September 13, 2007 - Every since I saw the movie "Close Encounters

of the Third Kind" I was intrigued by Devils Tower, so when I saw it on

the map in Wyoming as we left the Tetons behind, I told Mark we had

to make the turn.  It is a beautiful drive to get there.  When the rock

showed up in the distance it was quite dramatic.

We learned that the Lakota Indians had a legend about the rock

involving a bear climbing the sides of the rock and Indians defending

the rock from its flat summit.  The bear's claws scraped the rock as he

climbed, making the striped indentations that are there today.  They

called it "Bear's Lodge."

An early American fellow named

Dodge had visited the area and seen

the rock from 20 miles off.  He

apparently mistranslated the Lakota

name for the rock and thought it was

called "Bad Spirit," which is how it

came to be named "Devils Tower."

I was intrigued that Devils Tower in Wyoming looks a lot like Devils

Postpile in California.  But I learned that Devils Postpile heaved

upwards, while Devils Tower got its shape from erosion, and

Devils Postpile consists of basalt while Devils Tower is granite.

One of the greatest charms of this national

monument is the community of prairie dogs

that lives in the fields at the base of the rock.

They bark and play and scamper around to

the total enjoyment of all the tourists.  There

are little entrance holes to their lairs

everywhere.  They were constantly popping

up out of their holes to look around and then

diving back down again.

We had a glorious day

visiting Devils Tower.

We didn't see any

extra-terrestrials but

were enchanted by

the adorable prairie

dogs and the unique

and real stories behind Devils Tower.  Leaving this unique

granite formation behind, we wandered east and south into the

Black Hills of South Dakota.

September 6-10, 2007 -- We drove into the main north entrance to

Yellowstone National Park and arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs.  I

had never thought about how Yellowstone got its name, but when I

saw the colorful mineral deposits surrounding me it was obvious.

Steam billowed into the air from the hot springs and the smell of

sulphur wafted over us in waves.  The minerals solidify into

stairstep formations and drippy solid lumps.

There is a mystical quality to this area.  The water looks passive

and serene, but the mist and steam drifting above the surface

belie something more sinister brewing below.

I saw a fast flowing stream

filled with bright green plant

life.  it was crystal clear and

looked like it must be ice

cold.  Without even

thinking I put my hand in

the water - and yanked it

right out!  The water was

hot hot hot!

There are mazes of

boardwalks throughout

Mammoth Hot Springs,

some passing old defunct

springs and others skirting

pools of steaming mineral

water.  The minerals harden

into all kinds of shapes, from

elaborate staircases to very

tall pinnacles.  Some of the

springs bubble under vast

lakes punctuated by dead

trees.  Up close the

minerals are a kaleidescope

of colors.

In some areas the minerals harden in waves, like a frozen orange

ocean.  In other areas mini-waterfalls dribble minerals over an edge.

At one lookout we found a professional photographer

using a huge format camera under a draped hood.  Our

quickie snapshots of anything and everything around us

seemed amateurish next to his deliberate methodology.

Other areas of the park feature

geysers as well as hot springs.

And no visit to Yellowstone is

complete without a spin past Old

Faithful.

It erupts every 90 minutes or so,

and with less promptness and

splendor than 50 years ago when

an earthquake shifted things below the surface.  The

crowds gather, however, and there were several

hundred people for our showing.  We were lucky and

got a big burst after the geyser teased us with a series

of smaller sprays.

After enjoying much of what Yellowstone has to offer -- but realizing we'll have to return several times to see it all --

we made our way south into Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming.

September 6-10, 2007 - One of the most exciting

things in Yellowstone is seeing the big game

animals up close.  Our first morning in the park,

after driving down from Glacier NP, we took a short

hike from the campground to the visitors center.  As

we climbed up the hillside through the forest we

looked up -- and saw a buffalo on the ridge above

us.  I stopped dead in my tracks, remembering the

sign I'd seen at the campground, "More people are

gored by buffalo each year than are attacked by

bears."  Yikes.  There had been another sign

explaining what to do in case you encountered a buffalo or bear in the park.  I wracked my brain trying to remember the

instructions, as each animal required something different.  Do you make noise, or not?  Back up slowly or run for your life?  Be

aggressive or passive?  The buffalo snorted at us.  Mark reached for his camera but I was frozen to the spot.  Suddenly the

mammoth, ungainly beast leaped away.  He moved across the impossibly steep and rocky terrain with the grace and agility of a

dancer.  In an instant he was gone.  We gaped at each other, wide-eyed.  What a way to be welcomed to Yellowstone National

Park.

When we arrived at the visitors center we found it was occupied by

a herd of elk.  It was elk mating season and they like to congregate

at the visitors center.  They wandered up and down the grassy

areas as if they owned the place while the rangers waved the cars

through and tried to control the exuberant park visitors.

A huge male was seated motionless in the middle of the grass

with his harem of females surrounding him at a distance.  He

barely moved a muscle as he sat in the sun.  We watched him,

willing him to turn to face us.  He wouldn't move, despite the

crowd of onlookers snapping his photo.  Almost imperceptably he

moved his head slightly.  This seemed an indication that he might

stand up and the rangers leapt into action, waving everyone

away from the grass to give the big guy room.  "These are wild

animals," they explained to us.  "They are unpredictable."  That proved true, as the enormous elk must have decided he didn't

need to stand up afterall, and he stayed seated in the sun for another few hours.

One morning we woke up to see a young buck elk flirting with a

young female right outside our trailer window.  We grabbed the

cameras and started shooting right through the window.  They

touched noses and then reared up on their hind feet, pawing at

each other.

They did this for about 10 minutes, pausing to nibble the bushes

every now and then between flirtations.  When the young male

leaned over to munch on a leaf we could see that his antlers were

soft and fuzzy.

Out on the park roads it

was common to see elk

and bison roaming

around.  The animals

use the park roads in the

winter because it is

easier to walk through

the snow there.  So they

do own the roads

afterall, and they

continue walking along

them in the summertime

too.  After a while we got

used to seeing the huge

buffalos.  They didn't get

any prettier, but from the

safety of the car they

seemed a little less

intimidating.

The tamed wild animals

are just one of the many

marvels at Yellowstone.

We were intrigued by the

steaming and gurgling of

the hot springs and

geysers as well.