Chief Joseph and the Beartooth Again

July 25, 2021

With more hot weather on the way, and feeling the need to rack up some more practice mileage before the upcoming big trip, I took off about 10:30 this morning and headed out to do the Chief Joseph and Beartooth Scenic Byways again.  These roads NEVER get old.

I went my usual route by taking Rimrock Road west to 62nd street, head south to Grand Avenue and then west to the end of Grand at 88th Street West.  I travel south on that just a 1/2 mile or so where I turn west on Lipp Road and pull over at the Canyon Creek Battlefield memorial.  I had forgotten to put in my ear plugs so this was a good spot to take care of that.  I noticed that the parking lot, which is usually empty, had a half-dozen cars parked in it but no one was there.  Before I finished digging out the earplugs, the car owners showed up on their bicycles, coming down from a ride on Buffalo Trail.  One of the riders stopped and we chatted about my FJR as he told me that he had a 2016 that he sold after having a hip replacement.  The bike was harder to hold up but a bicycle was no problem.

I got on Buffalo Trail and took that south to the town of Laurel.  The weather is great today although there is a fair amount of smoke in the air from fire to the west.  Temperatures are predicted to be in the upper 90s but it's pretty comfortable now in the mid-morning.  I rode through Laurel and got on Highway 212 and traveled the 10 miles to Rockvale where I turned south on Highway 310 and went through Fromberg and Bridger before I veered to the right on Highway 72 toward Cody.

Traffic was pretty light for Sunday.  Just before Bridger I saw 3 bikes coming up behind me and moved over to the right so they could pass.  It was three guys on "naked bikes" moving along at a good clip.  I ended up following them for a while as we headed toward Belfry.  Some slow drivers were ahead and the three bikes and myself sailed around them.  When I pulled back into the right lane I noticed my speedometer read 93 mph.  This bike just flies and feels no different from going 50 than 90.

Those bikes kept up their pace of about 85 and I backed down to 73 and relaxed on this long stretch into Wyoming where one could do 100 mph and feel like they were sitting still.  When I went through here a few weeks ago there was some road construction near where I turn off on Highway 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, with barricades and gravel providing some rough riding.  Today, there is nothing but new asphalt and as smooth as can be.

I turned off on Highway 296 and noticed that I'd traveled 95 miles since pulling out of my driveway and felt like it was time for a break.  About 5 miles after starting the ascent I pulled over into a parking area for a stretch and a drink of water.  A couple in a pickup was also taking a break and we ended up having a nice chat about his work that required lots of international travel.  Of course, he is also a rider, easy to tell by his Harley t-shirt.

The ride was fantastic.  When I did this a few weeks ago it rained most of the way but today the only downside was the heavy smoke in the air from the various wildfire burning who-knows-where.  I pulled over quite a few times to grab some pictures:

This one, above, is from the pass at the top of the highway.  The one below is looking down on the road I am about to travel on.  Notice the smoke in the air.

Along the way there is a bridge across a gorge.  I stopped for a quick photo of the bike with the bridge.  I met some guys from Bulgaria, now living in Illinois, on tour.

Somewhere along the road it looked like another good spot for a few more photos.

I came to the end of the Chief Joseph Byway and had a decision to make.  Left goes to Cooke City and the entrance to Yellowstone Park and right is the Beartooth Highway.  I'd like to head through Yellowstone and come out in Gardiner and go north to Livingstone but today is not the day since it was already getting to be mid-afternoon. 

I turned right and headed up the Beartooth Highway.  The road is curvy and a bit rough at times but more than enjoyable.  There is section along the way that is under construction and down to a single lane but the lights controlling access turned green just as I a pulled up to the vehicles waiting in front of me.  Right in front of me were two motorcyclists, one wearing a Hells Angels jacket.  I followed them through the defile and for a few miles after that until they pulled into the Top of the World store.

The ride from there was amazingly free of much traffic.  That seems unusual for the height of the tourist season but I'm not going to complain.  Before the switchbacks to the top of the pass, I  pulled over for another photo opportunity.

When I reached the top, I just took a few quick pictures since I've already snapped some there this season.

From there it's the ride down.  This was slow since there was an SUV ahead of me that was taking all the speed signs literally, minus 10mph.  Eventually we got to the Vista Point and I pulled in for a break.  I talked to a couple on their Harley who were just up rom Red Lodge trying to escape the heat.

I headed down the mountain through the tight twisties and when I came to one the the 180-degree turns, usually packed with cars, I saw only one vehicle and decided to pull over for another photo opportunity that I hadn't done before.

I continued on to Red Lodge.  Since I'd decided to grab a picture of my bike in front of county courthouses, I wanted to get the one here for Carbon County.  Luckily, there was a parking spot right in front of it.

Next, I stopped for gas.  It was hot.  About 98 degrees and I knew that I'd see it get warmer as I lost some elevation on the way back to Billings so I pulled out my cooling vest which I'd stashed, wet, in a plastic bag in one of the saddlebags.  It felt funny pulling that on with my mesh jacket over it considering how hot the air temperature was but knew that it would feel good on the 60-miles back to Billings.

And that was it.  The vest kept me cool and I got back to Laurel and retraced my route, past the Canyon Creek Battlefield memorial, across Lipp Road, east on Grand, up 62nd to Rimrock and east to home.

The AirHawk seat pad passed the test as did the cooling vest.  I double-checked my MPG when I got got gas in Red Lodge and it said I was getting 52.4.  The computer on my dashboard said it was about 53 so it looks pretty trustworthy.

262.5 miles today.

Day Ride to Winnett

July 10, 2021

I'm getting close to my next oil change which is supposed to happen at 4,000-miles, and with about 230-miles to go, I decided to go for a 200-mile ride.  I looked at the map and noticed that the town of Winnett was about 100-miles away and was off on a road I'd not traveled before so the destination was set.

I headed out at 10:30am and stopped for gas on Main Street in Billings Heights.  From there it was a clear shot up Highway 87 to Roundup, about 55-miles, where I made a quick stop for a drink of water.  I continued north toward Grass Range and, about 75-miles into the ride, I stopped for a few pictures.  

This is definitely Big Sky country.

A few miles up the road I turned right on Highway 244 which told me I had 24 miles to go to get to Winnett.  Unlike Highway 87, 244 is narrower do to the lack of shoulder.  Pulling over means trying to find a gravel pull out that goes to a gate in the adjoining ranch land.  On one side of the road were a series of power poles, pretty obviously taking electricity to the upcoming town.  The road it quite straight with only a bend or two but it does have a few ups and downs.  In the downs, the vegetation is greener and I felts something hit my boots.  It took a few minutes but I realized it was grasshopper on the road that were jumping as I rode by.  It's probably going to be a job to clean those things off.

I stopped as I entered the town for a few pictures.

The town itself is very small with a population of less than 200.  It has a post office and general store but it is also the country seat of Petroleum Country so, as I've decided I need to do in the counties I visit, I grabbed a photo of my bike in front of the courthouse.

Here's a view looking west down the main street.

And looking east.

It was time to get back on the road and the return trip was back the way I came.  That might seem boring but, as I have learned a distance runner, taking the same route in the opposite direction is a new experience.

A few miles out of town, after going up a hill, I saw a pullout I'd noticed on the way in and grabbed a couple pictures.

Once I was back on the flat run of the road I stopped for a few more pictures.

A few miles ahead I turned south on Highway 87 and before long I was back in Roundup. I'd seen a sign along the way that reminded me that Roundup is in Mussellshell Country so I decided to get a photo of my bike in front of the courthouse.  It was easy to find on the main drag.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and the only downside issue is that it was pretty warm and working my way through Main Street in the Heights with all the stops due to red lights I started getting hot.  I was wearing my mesh jacket and wishing that I'd brought my cooling vest but I was home in another 5-10 minutes.

I needed about 200-miles and got that, plus 2.  A 4-hour and 5-minute ride.  A 33-miles ride and it's the oil change.

The Bigger Loop

July 5, 2021

We've been having some pretty warm weather here and I wanted to hit the road and do this loop but didn't want to ride in an oven.  I looked at the weather forcast and today was going to be the coolest for the next week or two so today was the day.  The plan was to ride the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cooke City and then the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge before coming back to Billings.

I mentioned it to my friend, Bill, and he was up for it so we departed from Billings at 8am, me on my FJR and Bill on his Victory.  Unlike my past rides it was about riding and, since I wasn't riding alone, I wouldn't be stopping for an many photos as usual.

We headed west out of Billings and took the 2-lanes to the little town of Laurel where we picked up Highway 212 which goes southwest toward Red Lodge, however, we turned south in Rockvale and followed Highway 310 to Fromberg and Bridger before getting on Highway 72 to Belfry.  

The weather was fairly cool, with heavy clouds over the mountains to the west.  I was wearing my mesh jacket over a t-shirt and it felt just fine.  I was in the lead when we hit construction which included the lack of pavement for a bit.  I was so focussed on the road work that I missed the turnoff to Highway 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.  I looked in my mirror and saw that Bill was no longer behind me so I did a u-turn and found him at the intersection waiting for me.  

We headed up the highway and the ride became interesting right away with steep climbs and twists.  We pulled over about halfway to the top for a quick photo op.

There was a definite chill to the air and we started seeing a few raindrops.  Another rider went by going downhill and since he wasn't wearing a rain suit we figured it wasn't too bad ahead.  We were wrong.  The drizzle became rain, all the way to the top, but we stopped for photos anyway.

The ride down was great, even if it was raining.  LOTS of twists and turns and, somewhat surprisingly, very few cars on the road.

When we got to the end of the highway, we had a choice, left to Cooke City or, turn right and head up the Beartooth Highway right away.  We were concerned that the rain had probably turned to snow and ice across Beartooth Pass but Bill needed gas so we went to Cooke City.  By the time we got there the rain had let up.  It was a good thing to stop because it gave me a chance to put the rain liner in my jacket and don my waterproof and insulated gloves.

The next portion of the ride took us up to the Beartooth Pass.  The rain had abated but we'd pick up an occasional drizzle.  We were stopped for construction for a few minutes where they are building a new lane that looks like it will be cantilevered off the side of the mountain.  We made it across the pass where it wasn't as cold as I anticipated, about 50 degrees. When we got to the scenic outlook on the way down we stopped for a comfort break and a few photos.

The ride down was great, as usual.  We decided to stop at Red Lodge Ales for a beer before continuing on to Billings.  They were pretty busy so we decided not to order food.  The ride to Laurel was quick and we took Theil/River Road back to Billings and stopped at Canyon Creek Brewing to debrief.

286 miles.