An Early December Ride to Red Lodge, MT

December 2, 2021

In the busy days post-Thanksgiving and the wrap up of a school semester, I forgot to write up this ride, which I am pretty sure is my last one of 2021.  The weather looked great, supposed to be about 60, so I donned my riding gear, loaded my film camera with a fresh roll, and headed west out of town.  I headed down 32nd Street West and when I came to a stop at Gabel Road I glanced at the ground and spied some loose change.  When out for a run, one never bypasses money so why should motorcycling be any different?  I pulled over to the curb and walked back and picked up $1.42.

I had not ridden on the interstate in a while and thought it would be good practice so I hopped on I-90, set the cruise control to 65, and traveled the 8-10 miles to the off-ramp for Highway 212 in Laurel.  I crossed the Yellowstone River and instead of continuing on directly to Red Lodge, I turned left on Thiel Road and headed back east for a mile.  

This is the Sundance Lodge Recreation Area, a BLM site, that sits between the Yellowstone River and the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone.  This a great site, almost 400 acres, with a nice path around its perimeter that is a bit over 4-miles long.  One end of the park is heavily wooded while the other is flat and grassy like the properties that adjoin it. The river on its south edge has lots of twists and turns and is quite scenic.  On the far west end of the park is the site of an old barn and this is where I am heading.  

The barn evidently came with property when it was acquired by the BLM, the Nature Conservancy, and the Yellowstone Chapter of Pheasants Forever in 1997.  It has a newer metal roof and the wooden structure is in pretty good shape so it does present itself as a worthy subject for some photography.  Inside it has a dirt floor, a couple different rooms, and a few stalls, all in reasonably good shape.  I have a photography project I am working on and have made a couple stops here to take photos for inspiration and am still not quite where I want them to be with it yet.  A few more visits under differing lighting conditions might get me there.

I walked the mile back to the parking lot where I’d left the bike and got my gear back on and headed back to Highway 212 and on to Red Lodge.  The weather was great and there was no wind, making it uneventful, just the way I like it.  Being a Thursday, traffic was non-existent and it felt great to be out, just cruising.

I didn’t ride beyond the first few blocks into town because my goal was lunch at Mas Taco. It was pretty quiet there with only one table occupied inside and one outside.  I was able to park almost in front of the place.

I ordered the Rajas Burrito, wet, and a Bent Nail IPA and decided to sit outside.  After all, it’s the 2nd of December in Red Lodge so one has to take advantage of it.  I sat on the patio and when they brought out my food I snapped a couple photos.  I could enjoy the burrito and see my bike in the background.

The ride back to Billings was as pleasant as the ride to Red Lodge, after all, it’s a relatively warm day, no wind, no traffic, and the bike just feels great.  

On Thursdays I have a standing meetup with a friend for a couple beers at Canyon Creek Brewing at 2pm.  Since I was on this impromptu adventure today, I’d texted him and said I’d be there at 3pm and I pulled into the parking area right on time.  Of course, with that sky, it made a great photo opportunity to wind up the day.

127 miles.