The weather Monday and Tuesday looks sketchy and since I’ll be out of town starting on Wednesday I had to get out for a ride today. I took roads that are now well-traveled by me but I never get tired of the scenery. Since I’ve taken so many pictures on this route in the past, I only stopped for a few today.
I left home about 12:30pm and took Zimmerman/32nd street to King Ave. to Shilo. I felt something weird in the way the bike handled just as a guy honked at me to let me know that one of my side cases was open. Yikes!!! OK, now I remember. I had closed it and pushed the latch down but didn’t have the key and I forgot to lock it when I took off. The bag liner was still there but my cable lock was missing so I turned around and headed back the way I’d come. There, about a mile back, it was in the street. I picked it up and it suffered nothing more than a scratch or two. Geeezzzz, was this a senior moment?
I headed on my way and took River Road toward Highway 212. This is a nice winding road that I know quite well as I have ridden it so many times plus it’s the course of the Big Sky State Games Half Marathon and I’m the course marker and there’s not a twist nor turn that I haven’t walked, run, or biked on. I stopped for a photo or two.
If you look closely on that bottom photo, those are the Beartooth Mountains in the distance.
I headed out on Highway 212 and cruised all the way tp Red Lodge. The town seemed pretty quiet for a Sunday and I was surprised to only see 4-5 motorcycles partied on the main Street. There was one bit of a surprise though. The Mexican food joint, Mas Taco, is closed and a sign indicated that something else would open there soon. That’s too bad as it’s one of the few places I would ever choose to eat at. I wrote about it on this ride.
I continued through town and just as I got to the outskirts I saw the sign that indicated that Beartooth Highway was closed 12 miles ahead. I guess it was worth it to drive that far.
Sure enough, the gate was closed. The parking area had a half-dozen vehicles in it, obviously belonging to bicyclists by the racks on the them.
I stopped and was backing up my bike to park it and I heard a Harley that had been behind me pull up. I glanced over at him just as he was trying to back it up when he tumbled off it and dropped the bike. I hopped off and joined a couple bicyclists to help him pick it up. That’s got to be embarrassing. No crash bars on the bike but I think his leather saddlebags helps prevent any damage.
I took a couple of photos but none of the Harley. I wouldn’t do that to another rider.
I cruised back to Red Lodge and stopped at the Candy Emporium. They usually have a licorice ball, hard candy that I really like but, also, they didn’t have them today but I picked up a couple handfuls of other stuff. I’m not a big candy eater but like to have some on hand if I get the craving.
I walked back to the bike and messed with my phone a bit because my music had stopped playing. I couldn’t figure it out. I’ll rant about that elsewhere. Here’s the bike parked in Red Lodge.
In that bottom photo, if you zoom in a look at that hillside in the background, you can see the concrete remains of the chromium mills. You can learn more about them here on Atlas Obscura.
I went through Bearcreek and headed north when I got to Belfry. When I got to Bridger, I cruised the west side of town a bit to find the other end of the runway I saw just the other day. I did and it’s not photo-worthy.
The sky was darkening so I didn’t waste any time heading to Laurel. I picked up a few raindrops along the way. When I got to Laurel I pulled in to their Riverside Park and grabbed this shot of the cloud I was trying to outrun.
I grabbed the Interstate to put some distance between me and the storm. I stopped for gas as is my habit at the end of a ride so it’s ready to go the next time.
It’s $4.49/gallon here for the regular that I run in the bike.
It was a 170-mile day.
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