Off to Yellowstone National Park, and ultimately Red Lodge, MT today. See our route here. The road to Yellowstone for Bozeman, MT was predictably beautiful. Hills were covered with what looked like green fuzz, but what was actually pine trees. It became evident the closer we got to Yellowstone that the area was recovering from fires. In 1988 there were widespread wildfires that persisited for almost the entire summer. The result was a burn of almost 800,000 acres, what was about 36% of the total acreage of the park. But as I said, it was evident that the area was in recovery. In between the charred stumps and standing remains of burned trees, were smaller pines. And everywhere green growth and wildflowers.
Shortly after our entrance to the park, we saw a golden eagle nest.
On to Mammoth Hot Springs, an area of huge limestone deposits from underground hot springs that bubble up to the surface. The deposits look like giant mounds of vanilla ice cream. Back in the 90s, we came here with Alex, and the springs were flowing all around, and the smell of sulphur was strong. Now, mammoth Hot Springs are dry. Apparently, the springs can flow to different areas, or be diverted because of meineral build up. At any rate, Mammoth Hot Springs has very few remaining springs. The limestone deposits are what are left. We did a small circuit tour of Mammoth Hot Springs for an hour or so and moved on. Before we were done, though, we encountered a man who was walking the Mammoth Hot Spring boardwalk who, if nothing else, can be inspiration for all of us. This guy was walking with 2 crutches, and had obviously non-functioning legs in braces. He hiked up all the stairs to the top by himself and with great effort.
Our feelings about Yellowstone are mixed. What should be a wild and pristine place is wall to wall people. And this is understandable because there are so many things unique to this park—geysers, mud pots, thermal pools, wildlife… But unless you get out of the popular areas, and into the lesser used areas of the park, it feels more like a museum than a park.
From Mammoth Hot Springs, we drove northeast and decided to drive the 6 mile gravel road up on the Blacktail Plateau, an area known for wolf sightings. We weren’t expecting the gorgeous meadows we found there—red, pink, purple, yellow and white flowers, with the white cap peaks as a backdrop. A little bit of heaven. We continued on the road to exit the park when we came upon a small obstacle: a bison was strolling down the middle of the road. We came to a stop, but he didn’t, and kept on coming, heading directly for the car. At the last moment, he turned to his left, and stepped to the passenger side of the car. If my window had been open, I could have smelled his breath, he was that close. The picture that I snapped was of a giant bison head.
On to Red Lodge via the Beartooth Highway, what Charles Kuralt called the most beautiful drive in America. While I’m not so sure I agree, it is most certainly one of the finest roads we have driven. While I think I prefer the drama of the Going to the Sun Road at Glacier, with the peaks on all sides, the Beartooth provides unbelievable panoramas of the mountains at every twist and turn (and there are MANY). The 53.7-mile, 3 hour drive offers skytop views of snowcapped peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes and plateaus. The Beartooths are one of the highest elevation and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks over 12,000 feet in elevation. One of the earliest organized trips across the Beartooth Plateau was led in August 1882 by Lt. General Philip Sheridan of Civil War fame. The Beartooth Highway roughly follows the path of that expedition.
At the end of the Beartooth Highway sits Red Lodge, our destination for the night. We met a couple staying at the cabin next door. They are middle school math teachers who are originally from Tennessee and moved to Billings, MT 14 years ago. The husband was a computer programmer in TN and wanted a change when they moved here, and so became a teacher. The wife was always a teacher. They love MT and the availability of all the things they have here: hunting, fishing, camping, hiking.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow takes us to Pompeys Pillar, Little Big Horn, and maybe Devils Tower. Til tomorrow…
See photos of the day here.
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