Rick caught me fooling around with a camera.
Talking with Rick helped me learn that, while I like to get up and go early, he is more used to rising when the spirits move him. And that is generally a little later than they move me. But danged if Rick wasn’t raring to go early too. The night before, we talked ourselves into changing the planned itinerary. I had planned to ride Bear Tooth Pass into Yellowstone, then snake west on secondary roads to US-93 and up on into Missoula, Montana, where we'd be ready for Lolo Pass and Idaho the next day. I planned to do this in one day. Montana is a big state and a ride like that would cover almost 600 miles of twisties, with a dash of SLAB to make us feel whole before days end. Rick and I talked it over and decided to throw in a visit Glacier National Park on this trip. Glacier is the closest thing to a real church there can be. I mean, I cannot go there without feeling like I’m trespassing on God’s quarterdeck (I guess you’d have to spend some time in the Navy to catch that, but it is the closest thing I know). I’d ridden through there with my gentle Motor and our Concours about 5 years before. Its a little out of the way for most tourists and so it isn't as crowded as other scenic parks. I am always ready to ride it again. Rick had visited the place when he was a kid, but never rode through on a bike. It was pretty obvious that this was the time and we were in place.
But first, Bear Tooth Pass, and neither of us had ridden it or drove over it. We packed our gear and headed west on US-212 until we hit the I-90 SLAB again. After breakfast in Billings, we did “reasonable and prudent” all the way to the US-212 cutoff to Bear Tooth. Now onto a road where the true definition of “reasonable and prudent” becomes very subjective. As you might image, "reasonable and prudent" is often the topic of choice in some circles (next to the road with drivers license out, I suspect) and we'll leave those discussion lying next to the road too. Suffice to say, that we rode safe throughout and were not stopped even once during the trip. That's not to say we had a dull time ...
The reality of a ride over Bear Tooth was as good as its reputation and our anticipation. Lots of bikes, lots of twisties, and not all that many caged tourists - even for a holiday weekend. This place is a pretty good drive from about anywhere and the end of summer sent most vacationers to more accessible destinations. Let’s see, we saw beemer bikes, ZX-11's, ST’s, Wings, Thumpers; you name it, it was there and all those riders were smiling - even in the ever-present and oppressive heat. A great place. "Sam" and "Bear" fit right in. If anyone passed us, it happened so fast that we didn’t see ‘em. Some of those other fellows were really scootin’.
You’ll notice that there are no images of the Bear Tooth or Yellowstone on this page. I was having so much fun wiping sweat off my face that I forgot to take photos. I usually spend a lot of time taking photos, but today’s road was long and a couple of stops along the way had already robbed more than a few minutes of a very long day. The plain truth is that I just forgot. (sniff)
Bear Tooth Pass empties into Wyoming and Yellowstone Park. I was thankful that there was almost no line at the gate because my riding suit was doing a pretty good imitation of a sauna. I rolled up to the Park Ranger and started flipping through my tank bag for the park pass. Poop! Can’t find it, but they let me pass because I could find the credit card charge receipt with my name and signature; that and my driver’s license was enough to convince them that I was legit. I got a quick lecture and a pretty smile and then she let me go on. Atta girl! - oops, woman.
The speed limit in this part of Yellowstone is a little faster than the Badlands, but is still not fast enough to accommodate this overheated old whoosie in a riding suit. We reached Tower Junction, about ½ the distance we planned to ride in the park. For some dumb reason, I thought we had exited the park there. Yippee KyAaaa! I’m back in the saddle again at “reasonable and prudent.” A few happy miles down the road, I noticed an official-looking white car go by heading in the opposite direction and slowing way down, brake lights blazing. Hmmm, I wondered if I had something to do with those blazing brake lights. I looked at the speedometer and thought my speed in these curves wasn’t all that bad. What's the problem here? The white car couldn’t turn around for at least a mile ‘cause of the twisties and scarcity of suitable turn-around points. Another mile or so later, I spotted a sign that made me realize I was still in the park. Bang - Zoom Alice, the binders quick! I watched my mirrors all the way to the exit gate and gingerly scooted through hoping that a Ranger didn’t jump out to block my exit with the long scroll of the law and a pen. Hey, we don’t all have to be stupid, but we all have to be lucky. Today was a lucky day that I did not have to crawl into the barrel.
Rick guessed what I had done. I think the rare glimpse he got of my tail lights gave him a pretty good hint (I see a lot more of his). We hooked up later, had a laugh about my lapse of sense, and headed back north into Montana on US-89. What’s this then; heading EAST on the SLAB? Yup, one exit east on I-90 lets you stay on US-89. We followed it north through forest and hills, and only gentle curves, before we reached a disappointing detour southeast of Great Falls. Then it was SLAB time again, until we reached Conrad and the motel. A long day of 580 miles in heaven and heat. A hell of deal that doesn’t come around too often. Still ... a couple of cold beers and cool beds made the heat more bearable and the evening another treat. But then, I’m blessed and easily pleased.
Dang! I can’t find that park pass anywhere. I begin to realize that I must have left it at that cafe near the Montana/South Dakota border. I left it right there on the counter with the dirty napkin, empty plate, and empty beer bottle. Oh well, I still have my glasses and watch .. . geeze, that pass cost me 50 bucks too.
Let's go on over to Glacier National Park and Lolo Pass or if you prefer, back to the Badlands.
