Close Encounters

Thursday, 24 September 2009

I am listening to John Humphrys and James Naughtie on "Today" on BBC Radio 4 as I upload this blog. Familiar voices, but it sounds kind of out of place in deepest South Dakota.

Road Trip Day 36

So, yesterday I left you on tenterhooks... OK, maybe I made you slightly curious. I was back in Wyoming, 5 days after leaving the state behind. Why?

Well, during my research on the Mount Rushmore area I noticed a little marker, not far back west, just back over the Wyoming border labelled "Devil's Tower". Curious to know what it was, I Googled it and realised immediately that it was a must see destination on my trip.

Double Whammy

If you recall, I finished my blog yesterday with a note to say I was going to watch a movie before bed. I was especially keen to watch it as my main destination today features in that movie. Have you guessed yet? Here's a visual clue.

(Anyone who guessed that the movie I am hinting at is "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" can get lost!)

OK, enough already. Devil's Tower is the landmark which Richard Dreyfuss' and the other affected characters in Close Encounters of the Third Kind are drawn to and where the mothership lands at the end. Remember the bit where they play the little tune to the aliens then the missing people walk out of the spaceship and Richard Dreyfuss gets on board? That is set at Devil's Tower.

Today wasn't all about the movie trivia though. Devil's Tower is also fascinating from a geological point of view. The formation came about when molten rock intruded into the earth when the surface level was a mile and a half higher than it is now. In the intervening time, the soft, sedimentary rocks have been eroded from around the solidified rock revealing Devil's Tower.

The rock cooled extremely slowly allowing the huge, hexagonal columns to form. They are around 10 to 20 feet across making them the largest such columns in the world. The hexagonal shape is far from unique though. For instance, the Devil's Causeway in Ireland is made up of hexagonal columns formed when rock cooled, but they are considerably smaller.

So, Devil's Tower was a double whammy for me feeding both my Movie Buff and Geologist interests.

More Critters

Devil's Tower and the surrounding area was declared a National Monument back in 1906 and was the first of it's kind. Like National Parks, National Monuments are under the care of the National Parks service and their wonderful rangers. Nature thrives in the protected land and close to the entrance is an area called Prairie Dog City in which these super-cure little critters live in peace, save for the gawking tourists whom they pretty much ignore.

Another bonus today was the peace and tranquillity of the area. I walked the route around the base of the tower and was struck by how peaceful it was. There were a reasonable number of visitors today, but not so many as to mean there were not long periods of silence, except for the crickets, birds, squirrels and insects of course. I was blessed with another beautiful sunny day and Devil's Tower was a magnificent place to spend it.

May I See Your Licence and Registration Please?

Yep, you guessed it from the headline. I got pulled over by South Dakota Highway Patrol today. I was cruising along nicely just outside of Sturgis doing 77 in a 75 zone when I noticed the familiar shape of a Ford police cruiser grille behind me.

I was overtaking a truck at the time and when I pulled in from completing the manoeuvre the police car switched its lights on. I made a gentle stop on the shoulder, wound down both windows and waited with a smile on my face.

"How are you ma'am?" he asked nicely. "Fine, thank you." I smiled back. "May I see your licence and registration please?" "Well, I don't have the registration as this is a rental but here is my British Driving Licence" I said in my best English accent.

Anyway, we chatted for a while about my trip, he looked over my licence and rental agreement and then we cut to the chase (not literally you understand).

"Well, I just pulled you over to let you know that back there in Sturgis is a 65 limit. You are fine doing 75 here, but back there is 65." "Oh yes" I said "I use the cruise control. I don't have that on my car back in England, but I really want it." I said, not admitting a thing. "Yeah, great isn't it?" said the Officer. We laughed and he wished me a nice day. I said thanks and he went back to his car. I pulled away gracefully then accelerated to exactly 75, engaged the cruise control and didn't go a mile over 75 for the rest of the journey.

However, for the record, I know it's a 65 through Sturgis and I slowed down as soon as I saw the sign. I didn't go over 68 through the whole of the city. Still, I wasn't about to argue the toss over that with the nice patrolman.

In conclusion:

• Yes, I am being careful
• No, I don't speed like I have, occasionally been known to do in the UK
• Yes, there is a different attitude over here and I respect it and obey the laws of the road
• No, I'm not sure what the smell of burning is coming from the car, but I am 99% sure it's some of the tumble weed I ran over at Scott's Bluff a few days ago because I pulled some out but obviously not all

Peanut Butter Pie

Was delicious.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 36 in a larger map

Stats - Day Sixty-Two

Distance travelled - 162 miles - Sundance, WY to Wall, SD via Devil's Tower.

State count - 24 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*

*I checked in to room 115, but a noisy family checked in above and stamped and crashed on the floor so I asked to be moved and I am in 110 now.