Bear Butte and Devil's Tower

Bear Butte is a lonely mountain that towers over Sturgis, South Dakota. It's sacred to the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Lakota, and several other tribes. An excellent write-up about the place can be found here:

Bear Butte at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Naturally, I had to camp alongside it. On the windiest night of the trip so far, I pitched the tent and woke to a beautiful sunrise over the mountain.

My next step was to climb it, which took a solid hour over rocky (oh so rocky), shifting terrain. Prayer sashes and ribbons had been hung from trees throughout the climb. Finally, after an exhaustive effort, I made it to the top and was treated to a glorious view of the Black Hills.

I stopped in Sturgis itself, home of the world-famous motorcycle rally that attracts close to half a million people over the course of a week in August. I couldn't imagine how such a small town could accommodate so many people. The townsfolk and bikers I met, however, were great folks. I found a nice little diner for breakfast, and the fellows I sat with gave me travel tips for Wyoming. Thank you!

Next up was Wyoming, the least-populated state in America. My last time through, I skipped by Devil's Tower, which I had wanted to visit since I was a wee lad. After a slight detour, I made it to the 900-foot-tall ancient lava plug and went on a mile-long hike around it. Up close and in person, it was gigantic, easily dwarfing every other physical feature in the nearby high plains.

I'm seeing a local friend in a bit, and will spend the night here in WY until I depart for points south tomorrow.