I was going to leave in the mid- to late-morning to get some miles in but was reminded that we had some out-of-state friends stopping by for a visit and a planning meeting for our fall racing event so I didn't head out until after 3pm. That wasn't a problem since I was only going out along the Stillwater River to explore the roads and was flexible about when and where and for how long.
I headed out from the Billings West End and took Neibauer Road to it's end at 80th Street West. It's a nice two-lane ride through farm land. I took a quick break at that intersection to grab this photo:
I zig-zagged my way on these roads until I turned west East Main Street which took me right into the town of Laurel. There is one traffic light in the center of the old downtown and after getting through that it was non-stop to Park City on Old US 10. From there it parallels I-90 for quite a ways before it gets into hills and curves just before arriving in the town of Columbus. The town is a bit smaller than Laurel and it's old main street only has businesses on one side of the street with a nice green belt park across from them and the railroad tracks between that and the Yellowstone River.
I turned left and proceeded on to Highway 78, across the river, and then south on this two-lane highway with some long straightaways punctuated with the occasional sweeping curves. On the right is one farm/ranch after another, spaced out along the Stillwater River. The traffic was light and the weather was gorgeous.
When I arrived in the small town of Absarokee I turned right in the center of town onto Highway 420. Years ago I remember driving this when it was gravel for many miles but I thought I remembered that it had been paved. Sure it enough it was and continued past more farmland with the Beartooth Mountains as a backdrop. To my surprise a "Pavement End" sign popped up and I was presented with a gravel highway. Not wanting to negotiate that for an untold number of miles I practiced my U-turn skill (poorly) and headed back to Absarokee. My sort of plan was to go out to Fishtail, Nye, and then passed the Stillwater mine to the Woodbine Campground and the Sioux Charley Lake trailhead but, as it was getting late, I settled for snapping a photo in downtown Absarokee and headed back.
I stopped for gas in Columbus and then decided to get on I-90 for the ride back to Billings. By the time I got up to speed I could see it was going to be a tough ride. The wind was coming in from just right of center and I was getting buffeted around quite a bit. I made it to Park City and bailed, retracing my route back to Laurel on the two-lane country roads and then to home.
All in all a good ride. I might be able to do it again this week but pass through Absarokee and turn on Nye Road, Highway 419, which I remember is all paved, to get me to the end of the road. If I am early enough, the route back could be through Red Lodge.
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