Last Beartooth of the Season and YNP

October 9, 2026

When I saw that the incoming storm prompted the Montana Department of Transportation to announce the closing of Beartooth Pass on Friday at 2:30pm, I got motivated to make one more trip across for this season.  

I did my usual run to the gym, played with the weights, jumped some rope, and came home to a quick breakfast before loading a few items on the bike.  I was out my driveway by 9:45am.  My plan is to be gone all day as I want to do the loop which includes the north end of Yellowstone National Park.  I’ve done this twice in the past and looking back on this blog I see that I did it at the end of September and about this time in October.

The weather was great with is supposed to hit 80 in Billings by the afternoon.  It was difficult to decide how to dress but I took my mesh jacket with a long sleeve shirt and a sweathshirt under it.  Heavy gloves were the order for the start of the day.

I took a different route to Laurel this time, riding Rimrock to 62nd, to Grand, to 64th, to King, to I-90, to Hwy 212.  It was a nice route.  Then it was a ride to Red Lodge.  I stopped at the rest area near Roberts and shed the sweatshirt and swapped out to my lighter gloves.  It was getting warm.

Outside of Red Lodge I pulled over for a photo at the beginning of the Beartooth Highway.

As I went up the switchback, the wind came up and was pretty fierce in some places as I rounded curves, surprising me at times.  I felt the need to really hang on.  At Vista Point I pulled over and put the sweatshirt and heavy gloves back on as it started feeling cooler.

The ride up to the pass was slower than usual, not due to traffic but for safety as the wind was as strong and gusty as I have ever felt it here.  At the top I did stop for the usual photo.

I did retrieve some video from the ride.  Here's a bit going up to the top and back down the west side.

On the way down I stopped at one of the lakes for photos.

I rode past Top of the World which was closed for the season, past Beartooth Lake, and past the turn off for the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, and on toward Cooke City.  The wind had died down quite a bit on this side on the mountains.  Along the way I stopped to get this photo with Pilot Peak in the background.

I stopped to top up the gas tank in Cooke City.  They have upgraded their fuel dispensers.

Now it was on to Yellowstone National Park.  

Here's some video of the ride in, through the gate, and a bit beyond.

After a bit, I pulled over to the Soda Butte picnic area for lunch.  I've stopped here in the past and it makes a perfect place to take a break.  I had such of homemade rolls, an apple, and a cream puff with vanilla pudding.  Yes, I made the cream puff.

I read on my Kindle while enjoying the sun.

I rode on into Lamar Valley.  It was a beautiful day to ride here.  There were a bunch of people pulled over looking at something down in the valley.  It was a herd of something but too far away for me to make out without binoculars but a good time to take photos anyway.

I rode on through a curvy canyon and pulled over to look down into it.

Up ahead I saw some bison and grabbed some photos.

The rest of the ride was pretty fun because after passing the Tower Junction turnoff the road gets twisty for quite a while before dropping into Mammoth.  I passed through and rode on to the north entrance and stopped by the Roosevelt Arch.

I left the park, rode through Gardiner, and north through the Paradise Valley.  I stopped at a rest area and grabbed the last photo of the day.

I made it to Livingston and grabbed the slab, I-90, and cruised that all the way back to Billings with a reasonable tailwind.  When I passed by Columbus I saw a sign indicating that the Beartooth Pass was now closed for the season.  I did screen grab from my dashcam video.

I stopped for gas on the way home and arrived just about 6:30pm.

It was a 362 mile day.

Over the Beartooths Again

September 29, 2026

Winter is coming and the number of days that can be used to travel over the Beartooths are waning.  The "when" that the pass gets closed is always a gamble and depends, of course, on snow, how much and when.  With clear skies and a good forcast today was a good day to go again.  My friend Keith brought up the chance of a ride a week ago and texted the other day that Tuesday or Wednesday looks pretty good.  I voted for Tuesday and we agreed on that.  

I started off the day by meeting my friend Jerry for our weekly 7-1/2 mile run at the Four Dances Recreation Area.  We've been doing a weekly run like this for over 20 years.  While our times have increased, we've kept to the same distance.  Jerry lives near that route so it works well for him if we meet at 6:30am so he can get the run in before he has to go to work.  However, it's getting dark in the mornings and since most of the run is on trails, this was our last week of morning outings.  Next week we switch to afternoons and will do that all through the winter with routes more in the city.

It was a beautiful morning.

We finished right at 9am and I headed for home.  I got a shower, dressed out in my riding gear, made and ate a sandwich, and got my bike out right after Keith pulled up.  I loaded my gear on the bike and we pulled away right at 10am as planned.  Keith led and we took the western route to Laurel via Buffalo Trail.

The temperature was in the mid-50s and I was plenty comfortable with my riding pants over my jeans, a short-sleeve shirt under a long-sleeve one plus a sweat shirt.  I had on my summer mesh jacket which still had the rain liner in from my recent trip.  Heavier gloves rounded out the apparel.  

The ride to Red Lodge was pretty normal and uneventful.  There was a bit of wind which is never surprising.  We both topped up our tanks in Red Lodge and then Keith led us up to the pass.  I didn't take many photos today and, instead, decided to use lots of video from my dash cam.  Here is most of the complete ride to the pass, broken into 7 segments.  That's Keith ahead of me on his Goldwing.

Once at the top we pulled over for the usual photo opportunities.  While there were some cars on the way up, there were a few more at the top.  It's always a popular spot.

We headed down the other side, more or less to the west with the plan to get on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.  The ride was, of course, gorgeous.  Here's some video from that portion.

At the bottom we turned on the Chief Joseph.

When we crossed the Sunlight Bridge we pulled over to the parking area.

While there we met another rider, Isaac, who was on an '05 Triumph, traveling from Oregon to Wisconsin.  He told us some tales of woe like when he broke down on Hwy 12 near Kosskia, ID and had to wait for 12 hours for his dad to come retrieve him and the bike.  He set up his tent in a nearby pull out.  I've ridden that road a lot, as recently as 2 weeks ago, and I wouldn't want to break down on it.  He said that his ignition module had fried.  He switched to an aftermarket one and all has been well since.  Uhmmmm, this is why I ride a Japanese bike.

When we left there, Keith told me to lead and I did.  From there it's straight up to Dead Indian Pass.  I really like going up this one rather than down and it was just great until I came in behind an RV.  It's a very curvy road with no passing lane but I wasn't going to sit behind that guy all the way to the top and neither was Keith.

At the top I stopped for a quick photo.

We headed out right away before the RV caught up with us.

The ride down is completely different from the ride up as it is way more open country, dropping down to a pretty sparse and barren part of Wyoming.

We got to the bottom and turned north on Hwy 120 and rode through what my map says is Badger Basin.  I didn't see a badgers but we cruised back into Montana, stopped in Bridger for a moment and then back to Billings.  We separated over by the zoo.

It was 255 mile day.  BTW, my bike turned 61,000 miles today.

2026 PNW Trip 2 - Table of Contents

Day 1 - September 7, 2026 - Billings to Jerry Johnson Campground

Day 2 - September 8, 2026 - Jerry Johnson Campground to Sawmill Flats

Day 3 - September 9, 2026 - Sawmill Flats to Sequim, WA

Day 4 - September 10, 2026 - Sequim to Victoria, BC and Bamberton Park 

Day 5 - September 11, 2026 - Bamberton Park to Victoria and Port Angeles

Days 6 and 7 - September 12 & 13, 2026 - In Sequim

Day 8 - September 14, 2026 - Sequim to Yakima Canyon

Day 9 - September 15, 2026 - Yakima Canyon to Jerry Johnson Campground

Day 10- September 16, 2026 - Jerry Johnson Campground to Billings

The Wrap Up

2026 PNW Trip 2 - The Wrap Up

September 17, 2026

Here’s a summary of the trip:

Total miles ridden; 2,336

Longest day: 436 miles, Day 1, Billings to 1st night camp

Shortest day; about 170 miles in British Columbia

Days traveling: 10. 8 riding, 2 visiting

Nights camping out: 5

Number of gas stops: 14

Total gas used: 46.965 gallons

Total cost of gas: $231.27

Average miles per gallon: 49.73

Most expensive gas: Sequim, WA at $5.59/gallon

Cost of campsites: about $75 and 2 were free

Cost of riding the ferry, round trip: $108.00

Total cost of trip (gas, lodging, ferry): about $420.00

Interesting, the cost of gas’s per mile was about the same as last May’s trip even though the price per gallons were different.  Also, I think that my miles per gallon was lower that usual due to the head wind I rode against for most of the first day.  The bike indicated it was getting about 35 miles to the gallon that day.

The highlight of the trip was the side trip to Canada.  I had done quite a bit of research and knew what to do and what to expect and everything clicked.  Showing up early for the ferry does cause some waiting but then there are no hassles rushing for the last minute.  Getting the bike secured was no problem with the ropes they provided and I didn’t need the tie-down I had brought.  I have read that on some ferries you are expected to have your own.  Going through immigration and customs was no problem and only took a moment or two.  The Canadian always seem friendly when doing this and the Americans act like they are about to demand a strip search.  Macho men.

My gear all worked well except for the issue with the air mattress but the stop at REI solved that.  I’ll inflate the old one and see if it actually has a leak or is an issue with the valve.  While I have no problem blowing up a mattress, deflating for repacking is a hassle and I am considering getting one of those little inflated things like we have with our car camping gear.  The only issue I have is the noise they make.  They are annoying in a campground and the frequency tweaks my hearing issue.  But, they can suck all the air out of a mattress.

I am thinking about changing the way my clothes satchel straps to the bike.  Right now I use RokStraps that attach to the bike’s frame and pull over the bag.  This makes accessing the bag on the road a pain.  I might design something that straps from underneath.  The small backpack that I carry on top of it is very handy but a hassle to attach to the bike’s frame.  I may switch it out for a small dry bag of sorts.  

I am always considering how the sleeping bag straps on.  It sits between and above the clothes satchel and the tent and tends to push the satchel forward.  I need an engineering solution for that one.

If I gave up camping and just stayed in motels and ate my meals out I could fit what I needed in my side cases.  I am probably not going to be doing that.

It was a great trip.  I couldn’t ask for better weather.  I had a very slight drizzle for a few minutes the day I eft Sequim and that was it.  Even that first day where I had to sit out a storm in Ryegate, I stayed dry.  The real downside was the heavy wind that day.    Riding in a heavy crosswind is, IMO, the worse.  I know that physics informs me that the bike will stay on the road, but it’s tiring fighting against it and getting shaken but frequent gusts.

This will be last ride to the PNW for this year.  Next year I might want to wait until later in the season, perhaps into June so I can riding a northern route across the Cascades.  Riding through central Washington has gotten old and I’ve varied the routes as much as I can.  I’ve done the Cascades once in each direction and I want to do it again.  However, it can easily add an extra day.

What can I say about this motorcycle other than it checks every box for performance and reliability.  It handles great in every condition and will get up and go when needed.  

So, that’s it for the westbound trips.  There might be another long ride to the east before the season ends but that is only at the discussion level right now.

2026 PNW Trip 2 - Day 10

September 16, 2026

It’s my final day on this trip and while I am ready to be done, I did a nice ride and enjoyed the scenery.

I was up and out at 5:30 and started the morning stuff.

It’s a bit chilly so the reheated dinner from last night and a cup of herbal tea were appreciated.

I was on the road by 7:45 and was glad to be wearing everything as it was 42°F.  The other issue with leaving as the sun comes up in the east over the mountains is that I ride through shadow and then sunlight with that sun right in my eyes.  I really have to slow down during those transitions.

Along the way I saw the sign for the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove.  I’d never stopped here so thought this would be a good time to check it out.

The trail isn’t very long and winds through the forest with the occasional interpretive sign explaining the ecology and the life of the cedar.

As I continued on I crossed Lolo pass and back into Montana.  I don’t want to get into lots of details but I hear that Billings drivers are the worse in the nation but based on the next hour or so, I’d say it’s just a “Montana value” to be rude, risky, and inconsiderate.  I’d already ridden about 2,000 miles across a couple states and one province had had ZERO issue but back in Montana…well….

The first thing I saw was a guy tailgating me on the 2-lane road before he passed me to then try to pass another car ahead of me.  I could clearly see an oncoming motorcycle but that didn’t deter him and he went for it, causing the car he was passing to clam on the brakes and the motorcycle to do the same and head for the shoulder.  The car had a “6” plate in that makes any difference.

In Missoula I was pulling out of a gas station and a guy changed lanes, no signal, and cut me off.  A few blocks up the road went down to one lane and we were doing a “zipper merge” but when it was my turn a twirl in an Audi gassed it and prevented me from merging.  Then, outside of East Missoula am asshat in a pickup tailgated me even though I was doing 5 over.  I was looking for a place to pull over when he went across the double yellow line and passed within a couple feet of me.

Welcome back to Montana.

Anyway.  I rode the 2-lane roads for the rest of the way back to Billings.  I stopped at the top of MacDonald Pass for a few photos.

Then it was to Helena where I parked in front of the capitol to have my lunch of pound cake and an apple.

I gassed up in Townsend and avoided White Sulphur Springs by taking the shortcut via Hwy 294 past Martinsdale.  It’s not a bad ride but the first chunk of miles one has to be careful due to all the tar snakes which are treacherous in a curve.  I stopped along the way for a some photos just as a wide load was going by.

I stopped in Harlowton for a break and then straight back to Billings.  I got gas before heading for home.

It was a 422 mile day.