Hill City - Deadwood - Belle Forche - Devils Tower (4)

A side note to yesterday. You never know what you will encounter in the mountains. Last night about eleven pm, we were awakened by thunder, lightning, and a hail storm outside our window. The parking lot was covered in good size hail. However, this morning, after a close inspection, we could find no damage to the car.

After leaving Hill City, SD, our first destination was Deadwood, SD.

Deadwood is a historic gambling and mining town. Today the town is full of casinos and tourist attractions.

Leaving Deadwood, we turned our attention to driving The Spearfish Canyon. Along the way, we encountered beautiful wooded hills and the scenic Lake Pactola.

I would like to thank Mike Jennings for the Spearfish Canyon recommendation. It is truly a beautiful ride that starts at nearly 6,000 ft. The narrow road winds along wooded creeks, waterfalls and sheer rock walls, decending 2,000 ft over 15 or so miles.

Bridal Veil Falls along The Spearfish Canyon Road.


After arriving in Spearfish, SD, we decided it was time to wash off a gazillion bugs that had accumulated.
Our next stop was at Belle Forche, SD, the geographic center of the entire United States.

This marker locates the geographic center of the United States.

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming.

This is simply an amazing site. The vertical rock face rises 867 ft from it's base and stands 1,267 ft above the river. The diameter at it's base 1,000 ft.

After leaving Devil's Tower, we continued our drive west, stopping in Buffalo, WY. We decided to stop a bit early today to rest up for the mountains tomorrow.

Todays weather continued to be nothing short of beautiful! The temps were in the mid to high 70's with low hudmidity and a light breeze.

He who dares not offend cannot be honest. ~Thomas Paine~

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." ~Dale Carnegie~