Day 7 – Friday, June 29 – Choteau MT to Red Lodge MT
We woke up after a well-rested
evening in our respective motel rooms.
We departed Choteau Montana on 89 Hwy south and agreed to stop in Great
Falls for breakfast. What do you know,
we found a McDonalds again. We looked at
the day’s route and planned one that took us to Red Lodge Montana.
Before we left town, we had planned
to find a post office branch to mail back some unneeded clothes as well as some
shirts that we bought for some of our help back home. The phrase, “if it fits, it ships” comes in
to play here. We bought the $15.95 box,
which includes shipping to anywhere in the continental United States. We shoved quite a few shirts and other
clothing articles in there and off it went.
Ronnie and Theresa did the same thing.
Though the bikes didn’t feel any lighter, we knew they were, even if
only slightly.
We motored down the road through the Lewis and Clark National Forest towards I-80, only for a little bit. A couple miles outside of White Sulphur Springs Montana, right where 89 hooks up with 12, we happened across a red Cadillac driven by a mid 50 year-old woman with a red handkerchief waving out her window trying to get our attention. I turned the Harley around to see what her issue was and as I approached her passenger window, she stated that there was a cattle drive on up the road and wanted to warn me of it. Quickly, we realized how big the cattle drive was.
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| Beginning of Cattle Drive |
There had to be well over 200 head
of cattle, on the road, with no way around them. We basically had to stop and wait for
direction from the three-or-so cowboys and two-or-so cowgirls. There were also a couple of 4x4 trucks
managing the cattle. The guys nearest us
were waving us to go through slowly and rev the motors a little to make the
cattle scatter. So, we moved closer in
amongst them, as they moo’d – loudly.
Kathy was snapping photos above my head as I navigated through the cows,
then the cowgirls near the end were waving us off to stop where we were. Uh oh!
Now, its our two bikes and two others we picked up while we waited now
in the middle of a two lane road with 200 head of cattle surrounding us. One of the other bikes and I were in the lead
and just proceeded on, which I think pissed off the cowgirls and the old guy in
one of the trucks, but oh well. It
wasn’t safe in the middle! We made a
hole and went for it. I will say, that is a first for me, at least on a
motorcycle. We paused in the small town
of White Sulphur Springs at The Lane
Bar, where we recapped the event to each other
and the bartender as we sipped our beers.
We continued down 89 hwy towards
I-80, hopped on the dreaded interstate, and made short of it. We did have to pause for a gas and water stop
around Big Timber. Once starting back on
the way to Red Lodge, Ronnie noticed his F1/FI light came on and started
blinking. We attempted to troubleshoot
it on the side of the road, however could not figure it out. Cautiously, we forged ahead, checking in with
each other regularly to see if the Goldwing was acting up or not. It appeared to be fine, but the light was
concerning to Ronnie. We then took off
the interstate on 78 Hwy near Columbus Montana and rode to Roscoe. The advice, from my boss at my regular work,
advised us to eat at the Grizzly
Bar and Grill for a hamburger lunch. He was not wrong – it was great!
We cruised on down the road in to
Red Lodge Montana. Red Lodge is another
ski town, but at the base of Bear Tooth Highway, over the pass, is proclaimed
as the most
beautiful drives in America. This was one of the roads we looked forward
to, since it has sweeping turns, switchbacks, and an elevation of 10,947
ft. The shops and eateries are that of a
ski town as well.
We went in to a watering hole
called Snow Creek Saloon, which was referred to us by our friendly bartender at The
Lane in White Sulphur Springs Montana.
What a recommendation she had.
This place had all the right feelings, from the bumper stickers and
license plates on the walls to the loft where the band plays. I felt right at home. We each got a beer and chatted about which
hotel/motel we saw that looked appealing.
We also inquired the bartender, who offered us a couple
suggestions. I called a couple of
places, and similarly to a couple of other times on this trip, it went to
voicemail. Interesting thing was, the Yodeler Motel called
me back by using their caller ID and we booked with them. It was a two-bedroom studio with a kitchen
for $99, and happened to be their last room available. Score!
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| Nice Eyes, Deer! |
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| You Can Say That Again! |
I was taking photos inside the Snow Creek Saloon due to its eclectic look and a lady walked up to me and asked me about my attraction to the establishment. I said I really liked the place and she offered that it was for sale. How did she know that? She was the listing agent for the place. It’s only a cool $850,000 offering – pocket change, right? I quickly started rolling ideas of owning a bar through my head, with Kathy shaking her head from side to side, knowing what I was thinking. It was quite humorous, but man, what an opportunity for someone that has the desire to live in a ski town.
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| License Plates at Snow Creek Saloon |
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| Snow Creek Saloon MHC! |
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| Carbon County Steakhouse |
Other highlights:
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Miles: ~ 325
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