Devil's Tower - Wyoming





Wyoming is ranked 50th out of the 50 US states for population with only 576,412 inhabitants. As you drive through the state which incidentally is the 10th largest in the USA, you begin to feel how empty it is. The first town we came across proudly boasted a population of 15, and was called Aladdin. If you get the opportunity, you must visit the Gas Station, built in the 1800's it still has all the original decor.

 

Aladdin Gas Station interior



Aladdin Gas Station public toilet - Its a hole in the ground with a wooden bench!



We were in Wyoming specifically to visit the Devils Tower, and this sign is in a parking area by the side of the road when driving towards the Tower.

On the journey to the Tower we stopped at a town called Hulett. This is a large town with a population of 384. We decided to stop at the 'Rodeo Bar' in the hope we might see some real cowboys.

 



 

The Devils Tower was the first declared United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. It rises dramatically 1,267 feet (386 m) above the surrounding terrain and the summit is 5,114 feet (1,559 m) above sea level.

Turkey Vulture - Flying above the Devil's Tower



Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Badlands & The Needles Highway - South Dakota

Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota that covers 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires, and a largely undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States.


The park's highest point is 3,340 feet (1,020 m).  Originally authorised as Badlands National Monument on March 4, 1929. It was re-designated a national park on November 10, 1978.

Bighorn Sheep

Prairie Dog

In the middle of nowhere in a bar in the Town of Scenic we met another Colombian!

The Bar in Scenic

This Car never left the Badlands!

South Dakota Highway 87 is a highway running through the Black Hills of South Dakota. The road's northern end is U.S. Route 16 and U.S. Route 385 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Hill City. The road's southern end is U.S. Route 385 about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Pringle, or 14 miles (23 km) north of Hot Springs.
The highway passes through Custer State Park. The northern 14 miles (23 km) of the highway is also known as the Needles Highway.
The highway is named after the high granite "needles" it winds among. Access to the Needles Highway requires a Custer State Park entrance license, making that portion of SD 87 a toll road. The highway passes through two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls—Iron Creek Tunnel at mile 25 (40 km), and Needles Eye Tunnel at mile 31 (50 km). Due to the narrow roadway, sharp turns, and low tunnels, the road has very little traffic. The vehicles that do travel this road are almost exclusively sightseers.

Groundhog

White Mountain Goat