What could I possibly do on Day 14 to top all that I had done prior? Well, I don't know if there was any topping to be done, but Day 14 was no slouch in the activity race.

I woke up early and made my way to the gas station and then to the local espresso shop - attached to a motel. Then I decided to skip Bear Tooth Pass because I had such a full agenda ahead of me, and a lot of miles to cover.

Western Wyoming (From Big Horn Mtns, WY)

The drive down Alternate US-14 was quite uneventful at first. Flat western prairie and few towns. I had to cross the Big Horn Mountains to get to eastern Wyoming, but it looked like a fairly easy task. I mean, after going over the roads in the Canadian Rockies and Rocky Mountain National Park, how hard could the Big Horn Mountains be?

I guess you've figured out by now, things were a little more difficult than planned. The first sign of trouble came in a diamond shaped, safety yellow sign that said "Steep Grade Ahead." Sure, whatever!

Well, the mountains were looming in the distance, but I was sure it wouldn't be that hard to get over them, although Hunt Mountain was at 10,162 feet and was right next to the road. I was probably at 4,000 feet at the time.

Hunt Mountain (Big Horn Mtns, WY)

Once the ascent began, it was immediately a 10 percent grade. That 10 percent never seemed to decrease. For miles I continued up this mountain at a rapid fire pace. Soon I was looking back at western Wyoming, stark and brownish-green.

The ascent continued and I passed runaway truck stop-offs. I can tell you, I would never take this drive in a truck of any sort. When I finally reached what I thought was the peak, there were signs of snow all around and level ground seemed miles below. The wind was incredibly strong and I had to use all of my power to keep the camera straight.

When I returned to the road, to my amazement, it went back to a 10 percent grade...UP!!! Soon the patches of snow became layers of snow. I hadn't seen this much snow in Canada. Now I was getting worried. Here I am, hanging on to the edge of this road (luckily there were guard rails) and fighting snow on the road.

Eastern Wyoming (From Big Horn Mtns, WY)

To my relief, minutes later a salt truck appeared in my lane. For the next 10 minutes of additional climbing I drove 20 miles per hour behind this salt vehicle. When I finally reached Hunt Mountain, the elevation sign said I was over 9,000 feet. Hunt Mountain looked pretty level with where I was.

I continued to follow the salt truck until I reached the intersection with US-14 in Burgess Junction. At this point you have descended to a plateau. The next few miles were nothing but smooth sailing through pine trees.

Then I reached the other side of the Big Horn's and to my total surprise, the valley was in stark contrast to the wasteland I had left on the western side of these mammoth mountains. It was a beautiful site to see and a relief to my body. The drive down to Dayton, Wyoming was wonderful. Signs informed me of how old the rock formations were on the way down.

From the base (Devils Tower, WY)

Once I reached I-90, I was ready to unwind the car and make my next destination as quickly as I could.

The drive down I-90 was lovely. You could see the Rockies on your right the whole way to Buffalo. But once you turned east, the mountains were gone and it was rolling prairie. I kissed the Rockies goodbye and made my strongest surge toward my home in the east.

Soon I reached Moorcroft, Wyoming, the little town that was the gateway town shown in the Steven Spielberg movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Storms were moving across the plains and thought my chance of getting good shots of Devils Tower would be lost.

As I drove north toward the tower the weather cleared and by the time I reached the park, the storms were gone.

Sun Patches (Devils Tower, WY)

When you see the tower from a distance it is an odd site. All around is flat, but here is this cone shaped tower in the middle of it all. As you get closer, you see red dirt cliffs and more definition to the mountain.

As I entered the park, I found a little prairie dog area where hundreds of chirping prairie dogs sang to me. Well, perhaps they weren't singing to ME, but they were singing none the less.

I moved on to the tower and took a wide assortment of photos. You can walk a path all the way around the monument, but I began to feel raindrops - so I headed back to the car.

The four big heads (Mt Rushmore, SD)

On my way out, I stopped time and time again as I caught glimpses of the tower with yellow sun patches hitting it. It created another cool effect and my favorite pictures of our nation's first national monument all came during this part of the experience.

Next, I drove through the town of Sundance, named after its famous resident The Sundance Kid - although I saw no signs to let you know that. I followed some back roads to US-85 south and made my way to Newcastle, Wyoming. On the way, I found some nice photographic opportunities, including an odd shaped red dirt mountain and a nice shot of the valley that expanded to South Dakota.

My next stop was Mt. Rushmore. How could I miss it?

Back on the dirt road (Scenic, SD)

Well, after driving through the resort town of Custer, I headed north and decided to stop at the Crazy Horse Monument. But cheapskate that I am, when I found out it was $8 to get in, I told them I changed my mind. I was told to use the turnaround a little ways down the road. So I cheated and snapped a picture of the mountain during my turn. Turned out pretty good.

Next, I drove up toward Mt. Rushmore. The United States Government in all their wisdom has decided not to charge to see Mt. Rushmore. But if you want to stop your vehicle, it will cost you $8 to park. This, of course, was not covered in my National Park Pass. Just remember, you were warned. I was a little miffed, but I survived.

Approaching the Badlands (Scenic, SD)

The attraction is worth it. There are plenty of nice spots to get pictures. The park is well laid out and the flag presentation and the amphitheater are a nice touch. I walked the Presidential Path and toured the museum. It was worth the $8 admission and it was a good workout.

I returned to the car and drove toward Rapid City to find an ATM and to get a snack. My next destination was Badlands National Park. Rather than driving the normal route of I-90 to Wall, South Dakota and straight through the park, I decided to take the back way. After all, Rand McNally said it was a scenic drive.

Who is this guy Rand McNally?

Natural Wonders (Badlands National Park, SD)

Well, again, state road 40, Mr. McNally's "scenic route" pretty much blew cheese. But, it was what was at the end of the drive that made the miles of flat road and University of Nebraska talk on the radio worth it all. When you arrive at Scenic, South Dakota, there is a dirt road that goes on for 20 or so miles through the backend of Badlands National Park. It is apparently not traveled to often and that is a shame. The road is in great condition until you reach the park proper. You can easily drive the 50 mile per hour speed limit. But why would you?

The surrounding terrain starts out as lovely, moves to brilliant, then exquisite and finally indescribable. The Badlands were definitely a top five attraction for me on this trip. Everywhere you turned, the land was wonderfully dynamic and the textures and colors danced with the sunset.

My first thought was to skip my hotel stay and just camp out under the stars. If I was going to do it, this would be the place.

From behind the clouds (Badlands, SD)

I didn't see a lot of animals in the park, but the buffalo I ran across was the first one that acted like he wanted to be aggressive. I did get a photo of him, but from inside the car. He was grazing in a field just down from some of the cool rock formations, but I couldn't get a good angle from my vehicle.

In the photo of the mountain, awash in yellow sunlight, you get a feel for how flat things were going to get in South Dakota. But the brilliance of this mountain in the distance was incredible, if only for a moment. I tried to get closer but the moment passed quickly and the area was back in twilight.

Further up the road I stopped and talked with a photographer who had seen the mountain from close up and said the effect was wonderful. She was watching the sun in the opposite direction, waiting for the perfect moment. It never seemed to come, but we enjoyed a nice conversation.

Sunset (Badlands National Park, SD)

She told me I must go see the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. And I told them the cool things on the way to Yellowstone which was their next destination.

Soon I was on my way again, and I took one last picture of the Badlands. Although the camera looks to have played tricks with the exposure, it really looked that way. The sky was a beautiful blue with patches of pink in the distance and the gray shaved rock were backed with green and gray. There were no enhancements to the final sunset picture on this page.

It was almost pitch black when I left the park and I made my way to my hotel in Kadoka, South Dakota. Let me tell you, there is almost nothing in this town. I was quite hungry, but all I found was a bar and a pizza place that looked like someone's residence. I asked the hotel desk clerk if the pizza joint was still opened and he said it was. I drove by, gave the woman my order and she said she would deliver it to my room. Very nice.

I consumed most of the pie and reviewed my pictures from the past few days on my laptop. I was getting sad that the best days were past and decided not to think about it anymore. I still had some good adventures planned on my way home.

> Day 15