“…it’ about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                            SUMMER TRIP 2023

Today’s ride on the Beartooth Highway. That is NOT styrofoam 

in the background. Isn’t it August?

        The plan today was to ride US 212 west to the Beartooth Highway, then into Yellowstone, and then on to Bozeman. I did get this done. The problem was that it took so much time to ride the Beartooth and go through Yellowstone that I had to hustle to make it to my motel in Bozeman before 6pm.

Overlook on the Beartooth Highway.

        

        It was around 100 miles from Billings to the Beartooth Highway. I rode west on US 212 from Billings and topped up with gas before riding up to Beartooth Pass. As you ride up towards Beartooth Pass there are probably around 20 turns that are 20mph turns, essentially 180 degree turns. This is not like the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can ride along at a pace…and that’s OK. The scenery is spectacular. You need to focus on riding the bike, you can see incredible views of the mountains as you climb up. There are a number of places to pull over to enjoy the view. That is where you can take in the majesty. Of course there is a place where you can pull over at Beartooth Pass to take pictures. Then you start the ride down.

I am simply not good enough to do the scenery justice. You have to go see for yourself.

        While the ride up is challenging the road surface is great. This is not true on the way down. There is a sign declaring you are leaving Montana, and I guess the road goes into Wyoming. One thing that is clear the road can be rough. The scenery is still spectacular but the road could be rough at times. There are also fewer 20mph curves on the way down. 

The view of mountains, high mountains, that are off in the distance is awe inspiring.

        The road leads you to the town of Silver Gate just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Then you must pay a fee ( thank goodness for my Lifetime Senior Pass ) to pass into the park. When I got into the park I noticed a strong pine smell from the thick pine forest you pass through. Then I rode into the Lamar Valley. Beautiful. You are surrounded by mountains in this wide valley. There some “obstacles” you need to be aware of…buffalo. They roam freely in the park, but here, the the wide expanse of grass to feed on, they are all around you. Traffic moves very slowly, sometimes not at all, as you pass the huge beasts. This can be concerning when you are on a motorcycle. There were a number of times they were just acoss the road on the opposite shoulder, or on the shoulder on my side of the road. Park instructions are to keep you distance from the animals in the park. They are wild animals and can be dangerous if provoked. What provokes a buffalo? The sound of a motorcycle engine or exhaust? The sight of humans on sitting some contraption just 5 feet away? Who knows? 

The Lamar Valley within Yellowstone National Park.

        Let me be clear about this. I did not pull out my phone to take pictures of the buffalo. They are huge, and what kept occurring to me was what would happen if one of these animals “inadvertently” bumped into my bike. I kept both hands on the handlebars and focused on riding the bike. Due to the amount of vehicles in the park, and the number of buffalo this resulted in moving along at 5 to 7 mph for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Sometimes you would come to a complete stop and start moving in 5 seconds. Very challenging on a bike with a clutch. By the time I got out of the Lamar Valley my left hand was aching! 

The Lamar Valley looking west. The buffalo were just up ahead.

        Due to the traffic and the pace the ride through this part of Yellowstone was not fun. LOTS of fellow tourists. At Tower-Roosevelt I chose to make a right and ride towards Mammoth Hot Springs. Here there were LOADS of people, and vehicles. I made a left making my way towards Norris, and the west entrance to the park. The ride here was more fun, higher with some curves and elevation changes.Once past Norris traffic thinned out and the ride was better. When you pass out that entrance you ride directly into the town of West Yellowstone, where I gassed up. From there it was around 90 miles up US 191 to Bozeman and my motel. On the way I gassed up and got a sub for dinner. When I got to the motel I carried my to the front desk, registered, and then on to my room. I did not leave my room again until 6 am the next morning.

The park service map of Yellowstone. Look at the mileage between places

The park is huge!