Heading Home: Devil’s Tower
We come to the end of our road trip and make our way back to Montana. The AOV² (Adventure Odyssey Van V-Tec… V-Tec makes everything fast. Its like having a turbo without a turbo) brought us home, but to one more place we had to see. Well, maybe we did not have to see it. It is not like we were going to die or anything if we did not go. However, we really wanted to see it. The place: “Devil’s Tower.” I wish I could play spooky music every time you read “Devil’s Tower”, but it would be creepy to write a script that followed your eyes. It would also bother my conscience to make it so I accessed your webcam every time you read this page. I’m not sure I want that much information on people.
Anyhoo… moving along. We watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I will save you an hour and a half…. Richard Dryfuss, Roy Neary…. meets the alien and gets on the ship. Yes, I know that this is a movie that pushed the Alien genre, it pushed the Science Fiction Genre, and it is worthy of a watch just for what the movie did in its time. However, I prefer Aliens because the birth scene was just sooooo nuts, but when Mel Brooks spoofed that scene… well, let’s just say Alien is a hilarious movie for me now.
I can see why Spielberg chose Devil’s Tower as the point to encounter aliens. The place has a spooky feel to it. It is just weird how the rock juts out of the earth.
It is not normal and natural. Also, I don’t want to minimize Spielberg’s work. I get what he was doing in Close Encounters, but I think he did it better in ET. That is just my view. I would say Close Encounters is for adults to contemplate new experiences or encounters with new people/creatures. ET is more for the kids to consider such an encounter. I prefer ET. I think the pace of the movie moved quicker. Also, who doesn’t like BMX bikes that can fly? I mean, that is just awesome!
We did go to the park and walk around the Tower. We did not see anyone climbing the tower, but we saw some guys getting geared up to go.
We walked the Joyner Ridge Trail, which is totally a Paulie’s Pick! As you walk along the trail you get different views of the rock. Here you see just how much of an anomaly this rock is in terms of the landscape. You see trees, and then you see the rock!
Here is another shot of the tree looking back, where you can see the trail going through the trees with the rock in the background.
The trail itself is really not that difficult. There are some sections where you need to pay attention, like going down these stairs…. However, if you have your eyes open you should be fine. I am not sure I would want to walk this at night without a light, but during the day the trail is pretty much doable for anyone who is not using a walker or a wheel chair.
I found this rock pretty funny. I saw someone that got punched in the gut…. or lower…. with one eye closed and the other open. The mouth saying, “DoooooHhhhhhhHh…..” Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination. I may have just been in the car too long.
Before you head down the stairs, the views are pretty amazing.
The different views of the tower on the trail are amazing.
Anyhoo, back on topic. The AOV² and our trip home. Well, the van did exceptionally! It brought us on another adventure, but you probably don’t care about a 10-year mini van that has been a victim of bodily functions from children growing up… and doing other unmentionable things on road trips. The AOV² and the Devil’s Tower are both Paulie’s Picks. I think we will also head back to this place in the future, and hopefully in the AOV²!
Have you ever rock climbed here or explored this area? Leave a comment and tell us about it! Until we meet again may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you.