So over Memorial Day weekend, we packed up our kinfolk and headed a couple hours west to Devils Tower, Wyoming to explore and take far too many pictures. Four families + four campers + 6 kids + 5 dogs + 3 campfires + some fantastic food = one great weekend! Wow, it's great to be camping again!!!
Devils Tower ended up far exceeding our expectations - much bigger than we thought it was, much more interesting and much more scenic. We immediately got hooked on two different things: 1) the massive prairie dog field about a mile away - thousands of prairie dogs with babies - so incredibly entertaining!! and 2) watching the rock climbers on the Tower itself. Oh my. Those people have lost their minds. Totally amazing. We were told that it takes the pros 6-8 hours to climb it. I quickly decided that even if I were crazy enough to ever do it, I'd get to the top and immediately panic. How do you get DOWN? I don't know which part looked scarier - up or down. Either way I was immensely satisfied to have my feet firmly planted on the ground and just watch the insanity from afar. :)
Anyhoo, there was a very nice 1.3 mile paved trail around the base of it so we trekked around that twice over the weekend - all the while trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to keep the kids on the ground. There is a "boulder field" around the base - massive rocks that have fallen off the Tower - and the boys were all determined to climb over and around every single rock. One big playground for boys.
Here are the highlights:
(Looking in a prairie dog hole)
(that's Jack peeking over the top)
My brother and his family were camping nearby at a lake, so he was the ultimate uncle and took the boys fishing one afternoon. 
The little guys, playing cards
and the big guys playing cards
Our four campsites -
And our big potluck one night - one of the BEST MEALS EVER. Wow. Our friend Nancy made Julia Child's Beef Bourginon - Oh. MY. WORD. Amazing. So yummy. We all brought side dishes. (Jen - gotta get that corn recipe from you!!) What a great evening.
Next up: My babies turn 9 on Saturday. Total bittersweetness goin' on in my heart . . . .
1 comment:
That was SO much fun! Can't wait to do it again! (Great pics!)
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