8/7/08

Because of the rain the night before and some cloud cover it wasn't so cold this morning. However, it did look like it would rain some more, so we broke camp quickly and headed through the park to Bear Tooth Pass intending to eat breakfast after riding for a couple of hours. Well, that turned into lunch because of our progress through the park to the northeast gate. Fortunately for us we were able to view the bull elk we had been seeking, two of them in fact. They were foraging in a huge meadow and we were able to find a parking place and look at them for awhile because we had got into the park so early. As we rode through the northern end we saw more volcanic rock and hot springs. It is interesting that the buffalo will walk right up to these hot springs as evidenced by their footprints in the soil. There are signs everywhere telling you to stay on the boardwalk because the soil is fragile and you could fall into a boiling mudpot underneath it making me wonder whether a buffalo ever fell in. Standing there viewing the scene, one could imagine how the early explorers felt when they came upon such an bizarre sight. The terrain changed significantly as we neared the northeast entrance and Bear Tooth Highway. Upon exiting the park we were challenged again by road construction and out here that means tearing the highway down to dirt, gravel, or whatever is handy at the moment. At the end of this mess was Cooke City and lunch/breakfast. Our waitress, a Russian exchange student, told us that when she got to Cooke City in June, there was still two feet of snow on the ground and it will start snowing again in a few weeks. Bear Tooth highway should be experienced by everyone at some time or another. We thought we had seen the ultimate in splendor in the Cascades, but nothing else compares to this route. As we ascended the mountain winding our way up to the 11,000 foot summit along tight switchbacks,we stopped numerous times to take pictures and just take in the view. It was breathtaking being on top of the world and looking down on green alpine meadows containing snowfields well above tree line. The air was cool and refreshing and the bikes had no problem with the altitude. Reluctantly, we headed down the mountain and into some of the hottest temperatures we have seen in weeks, 110 degrees approaching Billings. The air is so dry that dehydration becomes an issue when exposing skin to the wind, so the best approach is to cover up. After three nights on the ground we are now at a Days Inn with air conditioning. We decided to quit early today and get an early start tomorrow before the day gets too hot.