Devil's Tower

Close Encounters Connection

In a remote area of Wyoming there is a sacred and spiritual place. From a distance, it resembles a plateau that stands well above the surrounding landscape. As you get closer, it begins to call to you.

Many Native American tribes from all over America consider the site of Devils Tower to be sacred.  The Lakota Indians call it  Mato Tipila, which means “Bear Lodge.”  Other names from other American Indian tribes are Grey Horn Butte, He Hota Paha, Bear Rock or Bear Mountain, Tree Rock, and Grizzly Bear Lodge.   
The Legend of its creation goes like this…..

Before the Kiowa came south they were camped on a stream in the far north where there were a great many bears, many of them. One day, seven little girls were playing at a distance from the village and were chased by some bears. The girls ran toward the village and the bears were just about to catch them when the girls jumped on a low rock, about three feet high. One of the girls prayed to the rock, "Rock take pity on us, rock save us!" The rock heard them and began to grow upwards, pushing the girls higher and higher. When the bears jumped to reach the girls, they scratched the rock, broke their claws, and fell on the ground.
The rock rose higher and higher, the bears still jumped at the girls until they were pushed up into the sky, where they now are, seven little stars in a group (The Pleiades). In the winter, in the middle of the night, the seven stars are right over this high rock. When the people came to look, they found the bears' claws, turned to stone, all around the base.No Kiowa living has ever seen this rock, but the old men have told about it - it is very far north where the Kiowa used to live. It is a single rock with scratched sides, the marks of the bears' claws are there yet, rising straight up, very high. There is no other like it in the whole country, there are no trees on it, only grass on top. The Kiowa call this rock "Tso-aa", a tree rock, possibly because it grew tall like a tree. I love sharing this story with my second graders. They are intrigued with the land form and it is a great introduction the "legend genre". I am eager to share with them how the geologists believe it was formed.
Geologist believe that Devils Tower was formed by the intrusion of igneous material.  

Long ago Devils Tower was not visible above the sedimentary rocks that covered it. But the forces of erosion, particularly water, began to wear away the soft sandstones and shales above and around the Tower. Because it was harder, the igneous rock of the Tower survived the wind and water and the gray columns of Devils Tower began to appear above the surrounding landscape.

Even now, as rain and snow continue to erode the sedimentary rocks surrounding the Tower's base, more of Devils Tower will be exposed. But at the same time, the Tower itself is slowly eroding. Rocks are continually breaking off and falling from the walls. Sometimes entire columns fall. The piles of broken columns, boulders, small rocks, and stones at the base of the Tower, indicate that it was even larger than it is today.
Visiting the tower was a spiritual experience for me. There is a peaceful aura that surrounds the tower. A beautiful place to meditate. Prayer cloths are visible hanging from trees and prayer towers are built up on rocks.
Devils Tower is this countries first official National Monument.

Welcome to Prairie Dog town

I thought this one was funny

Prairie Dog hole

da da da da deee

Native names for Devils Tower

Plants and trees grow in the rocks

I am thrilled to see the respect shown by the National Parks toward the Native American prayer vigils.

Can you see the bear claws?

Beautiful red pine bark

Check out this link:
The Redwood Forest



What have I learned from trees?  (so far)

 *Reach for the ground as well as the stars.

The environment you come from (your roots) helps determine the risks you will take your life. (The branches). 

This is important especially for educators. It is my job to use the curriculum I am given to expose my students to cultures, ideas and opportunities that will help to make them global thinkers. A large part of the craft of teaching is the ability to branch off of wonderfully written children's literature to engage your students minds in magical discussions about pertinent things. 

* Celebrate rainy days

Water is the lifeblood of our planet. Trees play a large role in increasing rainfall.  In fact, scientists believe 33-40% of precipitation is due to evapotranspiration from forests.  Evapotranspiration is the process by which trees elevate water from the ground, through their roots up to their canopies and up into the air.  It is an efficient way to liberate ground water and allow it to come down again as rain.  Without trees, most of the ground water would return to the oceans and mix with salt water without ever being used.  Trees can lift up to 100 gallons of water from the ground into the air in one day. Teaching the water cycle just got better!

* Know that the brightest blossoms are not always on the tallest trees.

Value all trees....value all people....value all children

* If you want green and living thoughts, spend time in a green and living forest.

Go to the forest! Go to a park! Explore your back yard! Nature is uplifting and good for the soul. It helps you breath better and think clearer.

*Grow wherever you are planted!

Learn from everything you do everyday. Take something away-good or bad- from everywhere you are, everything you do and everyone you meet. 

*Sometimes, all there is to do is endure.

When the Redwood Trees lose their canopies to lightening strikes, the branches around the area begin to form a new canopy. In life, things happen to us that cannot be helped, cannot be fixed, or simply take time to get through. Many times we must just endure. 

*Drink plenty of water

When trees are dehydrated their bark begins to peel and their leaves shrivel up and fall to the earth.  Their branches get brittle and their overall appearance is lethargic. The same is true with humans. We have learned over time how important water is to our health. In fact, so much so, that Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles are put into our landfills each year. That's not to say the natural water sources we are depleting to fill these bottles. Choose an alternative like a stainless steel reusable bottle or a plastic bottle that is refillable with tap water.......I digress.......

Water keeps our skin soft, our brains working and our vital organs functioning. It gives us energy and keeps us feeling good.

*Embrace the community you live in

Redwood trees have shallow root systems that extend over one hundred feet from the base, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods. This increases their stability during strong winds and floods. The trees depend on each other in the forest just as we depend on our neighbors, co-workers and friends for emotional support and comradery. Be kind to others, be a good friend to others.

Oh I forgot to add......Grow a thick skin!

A Redwood trees skin can grow to two feet thick. That is amazing!
A "thick skin" can shield us from life's little disappointments. One thing I see, more often than not,  is people's inability to ignore things or to let things roll off. This causes anxiety and stress that affects themselves, their families and friends. Let it go!  Walk away! Try not to take things so personally. Often times they don't have anything to do with you. Stay positive...spread peace!

Beauty despite fire damage

Growing out of rocks

Look at the trees growing out of the rocks in front of the presidents

Please enjoy this link...I play it several times for my students during the school year. We have even documented the chain of things that were affected by the return of the wolves to Yellowstone...

How Wolves have affected Yellowstone


I have been to a magical place!


A day spent at Yellowstone certainly has become a highlight in my heart and memories.
Yellowstone National Park was the very first National Park designated in 1872 and was named after the major river running through it, the Yellowstone River. 
Yellowstone is like a tale of many environments. We came in via the west side of the park which took us past five geyser basins, including Old Faithful. Old Faithful is the worlds largest known geyser. It erupts  about every 90 minutes. People fill up the viewing area to watch it erupt. When Old Faithful is done, it fills up with more people for the next eruption. I enjoyed watching Old Faithful but was much more intrigued by the mud pots which looked and sounded more like a gurgling bowl of hot cereal.  A mud pot is like a natural double boiler. Hydrogen sulfide gas is usually present, giving mud pots their characteristic odor of rotten eggs. Some microorganisms use the hydrogen sulfide for energy. The microbes help convert the gas to sulfuric acid, which breaks down rock into clay. The result is a gooey mix.
The colors surrounding the geysers is beautiful brought out by living microorganisms and sunshine.
Yellowstone is considered a volcano. Over the past 2 million years there have been huge volcanic eruptions here. The magmatic heat that fueled those eruptions still powers the geysers that people go to see there everyday.
The elevation for us got as high as 10,000 feet in some areas. (eek)
Vegetation in the park is so diverse. It ranges from desert sagebrush to subalpine Aspens to forests of Douglas Fir, spruce and Lodgepole pines.
And then there is the wildlife! Did I mention my favorite animal is the buffalo.
The American buffalo has come to symbolize the Native American Culture, which I feel a spiritual connection too. It also serves as a reminder of what greed can cost us, as we almost lost the American buffalo from our own irresponsibility,  as is the case with many animal and plant species. The American buffalo was a huge part of Native American life. They hunted the buffalo and used every part of the animal.  Nothing was left to waste, a lesson we all could learn from and live by.
We saw so many buffalo at Yellowstone that I was in buffalo heaven. People actually sit in lawn chairs alongside their vehicles and watched the buffaloes. There were no fences and no cages. It was spiritual. My heart was smiling.
We also encountered two bears. One I watched lumbar down the hill.  The other, a smaller Grizzly (I think) walked out of the trees and basically stood on a log and looked right at me. I thanked him for allowing me to take his picture and we drove on. Our evening was filled with elk, antelope, two baby wolves and deer. What a glorious place for a lover of all things natural!  I must go back again...

Look at this guy!

walked right past our car

eating so peacefully

tail waging

A herd of buffalo living freely

This is so neat! In case you don't know what this is.....I was standing on the spot where all the
water on one side of me runs toward the Pacific Ocean and all the water on the other side of me runs into the
Mississippi River.   Who discovered that???

Beautiful wildflowers

Old Faithful

Friendly Park Ranger

Didn't have to tell me twice!