On Monday I rode 553 kilometres under brilliant sunshine. I stopped for a nice egg, ham and cheese sandwich and a latte at the Main Street Grind in Miles City Montana, and then continued to Red Lodge where I stayed 2 nights. Having arrived early enough to do a littler bit of exploring I rode up about two thirds of the Beartooth pass to an observation point from which you can look into the canyons below, and the snowfields in the higher still elevations.
This is the aptly named Rock Creek along which the road fro Red Lodge to Beartooth pass runs:
Dinner on Monday (and as it turns out on Tuesday as well) was at the Bridge Creek Back Country Kitchen and Wine Bar was very good. It being a wine bar and all, I had a glass of California chardonnay to accompany the excellent Oregon sea bass that was served on a lovely remoulade of red pepper, tomato, zuchini, squash, garlic, and good olive oil, topped with shaved fennel.
Tuesday was by far the longest riding day so far; actually it's the longest riding day I have ever had. I left Red Lodge at 8:15, destination Yellowstone Park and Old Faithful, But first I had to ride all the way to the top of the Beartooth pass, 10,947'. From a cozy 18.5 degrees when I left, the temperature dropped to 8 degrees at the top; there just wasn't enough layers to add to offset the chill. But the view was well worth it and, as expected the temperature rose again as I made my way to the northeast entrance of the park.
And what a park it is; all kinds of animals, birds, trees, flowers, and people. About the animals, there are bison, herds of bison, bison close to the road, bison crossing the road or walking down the shoulder of the road. And what does a bison do when he, or she (I couldn't tell which) walks down the road? Well, pretty much anything it wants to, and the traffic stops and many pictures are taken. And the caribou munch and have a rest on the lawn in front of the visitor centre, much like they do in Banff. And when a particularly large elk, I think, decides to cross from a pond on one side of the main road to the other side well, that`s no problem because he has his very own forest ranger to stop traffic and to move aside the ever present camera wielding park visitors. Do you think each elk has his own forest ranger, or is it the other way around?
Old Faithful is! If you miss one eruption, you just have to wait, along with the many hundreds of visitors for the next show in about an hour; and it is an impressive display as the following picture shows.
Old Faithful is! If you miss one eruption, you just have to wait, along with the many hundreds of visitors for the next show in about an hour; and it is an impressive display as the following picture shows. There is a steady stream of cars and buses filling and emptying out the various parking areas on the site, and there is a hotel, interpretation centre, souvenir shop and an ice cream boutique that was doing a brisk trade on the hot late Tuesday afternoon.
I left Old Faithful at about 5:30 and rode out of Yellowstone by the east entrance. This brought me back to Red Lodge via Cody Wyoming. The road from the entrance to Cody, which snakes its way along the Shoshone river is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The red-orange rock formations that stretch on for miles and miles are unbelievably jaw dropping impressive. As the light faded I rode into Red Lodge for a late dinner.
Today I rode to Idaho Falls.This is a view of the landscape, large ranches with cattle grazing on rolling hills.
At one point on I-90 I stopped at a rest stop thinking I'd better put on my rain gear because the clouds were beginning to look threatening. A guide who had been following me for some time on his motorcycle pulled in beside me, introduced himself and said: "Great to see another BMW on the road out here." He was from the east coast and had been on this ride since May 11. We talked for a while and ventured, before he left, that he didn't think I'd need my rain gear, So I hopped back on the bike and rode off...not for long. The drops started a couple of miles further; so I stopped again and donned my rain suit. I rode between, around and through showers. I can take rain, even heavy at times, I can take wind, even gusty blasts. I don't mind the odd bolt of lightning and thunder close by. But when they all come together and are joined by hail pelting on my helmet, well, that's too much, even for me. So I stopped for coffee and kinda let that particular storm cell go by. The rest of the ride to Idaho Falls was anticlimactic, just a few heavy showers, wind and lightning.
As a reward for making it here, I treated myself to dinner at the Sandpiper Restaurant, "Voted best steak and seafood restaurant by the people of Idaho Falls." And if my meal, sesame crusted ahi tuna with wasabi, soya sauce, pickled ginger, and a baked Idaho potato with all the trimmings, is any guide, the fine folk of Idaho Falls know what they're voting for when it comes to restaurants. I've never had a better piece of fish, or potato for that matter. And to top it all off, one of the waiters went around the room playing requests on his ukelele. Total price of the meal, including a drink, tip and entertainment: $36!!
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