Monday, August 22, 2005
TXPTLMS #8: Devils Tower
Top Ten Places That Leave Me Slackjawed
I was nine-ish when Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out, so it's little wonder I was amazed to see Devils Tower in person during the See-America Road Trip when I was a teen. As far as iconic landscapes go, except for Yosemite, I can't think of anything as immediately recognizable as the Tower. Sure, I can say Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, or Mt. Rainier (that's ruh-NEER, not RAIN-yay, unless you want to mess with a local's head), and you'll picture a snowcapped mountain, but they'll probably all look alike in your head. But Devils Tower ... I'll bet some of you are getting a hankerin' for mashed potatoes right now, just to get your mind to fully process the image. (I suppose if you could grasp the totality of the Grand Canyon, it'd probably beat out the Tower, but I can't do that so it doesn't count.)
If you've ever been on a Universal Studios backlot tour, you've probably been underwhelmed by being on an ex-movie set. Same thing with a DVD documentary showing how the movie world existed solely on soundstage. But being in the presence of Devils Tower, suddenly, you are Richard Dreyfuss (or Melinda "the abducted kid's mom" Dillon, perhaps) ... are those government helicopters I hear whomping away off in the distance?
The overhead view is less impressive, but at least you can see that the mothership isn't still lurking in the vicinity.
This picture makes a great computer wallpaper (desktop background). Just be careful not to get drool on your keyboard.
- Yosemite
- Whiskeytown Dam
- Santa Cruz Giant Redwoods
- Disneyland
- California Palace of the Legion of Honor
- South Dakota During a Thunderstorm
- Puget Sound on the Fourth of July
- Devils Tower
I was nine-ish when Close Encounters of the Third Kind came out, so it's little wonder I was amazed to see Devils Tower in person during the See-America Road Trip when I was a teen. As far as iconic landscapes go, except for Yosemite, I can't think of anything as immediately recognizable as the Tower. Sure, I can say Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, or Mt. Rainier (that's ruh-NEER, not RAIN-yay, unless you want to mess with a local's head), and you'll picture a snowcapped mountain, but they'll probably all look alike in your head. But Devils Tower ... I'll bet some of you are getting a hankerin' for mashed potatoes right now, just to get your mind to fully process the image. (I suppose if you could grasp the totality of the Grand Canyon, it'd probably beat out the Tower, but I can't do that so it doesn't count.)
If you've ever been on a Universal Studios backlot tour, you've probably been underwhelmed by being on an ex-movie set. Same thing with a DVD documentary showing how the movie world existed solely on soundstage. But being in the presence of Devils Tower, suddenly, you are Richard Dreyfuss (or Melinda "the abducted kid's mom" Dillon, perhaps) ... are those government helicopters I hear whomping away off in the distance?
The overhead view is less impressive, but at least you can see that the mothership isn't still lurking in the vicinity.
This picture makes a great computer wallpaper (desktop background). Just be careful not to get drool on your keyboard.
Mikesell
