette, Chase, and Nancy), or a Virgo (Tim, Madeline, and Dave) -- you should make it a point to visit this area. (Sorry if we missed anyone.) The rocks and trees will feed your spirit as Earth people. Actually, the area is very spiritual and is sacred to Native Americans.

Devils Tower is in Wyoming. It is 867 feet tall. We have extended our stay here because of the beauty of this place. We arrived on Monday and will leave tomorrow (Thursday).

Yesterday we walked up the hillside path (not the main road) to the Visitor's Center at the base of the Tower. Then we took the paved path around the Tower and back again to the RV site. The total hike was over 5 miles -- and at 4,250 feet above sea level, we sure got our exercise. During this time, we took many pictures. We tried to capture pictures of the Tower, the dozen or so people in various stages of actually climbing it, the one-mile trail around the Tower, the valley below, and the many praire dogs.

The climbers were youngsters (compared to us). The rest of the tourists were older folks, like us.

We are dry camping in the State Park. There is virtually no one else here and it is wonderful.

Before we arrived here, we saw a sign painted on a barn about Verizon that was funny and sadly, somewhat true. That sign also belongs in Cambria. It is always a gamble whether we will have cell and/or internet coverage as we travel the USA. For the most part, though, Verizon has been quite reliable for us.

Tomorrow we leave for Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Until next time, enjoy the pictures and our blog. Much love to all.

Jerry and Mary