October 2007

Sept. 30, 2007: Driving the Beartooth Highway for the last time this season. Today we drove it one last time (they closed it 3 days later for the season) since it was a beautiful Fall day. We had expected more snowfall the night before, but it was good that it was only a dusting otherwise they might have closed it that day. Follow us along for this memorable day traveling from Red Lodge, MT all the way into Yellowstone National Park.

The Beartooth Highway begins just outside of Red Lodge, MT...beautiful morning!

We are at the 9000' level at the East Summit overlooking the valley. (Very cold and windy at this point.)

Continuing on, you go over a plateau...very desolate at this point...and COLD.

The road was slippery, but the plows were working.(Note canyon at left that we had been photographed in front of.)

The grasses are just beginning to freeze (more than 18" of snow this week!)

The Bear Tooth in the distance.

View from the Jeep, starting to descend.

Going down...(still at about 8500' at this point.)

Beginning to see trees again...

Further down...The view from "the other side." Glorious colors!

Look who we found crossing the road...outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Inside Yellowstone National Park...Lamar Valley colors! At their peak!

Going out via Mammoth Hot Springs (north entrance to Gardner) we saw this bull elk who was very busy keeping his harem in order.

We found out on Wed. Oct. 3, that the Beartooth has been closed now, so we were some of the last people to drive it...and we know why. It was slippery and dangerous driving for bits of it at the top. Lots of snow forecasted for this week in the higher elevations, so we were lucky. We'll be going into Yellowstone (with the rig) one last time next week, so we hope that the snow abates for a bit to allow us to travel there...once we're there, let it snow! (We have chains for both the rig and the Jeep.) It'll be a few weeks probably until we can update now...happy travels!