Devils Tower

I thought I was out of new places I could drive to for photo trips. Then I remembered that when we took a family trip to Mount Rushmore a few years ago it was only about a six-hour drive, which is currently the outer limits of what I'm willing to do on a long weekend.

There were national parks and monuments in the area I hadn't visited yet.  My lovely wife was willing to let me take the weekend after Thanksgiving to go.  And Taryn even offered to come, but I didn't think weather conditions in Wyoming and South Dakota in late November were likely to be enjoyable for a nine-year-old girl.  Or for me, for that matter.

But I went anyway, and Devils Tower was my first stop.

The formation peeks at you a couple of times on the drive in.  But it wasn't until I got to the parking area at its base and really drank it all in that I was able to appreciate it.  And honestly, the sight made me a little queasy.  It was like my brain couldn't really grasp the information my eyes were sending it.

The late afternoon sun provided just the right texture and contrast as I walked the 1.3-mile loop trail around the 867-foot-tall monolith.  And the calm skies and warm temperatures were an added bonus.

An important concept to keep in mind whenever you're out shooting scenery is to not be so fixated on looking in one direction that you get forget to look in others.  This view looking southeast toward the Belle Fourche River further supports that notion.

The Tower is really stunning from virtually every angle.  Geologists believe it to be an "igneous intrusion."

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument under the new Antiquities Act.

Trees silhouetted against a setting sun never let me down.  Ever.

Roughly 5,000 climbers come every year to try one of 220 routes up the Tower.

Several Indian nations of the Great Plains share similar legends of the Tower's origin, including the Kiowa.

The setting sun bathed the Tower in fiery red light, making it appear like an erupting volcano with lava flowing out the top and down the sides.

And just a few moments after the sun dipped below the horizon, the Tower returned to its stark gray state.

One last shot as I was driving away, and an all-too-brief two hours had passed.  A quick stop, but worth every second of the drive to get there.  And just the appetizer for the two national parks to come over the next two days!