Though the location has an unfortunate name, Devil’s Tower, the stop proved to be Andrew’s favorite.  What boy would not love a boulder field extending up the side of a mountain that you are free to climb and explore.  We all wished that we would have had more time to explore and take it all in.  President Theodore Roosevelt was so impressed by this location that he named it the first National Monument.  If you are ever passing from South Dakota to Wyoming/Montana do not fail to go out of your way for a few hours to see this unusual and beautiful site.

The remaining pictures are from our drive across Wyoming.  You know you have done a lot of driving when you hear the kids commenting after a seven hour drive, “That wasn’t that long…”

Devil's Tower from a distance

At the summit of a mountain pass

Across the plains

I almost missed it.  The narrow, winding road barely had enough room for two cars to pass.  Cars were everywhere and I was trying to avoid hitting one.  Then, we rounded a curve and glimmering sunlight drew my eyes upward.  There it was, the “eye of the needle.”  Only the finger of God could have carved this rock in such an unusual fashion on the top of this mountain.

As I drove away, I pondered on how many passed through the switchback curves and miss this incredible sight.  Then, my mind went to the passage of Scripture…Mark 10:25-27 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said,  “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Thanks be unto God who drew my eyes to his saving power through Jesus Christ the Son!

Today marks the half-way point in our trip.  We have traveled over 2000 miles by car and have seen some incredible sights.  The past two days in South Dakota have been great.  Last night, we went to the  the inspiring evening program at Mt. Rushmore.  This morning we made our way further east to the Badlands National Park.  The stark visual sites of the Badlands was more than worth the extra effort.  The  desert like mountains and canyons in the middle of the prairie give further evidence of the creative work of our God.

One of the keys to exploring the beauty of the west lies in taking the scenic roads.  Thanks to Tommy Sils, I learned of some of the roads less traveled before leaving Gastonia.  Today, we set out on one of the most spectacular roads in America.  The Beartooth Highway leaves the northeast corner of Yellowstone traveling toward Billings, MT.  The switchback road ascends to nearly 11,000 feet above sea level.  Frozen lakes and deep snow drifts await you at the summit.  To our surprise, there were snowboarders on the side of the road plummeting down from one switchback to the next.

Notice the front of the car behind us for the depth of the snow

The dot in the center is a snowboarder. CRAZY!