Day 7, the much anticipated Day 7, had arrived. We had prepared by getting to bed early, and by discarding all remaining cookies, snacks, and candy. We knew that grizzly bears can rip window frames off of cars, and can smell anything with sugar or even smelling like sugar, even through car trunks and ziploc baggies, and weren't going to test the effectiveness of our "loss of use" car rental insurance coverage unless absolutely necessary.
We hit the road at 5:04 am, and it was dark and cold, 46 degrees, and out came the blankets. Breakfast would be on the road. We approached Red Lodge, MT, along Route 90, and saw assorted wildlife; cattle, horses, a dead porcupine, and a lonely chicken walking the train tracks. We didn't see any other vehicles on the road. Breakfast was at Cafe Regis, a combination restaurant/organic corner grocery store. The food was fantastic, especially the homemade muffins 
and preserves. The locals came in with their own coffee mugs. We were on the road after breakfast at 6:57, and at 7:00 am, we reached the road that Charles Kurault called the most beautiful highway in America. The Rockies, the chipmunks, the snow, the altitude, the drop-offs, the rocks, the woodchucks, the ski-club, the narrow roadway that climbed higher and higher up to what felt like the top of the world was everything Mr. Kurault claimed. It was 36 degrees and 11,000+ feet elevation, an
d we were all in shorts, but we weren't especially cold. Must have been a DRY cold.... There was a man there with the ski/snowboarding club who said it was "nice" that day, and that yesterday had been 20 degrees. This was June 23rd. Clyde maneuvered the GM along the many, many hairpin turns, averaging a speed of about 14 mph. We saw few other cars, but there were some gigantic snow-removal tractors sitting idle, thankfully. There were snowbanks or maybe glaciers along the road that were higher than the car. The 64 miles from Red Lodge to Cooke City, MT took us 2:50 hours.
and preserves. The locals came in with their own coffee mugs. We were on the road after breakfast at 6:57, and at 7:00 am, we reached the road that Charles Kurault called the most beautiful highway in America. The Rockies, the chipmunks, the snow, the altitude, the drop-offs, the rocks, the woodchucks, the ski-club, the narrow roadway that climbed higher and higher up to what felt like the top of the world was everything Mr. Kurault claimed. It was 36 degrees and 11,000+ feet elevation, an
d we were all in shorts, but we weren't especially cold. Must have been a DRY cold.... There was a man there with the ski/snowboarding club who said it was "nice" that day, and that yesterday had been 20 degrees. This was June 23rd. Clyde maneuvered the GM along the many, many hairpin turns, averaging a speed of about 14 mph. We saw few other cars, but there were some gigantic snow-removal tractors sitting idle, thankfully. There were snowbanks or maybe glaciers along the road that were higher than the car. The 64 miles from Red Lodge to Cooke City, MT took us 2:50 hours. Cooke City's main street was a dirt road, and every time a vehicle passed a cloud of dust would rise. After the exertions of Beartooth Highway, we stopped for English muffins and liquid refreshments at a funny little casino/restaurant. We visited the gift shop across the street, and enjoyed stretching our legs after the long morning in the car. We were in for another long ride, as Yellowstone Park was not far away, and the more walking we could do, the better. The rest of the ride to the park was on the same dirt road. The effects of the car wash from Buffalo, WY, were now just a memory, as the GM and every other car around was covered in dust.
We knew from researching that there would be construction on the approach to the park, and that there might be a thirty minute wait. We sat in the long line of cars, turned off the car, and waited. We also knew that this was the least utilized entrance to Yellowstone, and it had the unmatched scenery of Beartooth Highway to recommend it, so we waited patiently for the "pilot car" to return to lead us onward. We watched the trucks drive back and forth in the entertaining process of laying drainage pipes for the entrance road. It was only a fifteen minute wait, and not only did we finally reach actual pavement, but the Rangers didn't collect any park admission from any of the cars, perhaps as a concession to the long wait.
Our first views of Yellowstone Park were of trees, and lots of them. Then we got into the flat lands - prairies? - and the wildlife sightings began. We soon were stuck in a ''buffalo jam''. This wasn't because a herd was slowly crossing the narrow roadway, their tails swinging happily. This was because two buf - I mean bison - were standing in the road as still as statues. There was no tail swinging, and no sign of intelligent life. There were two lines of cars coming from both directions watching this spectacle of frozen life. Some impatient driver blew the horn. The bison chose to ignore this breach of manners. Eventually, one bison strolled off in search of a green pasture. The other one must have had a late breakfast, because it wasn't moving. Some drivers decided to drive around the remaining bison. Most of us just enjoyed the experience and used our zoom lenses until the bison got bored and moved on to join his friends on the other side of the road. What a great intro to this world-famous park! This was going to be a fabulous place, as long as no grizzlies got a whiff of my vanilla-scented deodorant or coconut shampoo!
No comments:
Post a Comment