Looking Up
Devil's Tower National Monument; Wednesday, July 22, 2009:
Very near the visitor center, I took this picture of Devil's Tower, looking mostly
up from the Red Beds Trail. After I took this photo, I walked along Tower Trail,
which is what most people do because it's paved and smooth and a relatively easy
1.3 miles. (It's also baby-stroller friendly.) However, for the best views, I have
to recommend Red Beds and Joyner Ridge. The Tower Trail is just too darned close to
the tower; to really appreciate Devil's Tower, you need to step back a bit and look
at it in the context of its landscape. Only then does it inspire the same type of
awe that causes people to pull over and take pictures when they're driving along
Wyoming Highway 24, which passes just outside of the park.