"Why" Wyoming!

Don and I took a trip to Devil's Tower, which is America's First National Monument, with the Wood's (Lloyd & Jerri). We hiked around the tower which is a little over a mile...up and down; of course they couldn't make it flat, could they? The temperatures were higher than those we've encountered so far this summer but a little lower than those that Southern California is experiencing right now! We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it before we started our hike! We didn't see any wildlife (well, Don said he saw a chipmunk, but the rest of didn't see anything) but we did get to see several "different" things! June is a sacred time for Indians in the Devil's Tower area and there were many prayer bags and prayer cloths hanging in the trees. Some fairly close to the path and others higher up in trees! Another interesting site was the climbers! They asked you not to climb the Tower out of respect for the Indians but it was strictly voluntary. As we got around to the back side of the Tower we saw a few climbers. Actually, we think they might have been instructors as it seemed like they were teaching someone how to repel off or from a ledge that is there. The reason we think they might be instructors was because you could hear them talking from the ledge down to the person on the side of the Tower!

After we finished our hike we headed back in the direction of the campground and stopped at the Vore Buffalo Jump. Vore is actually a sinkhole that was used in the 1500 - 1800's as a natural hole to lure the buffalo into. It was incredible to see all the bones that were left in the sinkhole after the Indians were through butchering the buffalo! It was also neat to see how they used parts of the buffalo for their everyday needs! I am eternally grateful that I was not alive in that era! I do like the comforts we now have! :-)

On Wednesday, we packed up and headed the 75 or so miles to Gillette. Found the campground with no problems and one of the first persons we ran into was Robb Steinheider, a long-time friend of ours from Kountry Kampers in So. California. Robb is on the parking committee for FMCA. Before we could get the car un-hooked, Ray & Glenda Roe arrived. There are about 11 of our Monaco friends who are supposed to be parked with or near us. We got into our sites and set-up when Sue Steinheider came by to say “hi”. Sue just had her second knee replacement surgery (for the same knee) and had trouble getting up the steps. I told her I’d come down to visit with her so she didn’t have to struggle getting into our motorhome. I was able to visit with Sue and catch up with some of the Kountry Kamper news but couldn’t stay long! A trip to the grocery store was a MUST! Jerri, Glenda and I headed for the grocery store where we stocked up for a few days! When we got back, Bob & Maribel Clerc and Andy & Linda Clarkson had arrived. We invited them to join us for dinner and we ended up with plenty of food! Enjoyed catching up with everyone and had a nice evening.

Today we relaxed and took our time getting around. Jerri, Glenda and I took a trip to Wal-Mart (not a Super-Center and under construction) and then stopped at the “Trading Post” which is a Wyoming Gift Shop that is almost across the street from the Cam-Plex. I ended up finding a couple of unique Wyoming moose items! It was a fun shopping experience. I even found something there that Don could buy for me! Again enjoyed another great meal with all of us, and enjoyed socializing for the evening.

Tomorrow we are going to take a tour of a local coal mining operation. It should be fun and different!