We got to see Devils Tower before it went undercover into the fog. This is considered a sacred place by the Lakota and many other tribes. We spotted many prayer clothes tied to tree branches as we meditatively walked around it. Many ceremonies take place here.
I loved reading the stories passed down about Devils Tower. Here is one from the National Parks Service website, told by the Crow people:
“Once when some Crows were camped at Bears House, two little girls were playing around some big rocks there. There were lots of bears living around that big rock and one big bear seeing the girls alone was going to eat them. The big bear was just about to catch the girls when they saw him. The girls were scared and the only place they could get was on top of one of the rocks around which they had been playing.
The girls climbed the rock but still the bear could catch them. The Great Spirit, seeing the bear was about to catch the girls, caused the rock to grow up out of the ground. The bear kept trying to jump to the top of the rock, but he just scratched the rock and fell down on the ground. The claw marks are on the rock now. The rock kept growing until it was so high that the bear could not get the girls. The two girls are still on top of the rock.”
If you are ever driving through northeastern Wyoming, take the Bighorn Scenic Byway.
It’s 58 miles of varied beauty. Yet again, we were speechless.
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