August 9 – August 11……………. Red Lodge, Montana

This is our last posting from Montana. Peter worked and lived in this part of the state also.  Red Lodge is close to the border of Wyoming.  As in Kalispell where Peter lived he also owned 5 acres in Red Lodge.  Altogether we spent 3 weeks in Montana. 

Our RV site was reserved in advance and check in was easy.  A park assistant guided us to our site down by Rock Creek and helped us back into a rather tight spot.  Peter got out to get an idea of how the trailer was aligned to the water, electric and sewer hook-ups.  He found the water and electric hook-ups but had trouble finding the sewer hook-up at which time the assistant said there were no sewer hook-ups – pointing  to a communal porta-john 50 feet from our site. No one was more surprised than Peter except JY!  She was NOT happy. We agreed to tough it out for 1-2 nights even though we were scheduled for 5 nights.

When JY went to use the facilities during the night Peter accompanied her with 2 flashlights – one to light up the inside of the porta-john and one to stand guard outside.  In order to keep something positive about these midnight excursions, JY did come to appreciate the amazing night sky without the light pollution of the city.  However these nightly forays took on a whole new dimension when the assistant warned us to be on the lookout for a black bear that roamed around the RV Park at night.  Needless to say, our 5 day stay was changed to two days. Thankfully the park manager reimbursed us for the nights we cancelled.

The next morning we woke up grateful for no bear sightings on our way to and from the outside facilities.  The main goal of our stay in Red Lodge was to travel the Beartooth Highway to Cooke City which is five miles from the entrance to Yellowstone Park. It is sixty-four miles from Red Lodge to Cooke City. The drive reaches an elevation of 10,948 feet which is 5,380 feet higher than Red Lodge.

We filled up with gas and started our drive over the Beartooth Highway, considered one of the most scenic highways in North America.  It is a winding, twisting road with many hairpin turns.  Although it is as wide as a normal highway when driving, it seems much more narrow thus requiring the drivers full attention and concentration 100% of the time because you never knew what was around the next curve.  There were some crazy people driving over the Beartooth hauling trailers and fifth wheels 30 to 35 feet in length which was scary just looking at them – they should not have taken their RV’s on this highway.

The scenery, as expected, was indescribable as well as breathtaking.  There were many pull outs along the way so we could stop and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the awe-inspiring scenery.  We took lots of pictures but they will never do justice to the grandeur and immensity of the 360⁰ scenery before us.  We stopped at the very top of the highway at 10,948 feet and spent about 30 minutes just admiring the panorama of the wilderness area around us.

We drove to a store/motel between the summit and Cooke City which advertised as the highest point but clearly was not.  Peter tried to book a room there for the night however they were booked up months in advance by fisherman who are regulars and frequent the area every year.  From there we drove another 20 miles to Cooke City which is 5 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone.  Peter had driven the Beartooth Highway many times when he lived in Red Lodge 35 years ago to go hiking and fishing but had never gotten as far as Cooke City. 

He was surprised at how developed the area had become and the colossal tourist trap it is today.  As we were not excited about spending the night again at our reserved site in Red Lodge, he checked on booking a hotel room in town. However we were not willing to spend the amount they were asking. We ate lunch at one of the many restaurants in Cook City and looked around some of the souvenir shops.   We then headed back over the pass before it got too late and definitely before dark. 

On the way down the east side we encountered a herd of 20 mountain goats grazing in a small field about 30 feet off the highway.  Fortunately there was a convenient pullout in which to stop.  Peter walked back about 30 yards and was able to walk within 20 feet of them and take pictures.  As we pulled out onto the highway the cars were starting to stack up to see the goats.

The drive down the mountain gave us a different perspective as we were looking at the scenery from a completely different direction.  Back at the RV Park we satisfied any remaining hunger with some snacks.  We called and booked a space in an RV Park in Cody Wyoming .  Peter advised the owner of the Red Lodge RV Park and told them we would be leaving 3 days early.  To our surprise he refunded our fee for the 3 nights  we were scheduled to stay and cheerfully wished us well.  Back at the trailer Peter hooked up to the truck leaving only the electric and water equipment to stowaway in the morning so we could leave as soon as we woke up. We decided to turn in for the night after a flashlight run to the outhouse.  In the back of our minds we wish we had purchased some bear spray when we were in Glacier Park.   Other than the two midnight runs to the outhouse we slept well.