Sunday – August 24, 2014 63 degrees and sunny
Wyoming Welcome
We checked out of the hotel in South Dakota early in the morning and drove northwest along Interstate 90. Traffic was light and the broad western sky was a brilliant shade of blue.
Beautiful Day
We had noticed Devil’s Tower on the map and thought it might be fun to see the monument. We reminisced about the 1977 science fiction movie which had introduced us to the tower. Jeff hated the movie! I thought it was interesting at the time.
Approaching the Tower
There are several theories about the formation of the monument and it was a sacred place for the Native Americans who had lived in the region.
Shadows Across the Tower
Climbers
Prayer Cloths
Devils Tower
Heading West
Buffalo, Wyoming
We stopped for lunch in a town called Buffalo. There was an old historic hotel on Main Street and as we were peering into the windows, a young woman standing outside encouraged us to go in to take pictures. The receptionist behind the old desk welcomed us and talked about the history of the building.
1880s Occidental Hotel
Lobby of the Occidental
We had a very delicious Mexican lunch at the Cantina across the street from the hotel.
Mexican Cantina
Back in the car, we continued our drive to Thermopolis, Wyoming. The Plaza Hotel turned out to be an historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. It was created as a hotel and apartments in 1918 and is located in Hot Springs State Park. It was built to accommodate guests who wanted to bathe in the curative warm mineral waters.
Best Western Plaza Hotel – Thermopolis
There were several mounds of steaming multi-colored ‘rocks’ in town called Hot Springs Teepees. These were formed by putting a pipe in the earth which allowed the hot mineral water to pour out. Over the years the minerals calcified and grew to form the existing weird formations.
Hot Springs Teepee