Monthly Archives: August 2021

CMMC: Devils Tower National Monument

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Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge August Alphabet is Must Have 2 M’s in the word. Her focus photo is of a hummingbird and her pictures includes a mom, mushrooms, and mammals as well as a monochrome image. After considering a variety of possibilities – particularly mushrooms from my digital archives – I began to lean toward museum, memorial, and monument.

When I couldn’t pick just one photo of Devils Tower National Monument (in northeast Wyoming) from the hundred or so I took back in May, I decided to just show you some of what I saw.

The top photo was taken from an Historic Marker (see it here) that is 1.7 miles south of the park. Did you notice the school bus in the lower right corner?

After driving the three miles from the park entrance to the parking lot and with plenty of time in my schedule, I decided to walk the 1.3 mile trail around the base of the Tower.

How tall is Devils Tower? Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to the summit. It stands 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and is 5,112 feet above sea level.

Why is it called Devils Tower? The name “Devils Tower” originated during an 1875 scientific expedition. The Army commander in charge of the military escort, Col. Richard Dodge, wrote that “the Indians call the shaft “Bad God’s Tower,” which he modified to “Devil’s Tower.” The earliest official maps of the area label the formation as “Bear Lodge,” which is a direct translation of the Lakota name Mato Tipila. Other American Indian names include Bear’s Tipi, Home of the Bear, Tree Rock and Great Gray Horn.

Is Devils Tower an old volcano? No. Geologists agree that Devils Tower is an igneous intrusion; this means it formed underground from molten rock. Magma pushed up into the surrounding sedimentary rock. There it cooled and hardened. The sedimentary rock has since eroded away to show the Tower.

What kind of rock is it? The rock is called phonolite porphyry; it is similar in composition to granite but lacks quartz. Phonolite refers to the ringing of the rock when a small slab is struck, and its ability to reflect sound. Porphyry refers to its texture: large crystals of feldspar embedded in a mass of smaller crystals.

From Frequently Asked Questions on the Devils Tower webpages of the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/deto/faqs.htm#onthisPage-2.

If you look very carefully, you might see a very old ladder as well as two climbers in the picture above. Quite honestly, I needed my binoculars! It also helped to see a picture to know what to look for (see below).

Enlarging the photo also helps (see below). In the comparison photo I circled the ladder and the hikers.

Three more photos to finish the hike. The arrow in the middle photo is pointing to a person.

And, yes, for those who are wondering, this is the tower in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

CMMC August Pick a Topic

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  • Sand Sculpture, Iowa State Fair, August 18, 2021.

I ventured* out to the Iowa State Fair Wednesday morning with camera in hand – early enough to avoid standing in any lines. This sand sculpture was being constructed at the entrance to Thrill Ville. Is that hog in the back longing to ride the Ferris wheel?

  • Benches at the Knapp Amphitheater, Iowa State Fair. August 18, 2021.

When the bright morning light on these benches caught my attention, I figured a picture for the archives was in order for some future photo challenge. With all the lines in it, I decided it fits Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge August Pick a Topic from her Photo! (See her photo and read about the challenge here.)

My plan had been to remain outdoors. But when the Agriculture Building opened, I couldn’t resist going inside.

  • Corn. Agriculture Building, Iowa State Fair. August 18, 2021.

What’s more Iowa than corn? Not only is the corn all lined up, the shelving dividers create lines, and there are lines in the architecture (ceiling and poles).

Before heading to the Fair, I’d glanced ahead for the next CMMC color challenge. The color of the lines in the squash will meet that challenge but I couldn’t resist sharing this photo today.

  • Squash. Iowa State Fair. August 18, 2021.

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*Though fully vaccinated, feeling healthy, and, as far as I know, not carrying the coronavirus, I did what I could to stay safe and keep others safe as the delta variant continues to spread: paid to park at the fairgrounds (rather than ride a bus), arrived as the gates opened (before most of the other 91,510 others who were there that day), practiced physical distancing as much as possible (no standing in line and no sitting to watch a show), wore a mask, and left by mid-morning.

CMMC: August Color Red

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  • Tulips. Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa. April 26, 2021.

Red is the August color for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge. I browsed my digital files and found more red in 2021 than I imagined I had!

Flowers first: tulips, a fairy duster (who knew there was such a thing?!!), and a rose.

  • Baja Fairy Duster. Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona. May 16, 2021.
  • Red Rose. Des Moines Rose Garden. May 26, 2021.

Next up: a glimpse of my visit to the Iowa Arboretum. The school house is so small there’s just enough room for a student or two with the teacher. The metal sculpture of a cardinal is the best cardinal photo in my collection – maybe someday I’ll get the right equipment to take live bird pictures.

  • Little Red Schoolhouse. Iowa Arboretum. July 20, 2021
  • Metal Cardinal. Iowa Arboretum. July 20, 2021.

For a little fun, here is a new fire hydrant looking at an older relative to see if it is safe to remove its covering.

  • Fire Hydrants. Hamilton, Missouri. July 16, 2021.

And, finally, the side of a red barn.

  • Barn. Jasper County, Iowa. April 22, 2021.