First off, the Native American's do not like that term; Devil's Tower. I was expecting something menacing, myself, with that name. Instead, what we found was a geological marvel from which eminated a great stillness....an almost, Pompeiin feel about it. A hush that reverberated in the stone. There it was, just stuck there in the middle of the Black Hills of South Dakota - an oddity just being what it is and consequently, no one really knows exactly what. On our way to the tower we stopped by the road to feed, um....I mean, watch a million prairie dogs. It was like having our own personal Meer Cat Manor episode unfolding before our eyes! If you stared at the landscape long enough, you felt like you were looking at an enormous Wack-A-Mole arcade game. Approaching the "mountain" you have to wonder, what the heck? There's nothing like it anywhere around. It's unique, although I did see some similiar rock formations along a stretch in Yellowstone called the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" but it was just a part of a mountain, not the whole caboodle. To my amazement, the kids were intrigued and actually wanted to know about it, especially after Jeremy told us it was in the movie Close Encounters! In true Hope form we hiked as far as we could and explored the area to the best of our ability before heading out. Next stop, our cousins in the west...an oasis in our pilgrimage to the unkown...Bill and Barb Hope! Here we come, Billings, MT - look out!