It was 1977, when I was just 6 years old, when Steven Spielberg released Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It was a phenomenal movie that grabbed my attention when I first saw it on TV. Two parts of that movie that grabbed my attention for decades were the “Five Tones” (see the YouTube clip) and Devil’s Tower.
I enjoyed the scene where the aliens and Man communicated through music. Besides the classical music on Bugs Bunny, this was one of my first exposures to this type of music, which has become my favourite genre.
During our Alaskan Trip’s planning stage, I included Devil’s Tower. We would be driving by this iconic Wyoming landmark, but only drive by it because I thought it was too expensive to enter. After all, it is just a towering rock in the middle of nowhere. Why would we need to see it closer when we will be staring at it during our drive?
One of the main things we like to do during travels is take tours. A guided tour of a location lets us learn more about the site and why it is important enough to be a tourist destination. We also love museums and similar places. The next great thing to do is mural tours of a town or city. The act of walking in the downtown core of some place is amazing in itself. To see the various architecture and the general “feel” of a city is fun, plus it is free to do.
Oddly, I have this weird exclusion for natural wonders. We love waterfalls or scenic views, but sometimes we see and go. There is minimal exploration and even less getting to know the place. We do miss out when we are only briefly at a place. This Alaskan journey to the farthest part of the continent and back opened my eyes to just staying.
Just stay for a bit.
Take it in.
Take the attraction that lured us in, but also the surroundings, the environment, the plants, and, if we are lucky, the animals. Some places are just magical.
We felt the magic of so many places on this trip. The majesty of the mountains. The simple act of bison eating on the side of the road. The flow of water in a quiet location. Spotting wild horses and noticing they look exactly like the horses in the farms near us, but they are wild horses!
Just cool.
Spiritual, even.
Devil’s Tower National Monument was a slight detour on our way to Rapid City, SD. I had to see it, drive by it, and take a photo or two (actually 86) of the long-forgotten volcano. I had done all the research on what can be done there. For the most part, the main attraction is a circular hike around the Tower. There is a prairie dog town, which was interesting, but we had already seen prairie dogs on this trip, so seeing these rodents again was not particularly strong in its appeal. Plus, the price was higher than I was willing to pay.
But something drew me into getting closer.
I had seen it from a distance.
We drove closer. Slowly, the Tower grew bigger.
Got even closer.
We got so close that we discovered a small tourist town whose sole purpose was to draw you in and take your money. It worked, and after visiting this town, we were a bit poorer.
Then the decision was made.
I am unsure who made the decision; maybe it was my subconscious. We found ourselves driving to the Tower. The main draw was that as we got closer, there were no toll booths. I kept moving closer and closer and finally got to the parking lot by the visitor centre. Still, there were no tolls, so I popped out of the vehicle and brought my wife along with me.
We would tour the visitor centre and learn of the importance this location is to the locals and if we see things hanging in trees, to leave them out of respect. We would also learn of the geology of why there is a tower here in the first place.
And because I was drawn further and further in, we walked around the entire Tower without paying any admission. We saw the Tower from each side. Lots of trees on one side. Lots of rocks on the other. Plus, we saw crazy people climbing the Tower.
There was something here that gripped me strong.
There was magic, a feel, something that could only be experienced by getting close and taking it in. I appreciated my decision to stop and explore rather than look and leave. We would even stop to see the prairie dogs and marvel at the Tower some more. I even mentioned that the campground behind these squeaking rodents was a consideration during the planning stage.
We started to exit the grounds when we finally came to the toll booth. It was an expensive fee, but one that was well worth it just to experience the mystic Devil’s Tower.
- View my All The Places We Have Been Map to see the location of Devil’s Tower.
- It is easy to get into the park where the Tower is located. The admission is paid at the exit. Just be aware it is more expensive than one would expect.
- Just like Skylon Tower, there is something that one experiences when seeing it for yourself.
