US-14a between Lovell & Burgess Junction, Wyoming

View of US-14a and the beginning of Oh My God Hill west of Lovell, Wyoming

The light colored line across the center of this picture is our first glimpse at Oh My God Hill west of Lovell, Wyoming on US-14a. We have heard that it is an exciting drive with an extremely steep grade. All the signs warn of steep grades ahead. We are about to find out what all the fuss is about.

View of awesome roadcut on US-14a and the beginning of Oh My God Hill west of Lovell, Wyoming

This picture was taken at a scenic pullout shortly after we started our journey up Oh My God Hill west of Lovell, Wyoming on US-14a. If you look carefully at the picture above this one you will see a diagonal road cut across that picture. This road cut is part of the road cut in that picture.

View of sedimentary rocks turned vertical along US-14a at the beginning of Oh My God Hill west of Lovell, Wyoming

I freak out when I see things like this where the normally horizontal lying sedimentary rocks have been uplifted, broken and twisted into this vertical position. Unbelievable forces deep within the earth uplifted the Big Horn Mountains over 9,000-feet. This strata of overlying sedimentary rock was pushed into this position. Geologist can identify over 100-million years worth of geologic history in these layers of sedimentary rock. It is indeed hard to wrap your mind around.

Grouse in the Big Horn Mountains along US-14a east of Lovell, Wyoming

Sometimes we get lucky and spot some interesting wildlife on our scenic drives. We spotted this grouse (we think it is a spruce grouse) at a turn out (scenic overlook) on the way up US-14a on the "Oh, My God Hill", in the Big Horn Mountains, as we head toward Bald Mountain and Burgess Junction.

This is a grouse, probably a spruce grouse considering where we spotted it, deep in the Big Horn Mountains. If indeed this is NOT a spruce grouse please let us know and we will correct things.

Just put "info" in the place of "FAKE" in this address: FAKE@travellogs.us

Snow on the ground along US-14a west of Lovell, Wyoming as we pass by Bald Mountain

Joyce took this picture as we neared the top of the grade on US-14a, as we passed Bald Mountain. Keep in mind this is mid-August and there is still this much snow. We have just completed our run up Oh My God Hill and what an exciting stretch of highway US-14a was. The views were pure eye candy and the steep grade was something to behold. If this type of thing is your "cup of tea" then the Oh My God Hill in the Big Horn Mountains has to be on your bucket list.

Steep grade sign as we fall down the east side of Bald Mountain on US-14a east of Lovell, Wyoming

Keep in mind we are traveling east on US-14a out of Lovell, Wyoming and have climbed up Oh My God Hill. We are no longer climbing as the sign indicates. We are going to fall down the eastern side of Bald Mountain to Burgess Junction where US-14a ends and we continue our eastern journey back to Sheridan on US-14.

At the top of the grade is an opportunity for more sight seeing and excitement. We did not have time to include this today but we have it on our bucket list and that is Medicine Wheel and Medicine Mountain.. Medicine Wheel is a stone circle that lies atop a ridge below the summit of Medicine Mountain. Medicine Wheel has been designated a National Historic landmark even as this symbol remains a mystery since the builders and purpose of the Medicine Wheel remain unknown. There is a theory that the wheel is a replica of the Sun Dance Lodge of Crow legend and was oriented to point to the summer solstice sunrise. In the Indians' religious life, peaks of the Big Horn Mountains were objects of respect. Indians journeyed into the mountain solitude to make or find their medicine. This wheel is an important symbol of Indian beliefs about man's relationship to the world. Modern Indians use the Medicine Wheel for religious ceremonies. At times, flags, or offerings are left about the wheel, signifying that a ceremony has taken place. A gravel road leads up Medicine Mountain to the side of the Medicine Wheel.

We are riding along the crest of the Big Horn Mountains at this point. Around us are large granite rocks that were formed within the earth's crust 1-billion years ago. For a few miles we are traveling over the "rim" of the Big Horn Mountains on hard resistant Precambrian rocks. They are exposed as the result of eroding forces of wind, water, and ice. This granite contains quartz and resembles the rock containing gold found in many parts of the west.

Discoveries of this fine-grained gold on the north side of Bald Mountain were made in 1890. "Gold fever" brought many prospectors to the area over the next 10-years. In 1892, the Fortunatas Mining and Milling Company purchased a group of claims on the head of the Little Horn River and Porcupine Creek. The excitement led to the establishment of Bald Mountain City, the most extensive attempt at a settlement in the Big Horn Mountains. The gold rush ended by 1900 because yields were not enough to pay for the effort of panning.

Headwaters of the Tongue River on US-14a as we navigate down the east side of Bald Mountain

As we descend the eastern side of Bald Mountain US-14a is following the headwaters of the Tongue River. Just a short way back we were riding along the crest of the Big Horn Mountains through large granite rocks that were formed within the earth's crust 1-billion years ago. For that mile or so we were traveling over the "rim" of the Big Horn Mountains on hard resistant Precambrian rocks (old igneous rocks). The igneous rock is exposed because erosion has carried away the softer overlying sedimentary rock. In this picture we can see sedimentary rock indicating that erosion has not yet carried this sedimentary rock away exposing the underlying igneous rock that was exposed higher up.

In another travel log we took a scenic drive through the Tongue River Canyon on the east side of the Big Horn Mountains near Dayton, Wyoming. If you are visiting this are and looking for spectacular things to see I would recommend the Tongue River Canyon. It is hard to imagine that this small trickle of water could create something as spectacular as Tongue River Canyon. We are truly blessed to have been able to see this view of the Tongue River.

I am guessing but I suspect we are around 15-miles west of Burgess Junction.

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