A different kind of ride

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Took our first ride on the 2008 Gold Wing we bought this last spring with 2 other couples this last weekend. Leaving last Friday coming home Sunday. We have a friend who purchased an old '88 1500 Gold Wing back in 2012 in hopes of one day riding over the  Beartooth highway summit.  His wife has never been a fan of the bike and had only ridden with him a couple of times and only for very short rides around the valley where we live. Our friend has cousins who have ridden this area multiple times over the years but due to work, he has never been able to go. Now recently retired it opened up an opportunity for him to cross it off of his bucket list. Our other friends purchased an '18 1800 DCT last fall in Texas then rode it home to Montana. Was in the low 20's when they came through West Yellowstone late September of last year. When they got back they started hinting that we should get a bike. They are missionaries that had been serving over in Europe for the last 35 years and were permanently deported out of the country where they've been last summer. So they are trying to regroup and have plans to start anew August of next year. But, while here, are going to make the most of the time they have here. So along with the pressure from them, my sister and her husband both ride, and my oldest brother decided 4 wheeling was getting too hard for him with some health issues and decided to sell it and get a Can Am Spyder. So of course he decides to do this right after I purchased the Gold Wing and needed to sell his ATV in order to help supplement the Spyder purchase. I had told.him.if he were to ever sell his ATV I wanted first shot at it. This wasn't a good time but wanted to upgrade one of my ATV'S, so........ had to sell one of mine and come up with the extra in order to get his machine. Long to short, was able to do that and get the ATV I wanted as well as the Gold Wing. In visiting with our mossionary friends, my wife and his wife started working on the other friends wife and were even able to convince her she needed to go on this ride.
We made it happen last weekend.

The Beartooth highway starts in the town of Red Lodge nestled at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains. It is a town of about 2700 people, and sits around 5600 feet elevation. As you leave town you start a gradual climb for about 10 miles following a beautiful creek called Rock creek. 3 years ago there was a fast snow melt along with rain that flowed down that creek bed and flooded the town, it devastated the main street and shut the town down for months.a lot of road rebuilding. As a tourist town multiple businesses didn't survive, we saw evidence of both the flooding damage and closed up businesses. After 10 miles or so you hit the first switchback of many that starts the scenic climb to the Beartooth summit of 10,947 feet. As you near the top, the trees disappear and are replaced by craggy moss covered rocks and wind blown scrub. There are dozens of high altitude lakes from lingering patches of snow on north facing slopes that refuse to relent to the summer sun. The road generally opens Memorial day weekend but that depends on how bad the winter was and is sometimes delayed until mid to late June due to snow pack. Even then they carve a path with 25-30 ft. high walls through the remaining snow to once again connect Red Lodge to the high mountain town of Cooke City.  After reaching the summit, it is another beautiful winding road passing more rocky slopes and  lakes working its way down to the junction of the Chief Joeseph scenic byway and Cooke City and the East entrance to Yellowstone National Park. We made Cooke City our home base and stayed in a beautiful airbnb. We traveled into the Park the next day making a trip into the Grand canyon of Yellowstone Park and went to the Lower falls, had lunch and back out to base camp for a shower and dinner out in Cooke City.  Sunday was the last day of our ride and we had our longest leg to get back home so we were up, made breakfast, and were on the road before 8a.m. in cool 41°. We headed back towards the Beartooth Mountains and turned south at the junction that would take us to the Chief Joeseph scenic byway, another excellent climbing, winding, switchback road to 8071 feet and another stunning view of the Beartooth Mountains from a southern perspective. Before starting our ascent of Chief Joeseph,  there is a bridge spanning a narrow chasm that drops over 700 ft to the bottom and a beautiful little creek. So worth the time to see the view of God's beautiful creation.  After leaving the summit, the road then does a more gradual drop for 20 miles into a high desert landscape and to another junction with much straighter roads. A much needed break from all of the winding tight corners. We made our way north back towards Montana to a little town of 200 called Belfry, Home of the Belfry Bats, 😁 and another juction thatbwoukd take us over another small pass back to Red Lodge for lunch. After lunch we pointed our bikes toward home and our next fuel stop at Colmbus, connecting us back up with Interstate 90. After fueling up we headed west for 41 miles to the small town of Big Timber for one last stop and an ice cream cone in the 95° heat. After that break we said our good byes and headed the last 70 miles home. Was a great time with friends and an opportunity we were so thankful to be able to do. We live in a beautiful state and there is much to see and even though we've seen it before, was a treat to be able to do it on a bike. All told was 625 miles, that's nothing for some of you, but was quite a few for these aging bones and for being my first ever major ride. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Edited Saturday at 01:42 PM by Freedomflyer

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Working our way up

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Nearing the summit

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Over the top and dropped down into Cooke City 

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Accommodations 

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Into Yellowstone National Park for the day, Bison were pretty nerve racking. Massive animals,  one actually turned and charged my wife and I.  Thankfully we it was open in front of us and we were able to accelerate away.🤯

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Last day, heading to the Chief Joeseph scenic byway and then home. Was a chilly start, 41 degrees. 

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

All in all was a great ride,  we got home Sunday around 4:30 after a 278 mile day,  entire ride was 625 miles,  not bad for our first one.  We woke up Tuesday at home to cooler temps and rain,  the Beartooth  got snow sind they closed it down until they could get it cleared.  We felt blessed to have perfect weather and temps. 

[LedFTed 1,140]

as always, great camera shots.

[jeepwm69 7,732]

Beautiful scenery as usual.   Some of those mountain/ valley pics look like the fjords we saw on our trip to Norway this summer, just without the water!

 

May I ask what country deported your friends?   Years ago a couple from church went to Izmir Turkey for several years.   They had to keep a very low profile there, as they were not allowed in as missionaries.  The husband was an engineer, so they were allowed in due to the job he took there.   If you would rather not disclose, I completely understand, was just curious.

[Freedomflyer 1,912]

Jeep sent you a PM.