14A

Because we're a little bit crazy, we decided to take The Scenic Route home through Wyoming at the end of our vacation in Montana. We've attempted 14A before, when Elijah was 4 months old, and it was snowing so much on top of the pass that we had to turn around, losing about 4 hours in our trip. This time, the weather was much nicer, although, to avoid future Fail-ventures such as we've had in the past (including County Road 93, my Google Maps Approved shortcut to Sand Dune National Park in southern Colorado, and hitchhiking to the trailhead of our first 14er due to the similar nature of that road...), we still could use an Adventure Checklist:

*Full tank of gas and full coolant

*Plenty of water and snacks

*Not-bald tires (and a spare that holds pressure)

*A high-clearance vehicle with 4WD

*Detailed road information

*Plenty of extra time (and maybe not a nursing infant!)

...and so on. We did pretty well this time, except on the coolant part, which had gotten low a week earlier and we'd forgotten all about it while safely esconced at my parents' house, riding around in their cars and ignoring our own.

At any rate, we left my parents' house by 6:05 on Saturday morning, and started down the road toward Wyoming. We turned off on 310 in Laurel, Montana, and headed south. Driving through the tiny towns, fields of grain and subsequent elevators, and the generally desolate landscape caused both Chris and I to seriously wish he had gone into Family Medicine instead of Heme/Onc! Tears were shed briefly and we considered stopping and staying forever in Lovell, Wyoming. But instead, we drove on...

...to a country where, apparently, it hasn't rained since The Flood. Seriously, it was so dry, my contacts nearly fell out of my eyes, and all the water in our water bottles dried up. Then we started up 10% grades onto the Bighorns, and the car was none-too-pleased with this! We hung just below the red line on temperature but it didn't overheat, and blessedly, we made the top. The car was much happier cruising along at the cooler 10,000+ foot elevation.

I regret to inform you that we did not stop for one single picture of The Family Outside The Car With The View In The Background, nor did we hike up to The Medicine Wheel at the peak. This is because Kirsa fell asleep on the switchbacks up, and didn't wake up again until we were downshifting to cruise down the 8% grades on the other side. (Allow me to praise my husband's masterful maneuvering of a serious mountain pass in a car with low coolant, a flat spare tire, and over 183,000 miles on it.) But I won't apologize for all these semi-bad quality pictures taken through my passenger-side window, because if you've ever decided to take the scenic route with a 6-month-old who finally fell asleep in her little bucket seat, you will understand.

So, all in all, The Scenic Route really only added about 45 minutes to our trip, and was so worth the gorgeous views and new experience. (The construction we hit an hour outside our house added more to our trip, and then the baby was not sleeping and it was painful for all...) So there's 14A over the Bighorns, finally, 3+ years after our first attempt!