The strong winds yesterday afternoon have blown most of the smoke back west where it came from. This morning is cool and clear. We pack-up and head out. The sign at the campground office said to pick a site and just wait for someone to stop by to collect the fee. We saw no one and this morning the office is still locked up. Maybe the campground was closed due to the construction? Free is fine with us. On our way through town we stop at the grocery store for some supplies before heading back to the highway and turning west once again.
We cross into Wyoming, then ride to Aladdin where we find the cafe open and serving excellent breakfasts. These second breakfasts keep us going for a long time. They are chip sealing the road, a flagger stops traffic and a pilot car leads convoys through. Since we cannot keep up with the regular pilot car we get our own, the guy slowly drives behind us until we get through the construction. The flag-man on the other side gives us each a bottle of water. Very much appreciated since it is a hot day.
The next town of Alma is a dump; a couple of trailers, lots of car wrecks and a confederate flag is all that we will remember it by. No cold drinks. We push on to Hulett where we have a sandwich in the city park and the cold drinks we were craving.
Just before the downhill into Hulett we had our first views of Devil's Tower in the distance, as we get closer the views get even better. What an amazing sight! This is the third time we have been here but the tower does not cease to amaze. Devil's Tower is the first National Monument established on September 24, 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt. It is a laccolithic butte of igneous rock located in the Bear Lodge Mountains and sacred to the Native American Indians.
We have an ice cream at the gift shop, then enter the park. Rachel now has her senior pass for free access, and Patrick gets to join in for free as well, even though we are on bikes and not in the same vehicle, a nice surprise. Our "Warmshowers" host has a lodge on the North side of the park. To get there you have to go halfway around the tower on the park road, then turn off on a dirt road. We miss the turn and end up at the visitor center first. Ah well.... Back down the hill, then one more climb to Frank's place. And what a place it is! The room he offers us for the night has a view or the tower, nice bed and plush towels. The lodge is mostly a climbers lodge, Frank and several of his staff are climbing guides leading people up the mountain. There is a nice common sitting room and everybody has dinner together in the dining room with more views of the tower. It is fun talking with the climbers and several other guests.
Nearby is a nice spot for sunset views, and a short hike to another viewpoint for sunrise shots. Patrick walks out there and shoots way to many photos.
Heading west, a couple more miles to the Wyoming state line.
