Belfry, Red Lodge, Columbus Loop

March 27, 2022

With the great weather we are having, and with the next couple weeks dominated by other things, I figured that I’d set everything aside and get the bike out today.  I got going a bit later than I might have because a friend wanted company on an 8-mile run and that sounded like fun so I did that first.  We did that distance in 1 hour, 30 minutes.  Once showered, hot tubbed, and fed, I had a few tasks to take care before getting the bike out and hitting the road about 1pm.

I already had a full tank so headed west and took Grand out and around to Buffalo Trail which I rode into Laurel.  From there I picked up Highway 212 to Rockvale where I turned south on Highway 310.  This took me past Fromberg and into Bridger where I stopped to shed a layer out of my jacket.  It was warming up.

I saw quite a few motorcycles out, all Harleys, but traffic was really light.  Outside of Bridger I got on Highway 72 and headed for Belfry.  This is always a nice ride.  2-lanes and great scenery with ranch and farmland stretching out to the west, bordered by the Beartooth Mountains.

In Belfry I stopped before making the turn toward Red Lodge.

I turned on Highway 308 for the 15-mile ride to Red Lodge.  This is a very nice route with lots of twists and hills.  I stopped in Bearcreek for a photo.

The ride from Bearcreek to Red Lodge is great.  Very curvy road and a great scenic pull out.

I didn’t spend any time in Red Lodge but stopped for a quick photo before heading north out of town.

I took Highway 78 out of town, heading for Columbus.  This road has lots of sweeping turns and rolling hills and the Beartooth Mountains are right there.  I stopped for a photo or two:

Once I got out of the hills and into the Stillwater valley the road flattened out.  I stopped for a look at a historic marker.

The next stop was the town of Absarokee.

I crossed the Yellowstone River and entered the town of Columbus.  Rather than head for the Interstate, I took Old U.S. 10 to Park City.  I pulled over to grab some photos above the Yellowstone River.

I rode through Laurel and then through the west end of Billings for the rest of the ride.  171.4 miles today.

Lavina, Harlowton, and Big Timber Loop

March 25, 2022

With reasonably good weather and NO WIND, it was a good day to get out and do a longer ride.  I did errands in the morning, went to the gym for lap swimming at noon, and headed out on the bike a bit after 1pm.  I wasn’t sure how far I was going to go so I decided to just ride to Lavinia and decide from there.  The ride out Highway 3 was great as there was hardly any other traffic, not that it is ever much of a traffic problem.  I got to Lavina and stopped for a photo.

It felt pretty good so when I got to Highway 12, I headed west for a nice ride along the Musselshell River.  There are lots of farms and ranches along this route, squeezed between the river and the rimrocks.  Every once in a while I’d grab a glimpse of the Snowy Mountains to the north.

Right before Harlowton is a rest area and I pulled in for a break.  I also wanted to put the thermal liner in my jacket.  I had on a long sleeve t-shirt and a sweatshirt but still had a chill and the liner would take care of that.  I shot this photo at the stop, looking south toward the Crazy Mountains.

I pulled on to the main drag in Harlowton and shot these two photos.

My choice now was to go back the way I had come or head a few miles up the road and grab Highway 191 south to Big Timber.  I did the latter.  This road is a 2-lane that must be on a section line because it is straight as can be for over 30 miles.  About halfway to Big Timber I pull over to document an event:  the bike turned over 13,000 miles. While taking that photo I shot a few more:

Those are the Beartooth Mountains in the photo above.

And those are the Crazy Mountains.

And the road ahead…

The ride in to Big Timber is uneventful but the road does get curvy for the final couple of miles.  I stopped for the final photo of the day in front of their courthouse.

When I got home I’d ridden 225 miles for the day.  I filled with gas and my calculation indicates almost 50 miles to the gallon.

Every Month Box Checked

March 25, 2022

I thought it would be a good challenge to get the bike out in every month of the year, a bit of a challenge in Montana considering our variable winters.  I made it out in December and January for a couple good rides.  In February, our coldest month, I got out for a 20-miler and it was the wind, not the cold, that deterred me from riding any further that day.  But things changed once March settled in and I’ve been out twice.

March 17, 2022

The first was a short loop in fair weather.  I got my gear on and was very comfortable.  I went up Zimmerman Trail and then headed west on Highway 3 to Shorey Road.  This is a recently-paved country road that connects Alkali Creek Road, that comes from Billings Heights, to Molt Road.  Based on the quality of the paving, it appears that the asphalt was recycled from somewhere else and the compaction job was minimal.  There is already a massive hole in the road that would test the suspension and tires of any vehicle encountering it but easy to avoid on a bike.

I stopped and took a couple photos along the way where the road heads west.

The road makes a 90-degree turn to the left and heads south for a ways.  It’s straight but hilly.

That’s a nice view of the Pryor Mountains in the background.

Those are the Beartooth Mountains from this view.

I needed to meet a friend so I cut the loop short and headed south on 56th and called it a day.

March 24, 2022

Great temperature today but high winds.  I headed out about 1pm with a plan to do the whole loop I didn’t do on the 17th, wind or no wind.  And it was windy.  Up on Highway 3 it was coming from the northeast and I felt like the bike was pretty stable but my body was acting like a sail.  Once I got on to Shorey Road things improved but after I headed west on Molt Road it was an endurance contest to see if my neck muscles keep my head up straight.  I did about 50-55mph which was all that I felt I could do safely.  I turned south on Buffalo Trail and it was like a different world with the wind being at my back.  I pulled into a turnout for a photo.

Those are the Crazy Mountains in the background.

The road ahead.

The road behind.  I continued on this road, a nice winding valley route, and followed it to the town of Laurel.  I went through the town and turned on Theil/River road and followed that east, winding my way, eventually, to Canyon Creek Brewing to meet some friends.  It was about a 50-mile day.