Day 5 - House of the Bear (Devils Tower)
We woke up this morning in the Cody Cowboy Village and opened the window blinds…. only to see 2 inches of snow, gusty winds, and a 35-degree reading on the thermometer outside! Winter continues in Wyoming. We enjoyed a continental breakfast, courtesy of the hotel, along with a good friend of ours (do you recognize this cowboy in Cody?).
Before leaving Cody, we had to hit up the Sierra Trading Post outlet store. Kristina loves buying outdoor clothing and gear from them online and was ecstatic to see there was an actual store and so close to where we were staying! And we managed to find some great deals -- Emily bought a dress and a shirt from the clearance rack, and Kristina found a down vest for 75% off and her favorite black boots on the 3rds rack (meaning they were gently used and returned… and super cheap).
The shopping trip was brief, and we hit the road. Today's drive covered much of Wyoming… open ranges, snow and mountains, canyons, more mountains, and rolling hills, all with a steady snow. We're still pretty amazed that the majority of our spring road trip has been more winter than spring.
Several hours later, we arrived at Devils Tower National Monument. Devils Tower is located in northeastern Wyoming and rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the surrounding terrain. There are a lot of different theories as to how this giant was formed, but all agree that it was caused by magma rising through the crust of the earth and then cooling quickly. After millions of years of erosion of the sedimentary rock layers around this form, the Tower was exposed (you can read more about this through the link in our sidebar).
Even in some snow and cold rain, Emily and Kristina enjoyed a nice hike around the Tower Trail (about 1.5 miles). They soaked in the view of the tower and the surrounding range land, cattle, deer, and chipmunks. And they read the trail markings that discussed how area American Indians viewed this same place (it's sacred ground for them, and they return for ceremonies throughout the year).
As communications majors, we'd both like to point out the grammar mistake in the monument's name because it's not our own -- Devils Tower does not have an apostrophe. Apparently the first guy who named/wrote about the monument messed it up, and the government decided to keep it that way because it was easier.
Two hours after leaving Devils Tower, we entered Rapid City and checked into the Grand Gateway hotel. After an Italian dinner at Botticelli, we returned to the hotel and enjoyed a swim in the pool before bedtime. Emily was adventurous and tried out the water slide!
Before leaving Cody, we had to hit up the Sierra Trading Post outlet store. Kristina loves buying outdoor clothing and gear from them online and was ecstatic to see there was an actual store and so close to where we were staying! And we managed to find some great deals -- Emily bought a dress and a shirt from the clearance rack, and Kristina found a down vest for 75% off and her favorite black boots on the 3rds rack (meaning they were gently used and returned… and super cheap).
The shopping trip was brief, and we hit the road. Today's drive covered much of Wyoming… open ranges, snow and mountains, canyons, more mountains, and rolling hills, all with a steady snow. We're still pretty amazed that the majority of our spring road trip has been more winter than spring.
Several hours later, we arrived at Devils Tower National Monument. Devils Tower is located in northeastern Wyoming and rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the surrounding terrain. There are a lot of different theories as to how this giant was formed, but all agree that it was caused by magma rising through the crust of the earth and then cooling quickly. After millions of years of erosion of the sedimentary rock layers around this form, the Tower was exposed (you can read more about this through the link in our sidebar).
Even in some snow and cold rain, Emily and Kristina enjoyed a nice hike around the Tower Trail (about 1.5 miles). They soaked in the view of the tower and the surrounding range land, cattle, deer, and chipmunks. And they read the trail markings that discussed how area American Indians viewed this same place (it's sacred ground for them, and they return for ceremonies throughout the year).
As communications majors, we'd both like to point out the grammar mistake in the monument's name because it's not our own -- Devils Tower does not have an apostrophe. Apparently the first guy who named/wrote about the monument messed it up, and the government decided to keep it that way because it was easier.
Two hours after leaving Devils Tower, we entered Rapid City and checked into the Grand Gateway hotel. After an Italian dinner at Botticelli, we returned to the hotel and enjoyed a swim in the pool before bedtime. Emily was adventurous and tried out the water slide!
posted by Kristina @ 10:00 PM
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