We had a busy day here in Gillette.  Right after breakfast, Dave, Amy, and John installed the new screen door they purchased at Home Depot yesterday.  The new door would have been installed then, but the first one they picked out was defective and had to be returned to the store.  The weather was about 20 degrees cooler this morning and that made it much more pleasant for working outside.

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After lunch, we headed off to see Devil's Tower which is about an hour east of Gillette.  The afternoon was sunny with a few clouds in the sky and with the cooler temps, it was perfect weather for a hike.  We pulled into the parking lot, got our cameras, and started off for the mile hike around the base of the rock formation.  We got just about to the half way point when we heard some thunder.  The vote was to keep going, but a couple of minutes later the wind came up and the rains came down.  We looked for a cave to get out of the storm but had to settle for sheltering behind some large rocks.  It just poured and then we go some hail--fortunately it wasn't very large.  Both adults and kids were soaked to the skin.  We were desperately trying to keep cameras and cell phones dry.
 The rain finally let up and we continued the second half mile of our hike.  Fortunately Amy had a few towels in the back of the Yukon and we were able to at least dry our arms and legs before getting back in the car.  

 

Devil's Tower

Our cold, soaked family

Even though our hike got rained out, we saw some beautiful scenery and had a fun time.  This is one adventure we will talk about for years.  We'll always remember our first trip to Devil's Tower and surviving the thunderstorm.