8/9 - North to the Black Hills and the Devil

Cambria Salt Mines Vista - WY Black Hills

Just outside of Lusk, there was a bad motorcycle accident. Most of it had been over by the time I got there except for the lane closures. As we moved north, there were more and more motorcycles on the road. I moved over to the shoulder whenever I could to let them pass me by. There's a lot of dry prairie in eastern WY and the winds are relentless. The Black Hills began immediately north of Newcastle. Beautiful drive. The Ponderosa pines look black from a distance, hence the Black name. The vegetation reminded me of the Black Forest near Colorado Springs.

Camping at Devils Tower, WY

Belle Forche River Valley next to camp

As we progressed towards Devils Tower, there were more and more interesting rock formations, some very red sandstone. As we headed up the hill north of Sundance, a thunderstorm brewed up and was raining hard. I saw several motorcyclists in it. Some had rain gear that helped but they are exposed to the elements. It was clear and sunny on the other side of the hill. I found a campground for $20 with electricity and took it. It was nearly empty. I thought all those motorcyclists would make finding a place to camp difficult but there was plenty of space. There was lots of room for my dog to play fetch too.

My dog meets the horses in a field next to the camp