Heading for Yellowstone

Old Faithful

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John's Journal

Day Thirtytwo

Mileage- 354

Route- Hwy 16 West, Hwy 120 North, Hwy 296 (Chief Joseph Scenic Highway), Hwy 212

Well, I'm gonna go for it. To Yellowstone, that is. I called the info line at the park and the woman said most the roads are open, a few closed. Then Renee at the Motel got me excited about going and she said I would have no problem getting up there, so off I went.

The 2-lane highway out of town rises quickly up the Big Horn Mountains. Temperatures were cool, but the sun was shining brightly and without a cloud in the sky, I knew it would heat up. I was really enjoying the beautiful, sweeping turns, grand views all around of rocks and trees all without much of any traffic and without any wind. As I got up a bit, I caught glimpses of snow-covered peaks not too far away. I assume that these were the Big Horn Mtns. and that I would be passing through them before long. I really got excited seeing all this. I anticipated really wonderful sights at Yellowstone and Grand Tetons after that. As I got to the top of this mountain pass, there was a good deal of snow alongside the road and in the nearby fields. I can't explain the feeling of whizzing by all this snow, but having the road completely dry, I might add, and being out in all this (under layers of clothing, but still out in it, on the motorcycle. This is truly special.

I stopped in Cody for lunch at a local Mexican joint recommended by the guy at the gas station. They always know the best local place, or maybe a relative runs it. Good lunch, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then I continued on Hwy 16 toward Yellowstone when I came to a stop. Construction. For the next 10 miles or all the way into the park. And it was gravel the entire way, too. I got talking to the flag dude (that's what it says on his business cards) and he suggested a much better route. He really seemed to like this other more scenic route. Hence, the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.

So, I had to go back the 40 miles to Cody, gas up just in case and head out a bit north, then west. It was well worth backtracking! The road is nicely paved the whole way, it rises up very quickly and into some great rolling hillls, with views of the snow capped Rockies in the distance and tree covered hills closer by. Really spectacular. The guy suggested that I camp out at a town called Cooke City, but I am anxious to get to the Park and might just go there.

Wow! I spoke about the snow alongside the road earlier, but man oh man, this is spectacular. The road coming into Cooke City narrowed as the snow thickened. It was so thick that I could have reached out and touched the snow piled about 2 feet high. And this is not just the plowed snow I am talking about, this is the actual snow. I guess they have had a fair amount this year, this is not just new snow. In fact, folks in Cooke City said that all they had was rain lately, not snow.

I stopped for gas here in Cooke City before heading into Yellowstone. The old guy at the station said it was 60 miles to the nearest lodging in the park. I was not to sure if I wanted to press on and get to a lodge, or just stay the night and head in tomorrow. I went in, took a ceremonial picture by the entrance sign and turned around to come back to get a room for the night.

I can't begin to capture all the wonder of riding around in this part of the country and then, now, to stop, glance up and see the Rocky Mountains. I know that I risk being very repetitive in describing all this, but I am not a writer armed with the kind of diverse vocabulary to articulate my feelings about all this, so please bear with me. Simply, this is truly wonderful.

Man, there seems to be so much I want to remember and pass along, but I feel that some of these e-mails are getting a bit long. Oh well. I must mention dinner at the Pine Tree Cafe (by the way, Jim, of Jim & Sandy Savstrom, the owners, said he's been told there is a web site listing the Cafe via the state of Montana's web site) where I had dinner tonight. I wondered in, and a couple of Miller's, some pork chops and asked the guy behind me about the area. He lives nearby, worked in construction and seems to have a good, easy life. Nice guy. So after dinner, Sandy asks me where I'm headed and I tell her and Jim about my trip. Jim and I carry on for a while about stuff, she closes up the cafe.

This sounds like nothing, but it is what makes this trip worthwhile. Time and time again, people have gone out of their way to ask about my trip, freely engaging in conversations about everything from politics to weather. I have been very happy to realize that there are some really quality people who are interesting, complicated, motivated, easy-going and genuinely good.

OK, enough of this philosophizing. But, it makes sense, since the end of this journey is near. Actually, I have decided it will be nearer than I anticipated. I have decided to not go up to the Olympic Peninsula. I am a bit beat and tired of being on the road alone. So, I shall spend a few days in Yellowstone, go to the Grand Tetons for a day or 2, then head back.

More of the exact course as I figure it out. Later...