8/1/22

I've been looking forward to the Beartooth Highway for years now. When I was back in Montana in 2017, someone told me about the road but I didn't have the time to backtrack to it. But not only Beartooth but Alex back in Bonners Ferry told me about how Chief Joseph Highway connects to the Beartooth and how it ends in Cody, Wyoming. I've never been to Cody so it seems like a good plan. But I won't be staying long since I'll ultimately end up in Jackson, Wyoming at the end of the day.

https://goo.gl/maps/q8vEax7fobztYqTH7

US-212 out of Red Lodge leads to the start of Beartooth Highway pretty fast. About 68 miles long, Beartooth twists and winds you up through 41 peaks of the Beartooth Mountains with numerous hairpins and switchbacks. Many stretches of roads and turns don't have guard rails. While not difficult if you are an experienced rider, attention must be paid during those hairpins. The road will climb up to 10,947 feet. The chill in the air up on the highway is much welcomed after the past week of scorching heat. Overall, Beartooth Highway is a great road that gives you a mix of technical riding and incredible visuals. Beartooth affirms my belief that there are no bad riding in Montana.

Towards the end of Beartooth is US-296 Chief Joseph Highway. While only 46 miles long, connecting these two roads together makes a great half day of riding. Chief Joseph also give yous some scenic views and a few twists and turns though not nearly as much as Beartooth.

The end of Chief Joseph Highway put me into Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a real city and much bigger than I thought. It was time for lunch and I found a repurposed gas station turned coffee and crepe shop. I got another crepe for lunch - must be the new thing around this part of the country. I didn't have a lot of time to linger since I still have a 177 miles through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons before I got into Jackson. But the quick ride through town definitely made my list of places to revisit - especially the Wild Bill Center of the West and the beautiful Buffalo Bill Dam and Visitor Center.

After Cody, I head west of US-14 to enter Yellowstone National Park from the north entrance. Yellowstone is one of the most famous national park in all of the US. I was back here in 2017 and while it's a treat to be back here, ironically, this was not a highlight of this trip. Tons of traffic made the road slow and lots of frequent stops. Same with Grand Tetons. Beautiful for sure and glad to be back but I think I'm just more drawn to the remote obscure roads like the Alaska Highway and the Klondike Highway. You know you've had a hell of a trip when Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons is just OK.

Though the one highlight was the traffic jam I hit leaving the Tetons. At this point, I was hot, tired and had a bout of the bike stalling multiple times from maybe bad gas (ask me about that in person). So the last thing I wanted to encounter was a single lane traffic jam. I saw some buffalo herd on the side of the road and was so annoyed that people were just rubber necking at the buffaloes. After a few minutes waiting in line, I just pulled over to a parking lot to wait it out.

I was chatting with a couple from Alabama (the husband's dad is from Eden, NC) when I realized there was an actual buffalo in the middle of the road!

So that's why the traffic was backed up. At least there's a good reason.

After after 20 minutes, the buffalo got bored and left the middle of the road. I got back on the bike and continued into Jackson, WY. I've always want to go to Jackson Hole but I also know it's a super expensive town. So is it just another Banff and Jasper? I guess I'll see.