Last weekend I drove along the Beartooth Highway. I have a bucket list of things that I want to do in this area before I move 7 hours away to Laramie, and driving the Beartooth Highway was one of them. It is an extremely scenic drive, which you will soon see, that has quite a few hairpin curves that can make many a driver nervous. On one of our family trips out west when I was very little we drove along the Beartooth, but I'm pretty sure I was too young to remember it. I know all the stories that we tell about it, how it has so many switchbacks, hardly ANY guard rails, and they don't let certain types of vehicles on the road because it is so narrow. However, that does not seem to be the highway I drove last week. There were guard rails practically everywhere (at least where they NEEDED to be!) and although it did have switchbacks and was narrow in places, it wasn't quite as treacherous as I was expecting.
It was a beautiful day for being out and about at almost 11,000 feet in elevation. I forgot my jacket (you should always have a spare just in case....it can snow any month of the year on the Beartooth Mountains and in Yellowstone), but luckily didn't need it. The lowest temperature I saw was 59* and the highest was 85* when I left Cody. I saw people skiing and snowboarding, and people hiking in shirtsleeves and shorts. Here are some pictures from the drive...
Along Beartooth Pass
Yes people were actually out there skiing and snowboarding! Unbelievable!!
Heart Mountain from another angle
There was snow up there that was several feet deep in areas where it had naturally fallen and drifted. This particular spot was in a pull-out where I parked and the snowplows had piled it up....it was over my head!!
Can you see the PIKA in the grass there? I talked about them in my tours at the BBCoW last summer.
Mountain meadow environment...
As you can see, snow is still melting and causing raging river conditions. It was so loud and powerful.
I am off this morning to Laramie to look at a potential house to rent during school next year. I'm hoping it works because it's getting to be crunch time in finding a place to live. I'll be back tomorrow and head over to the George's to ride with them to Byron to watch an AMAZING fireworks show. It is the greatest show i've ever seen....this will be my third year. Can't wait!!
