What a day!! After a very nice stopover in Hulett we left early bound for "Devil's Tower", an object of great magnetic pull in the film 'Close Encounters'! This huge magma-rock tower springs eerily from an otherwise flat landscape and has long been a highly spiritual place for several Native American Indian tribes.
Arriving there at opening time, so to speak, we tagged onto the first Ranger-guided tour on which we learned plenty about the rock, the local wildlife (including the porcupines!), and of its spiritual significance to the Plains Indian tribes.
We also heard the tale of a guy who parachuted onto the rock in the 40's, when parachuting was in its infancy! Unfortunately, the ropes that were dropped, bounced off the rock thereby denying his descent! His plight caused an international furore and it was six days before he was rescued.....the story is colourful and one well worth researching!
Anyway, by midday we were rolling along again towards Sheridan, our current location, when we made the fateful decision to pull-off the I90 at the Gillette Exit. Parking in the nearby 'Camel Mall' we called into Starbucks and took a couple of coffees back to the car. Having finished the coffees, we were a little surprised to see two sixteen-year old girls jump out of a 4x4 and approach us, waving, as if they had been expecting us as old friends! One girl, the driver, was soooooo sorry......as in our absence she'd reversed into our car, taking-out a front light unit!
Well, next ensued a series of phone calls, a visit by the local Police, and a half-a***d notion that we should drive to the local airport to pick-up a replacement car. Arriving there we found that all the staff (including the manager!) had taken the afternoon off to attend medical appointments! The Hertz staff were very helpful however and pointed out that unless the local dealership happened to have a 'corporate' car in stock then we wouldn't get an exchange car anyway! Passing this information back to Avis Caused them to have a re-think!! Eventually, I suggested that we drive to Sheridan whilst they arranged for 'cars to be exchanged' at the hotel. Well a happy ending, we now have a new car.....but without Xirus-XM radio!!!!! I can only think of one piece of music at the moment.....
Arriving there at opening time, so to speak, we tagged onto the first Ranger-guided tour on which we learned plenty about the rock, the local wildlife (including the porcupines!), and of its spiritual significance to the Plains Indian tribes.
We also heard the tale of a guy who parachuted onto the rock in the 40's, when parachuting was in its infancy! Unfortunately, the ropes that were dropped, bounced off the rock thereby denying his descent! His plight caused an international furore and it was six days before he was rescued.....the story is colourful and one well worth researching!
Anyway, by midday we were rolling along again towards Sheridan, our current location, when we made the fateful decision to pull-off the I90 at the Gillette Exit. Parking in the nearby 'Camel Mall' we called into Starbucks and took a couple of coffees back to the car. Having finished the coffees, we were a little surprised to see two sixteen-year old girls jump out of a 4x4 and approach us, waving, as if they had been expecting us as old friends! One girl, the driver, was soooooo sorry......as in our absence she'd reversed into our car, taking-out a front light unit! 
Well, next ensued a series of phone calls, a visit by the local Police, and a half-a***d notion that we should drive to the local airport to pick-up a replacement car. Arriving there we found that all the staff (including the manager!) had taken the afternoon off to attend medical appointments! The Hertz staff were very helpful however and pointed out that unless the local dealership happened to have a 'corporate' car in stock then we wouldn't get an exchange car anyway! Passing this information back to Avis Caused them to have a re-think!! Eventually, I suggested that we drive to Sheridan whilst they arranged for 'cars to be exchanged' at the hotel. Well a happy ending, we now have a new car.....but without Xirus-XM radio!!!!! I can only think of one piece of music at the moment.....
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