August 28, 2022
Pretty nice weather so why not do the loop? I checked with Bill yesterday and he was in so we met up at 8am this morning and got on our way. Bill led us to Red Lodge on the usual route, Buffalo Trail to Laurel, and Laurel on Hwy 212 to Red Lodge.
We stopped for gas and I ruined someone’s morning. Bill pulled up behind a police pickup and got gas there. I drove around to the other side of the island and noticed a guy in, I think, a PT Cruiser type of car, pulling in and driving around the traffic cones into a gravel area. I had no idea what he was doing and I stopped on the pump opposite Bill and go ready to top up. Well, the guy in the car wanted to turn out of that gravel area and pull up where I was and now had to back up and turn around. He let out a litany of F-bombs and MF-bombs. He continued doing so all the way to the other pump, while he was gassing up, and when he left. I’ve heard of “road rage” but I guess this gas pump rage.
I took the lead and we went up the highway to where the switchbacks start and stopped for the first photos of the day.
We continued on to Vista Point.
We stopped at the lookout above Gardner Lake for both photos and I needed to don some more clothing. It was about 40 degrees with a good wind so plenty chilly. I had my rain liner in my mesh jacket but that wasn’t enough so I pulled out a sweatshirt with a high collar and put that on under the jacket. I also swapped out my summer gloves for my cold weather ones. I already had the grip heaters on High. This a pretty spot. Bill said he used to snowmobile here.
We stopped at the top for the usual photo. Bill took advantage of his bike’s built-in hand warmers.
We stopped at another scenic lookout and met a young guy from Utah on a month-long excursion on his Triumph.
He’s already been to South Dakota and was heading to the Pacific Coast to ride that coastal highway.
I snapped a few photos before we headed down the hill to the intersection with the Chief Joseph Byway.
We did some miles on the Chief Joseph and I found a place to pull over before he headed up the switchbacks.
We next stopped at Sunlight Creek Bridge, the highest bridge in Wyoming at 285 feet.
There is quite the view from there.
The next stop was at Dead Indian Summit Overlook.
At some point we lightened our layers and went back to summer gloves as by the time we got to the bottom, the intersection with Highway 120, it was getting plenty warm again. The ride north from that point to Belfry, is well, straight. Very straight. At one point we were passed by a stream of Harleys and the last guy wouldn’t have avoided the oncoming car if I hadn’t moved over. Dumb ass.
In Bridger we stopped for gas and chatted with a guy who pulled in driving a ‘59 Studebaker pick up. It had a great patina.
We picked up the Fromberg/Bridger road, a nice, paved, backroad that I road for the first time last week.
In Fromberg we made a quick stop so I could photograph the abandoned garage that I’ve used as an art subject a few time. I had my Rolleicord camera, which shoots film, so no pictures of that here, yet.
Bill took over the lead and we made our way back to Billings having left 6 and 1/2 hours earlier. A 260 mile day and lots of fun.
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