Unfinished Business

Our time at Devils Tower has come to an end. I encourage you to personally visit the tower at your earliest convenience.

A most sought after license plate for collectors worldwide is the Wyoming edition. Ever since I have lived in Wyoming, the plate has featured Devils Tower alongside the iconic Steamboat bucking horse. Seeing the tower in a photograph or on a license plate doesn’t do it justice. It is a personal experience you need to savor in life, not in a picture.

Granted photos of Devils Tower are spectacular but it’s impossible for a picture to capture the feeling you have when you’re lying under the moonlit sky with every star in the heavens illuminating the tower.

As a matter of fact, Jamie and I will be returning to Devils Tower after I perform at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, WY. We have a little unfinished business to tend to. We have arranged to climb the tower with expert Frank Sanders. Frank is a legend in Crook County, Wyoming. Frank has climbed Devils Tower 365 consecutive days!

We were able to spend a little time with Frank this weekend and with the encouragement of Matt Driskill we are entered in the rock climbing class. O, did I mention neither Jamie nor I have ever climbed anything higher than the bed of a pickup truck?

Frank owns and operates Devils Tower Lodge and Wilderness Climbing making it possible for a novice like myself and avid climbers alike to reach the top.

You can bet I will be blogging about this adventure. I am even going to try and wear a helmet cam so I can upload video with the blog.

Before I sign off this Memorial Day, let’s not forget the reason for our extended weekend. Yes, to some today was simply a day off of work but to others it’s an opportunity to honor those who have served our nation - many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

I want to send a personal ‘thank you’ to the troops serving outside the wire Memorial Day 09. Likewise, to my uncle Ronnie Sparks who served in Vietnam and a longtime family friend, Mr. EJ Hosey who marched with Patton in World War II and my Wyoming neighbor Mr. Smedley who survived the attacks on the USS Intrepid in WWII.

The United States will remain the land of the free so long as it is home of the brave.

Forever West,
Jeremy