Day NINE | We Crossed Into Wyoming and I Didn't See the Sign (I Was Driving)

Another early wake up call saw the studious Savannah travelers off into the frontier lands that are now called the western United States. After a few hours on the road we stopped to see the Mateo Tepee (Devil's Tower) and stared in awe at it's geologic brilliance, of course while doing a watercolor. Soon after we were on the road again surrounded by the ever shortening grass of the western plains. Everyone in the vans were awoken in the grand city of Gillette, Wyoming for a scrumptious non camping meal of healthy foods such as McDonald's and Wendy's. The vast emptiness of the Wyoming plains was soft rolling hills that seemed to have put everyone in the vans asleep except for us, and of course the drivers. With only the occasional Pronghorn to spark our interest it seemed like quite some time before we actually reached our next destination up in the majestic rocky mountains. Our stop, Medicine Wheel, was located on the top of a mountain, and we could not have arrived there at a more pristine time. It was a mile and a half walk up to the summit and you could feel the burn in your legs. Medicine Wheel is 90 feet in diameter and is placed 9640 feet above sea level. It has been dated back to at least the year 1760 by a piece of wood that was found there. There are skulls of majestic animals placed within the wheel. It is believed that this site was once used as a gravesite for the greatest tribal leaders. It was magical being so far up surrounded by so much solitude. Some people have speculated that the medicine wheel was also used as a sort of observatory by some. This seemed possible and there is one extra "spoke" on the wheels that matches up with the research. A fence has recently been placed around it because of its importance to Native American spirituality. Many offerings were located up there on our visit, including; dream catchers, prayer ties, stones, and tobacco which were for the males.
The prayer ties were in different colors. We learned that the different colors represent the cardinal directions. North was white, south was black, west is red for the sunset, and, for the sunrise in the east, yellow. The timing and the view were breath taking from Medicine Wheel because the sun was setting just as we reached the peak of the mountain. This made for a chilly walk back to the vans and an even more interesting drive to Cody in the dark down the mountainside. We had the opportunity to deal with a 10% grade over a length of 14 miles, which is rather exciting when it is dark out and you are riding in 15 person vans! Going first and second gear the whole way down was precarious, but we made it safely to the bottom and coasted the rest of the way into Cody, Wyoming. Arriving in Cody sometime after 10pm at night and finding it to late to do laundry at the local laundromat, the dirty, travel weary Savannah students from ISU retired to their rooms to gear up for another day.

 Kaci Cooper
Nick Lyon