My Annual Big Horn - Beartooth - Red Lodge - Ten Sleep Loop

[bigjohnsd]

Monday We left Spearfish just before 0700.

Rode I-90 to Gillette, then US 14 to Sheridan, up I-90 to Ranchester WY, then over the Bighorns to Lovell WY on US 14a stopping at Burgess Jct for Pie. It was hot in the valleys, mid-90s, but cool at elevation.

Stopped at the Devil's Canyon Overlook because I'd never been there.

After Lovell, we headed to Cody then North to the Chief Joseph Pkwy, over the Beartooth, and down into Red Lodge arriving just before 5:00 pm. It was raining the last 15 miles of the Chief Joseph and throughout most of the Beartooth but not too bad. We were glad we stopped and put on a little rain gear along the way.

We walked to the Red Lodge Brewers and enjoyed several beers and BBQ sandwiches.

Today (Tuesday) was one of those "Perfect Motorcycling Days"!

Scott and I were first in line for Breakfast at the Alpine Inn - Red Lodge MT.

Larry, the owner (in the pink shirt) was behind the grill and whipped up a couple of excellent Breakfast Burritos, his signature dish.

Scott and I were on the road at 6:45 - we wanted to "beat the traffic" going over the Beartooth and down the Chief Joseph. I am pleased to report that we did just that. It was a cool 67f when we left Red Lodge, we saw a low of 47f on the top of Beartooth, we chose not to interrupt the "Flow of the Ride" by stopping for pictures. We overtook and passed four cars and one pickup between Red Lodge and the turn-off to the Chief Joseph Parkway. This was undoubtedly my most "unimpeded Beartooth passage ever" and we made the most of it. It is always a pleasure to ride a road at the speed limit and have the curves be challenging.

The trip down/over Chief Joseph/Dead Indian Pass was only slightly more trafficked. We passed one group of bikes and a Spyder just after the lone Construction zone and had to deal with half-a-dozen other cars plus one herd of cows on/in the road. The Gray Ghost's ABS does work!

We fueled in Cody and then hightailed it for a date with an Icecream Cone at Dirty Sallys General Store - Ten Sleep WY.

I had Coffee Fudge and Scott had Pecan or some such delectable treat.

After refueling our bodies we screwed around for ten minutes trying to repair our comms unsuccessfully, they had worked perfectly up until this point. It appears that different Bluetooth priorities were fighting each other.

The run over US 16 - "The Cloud Peak Skyway" was good as well. We had to dispatch a few motor homes before we hit the good stuff in Ten Sleep Canyon, then a nice run across to just past Crazy Woman Canyon when we hit construction. But - we were first in line behind the Pilot Car and after a ten-minute wait, we had a great run all the way to Buffalo, catching the previous group of traffic just as we entered town.

We gassed up in Buffalo and took US 16 to Gillette, it adds about 30 minutes but I-90 is just so boring across that stretch of WY.

We stopped at Spotted Horse WY (just East of West Bumphuck) for a cool drink and relief from the 96f heat.

Nice AC, cold pop, and a lot of crap on the walls -

The rest of the trip was just "hammer down" to get out of the heat -

 

[rich]

Wonderful! That looks like a great ride.

 

[glenfiddich]

One of my favorite rides in the US

 

[PoorUB]

After Lovell, we headed to Cody then North to the Chief Joseph Pkwy, over the Beartooth, and down into Red Lodge arriving just before 5:00 pm. It was raining the last 15 miles of the Chief Joseph and throughout most of the Beartooth but not too bad. We were glad we stopped and put on a little rain gear along the way.

I am surprised that you went over Beartooth that late in the afternoon. It rains regularly on the pass in the late afternoon. I have ridden both passes many times over the last 17 years and I avoid going over Beartooth after about 3PM. Certainly by 4 PM.

 

[PGlaves]

I am surprised that you went over Beartooth that late in the afternoon. It rains regularly on the pass in the late afternoon. I have ridden both passes many times over the last 17 years and I avoid going over Beartooth after about 3PM. Certainly by 4 PM.

While riding in the 1999 Iron Butt Rally in August, I arrived at Cooke City about 8:00 p.m. I proceeded up to Beartooth Pass where it had begun snowing. One-half hour after I left Cooke City they closed the highway. I managed to carefully slip and slide up and over the pass and down to an elevation where it was not snowing and proceeded to Red Lodge for a short sleep. And then onward to the checkpoint in Maine. I never have really liked that road ever since.

 

[bigjohnsd]

I am surprised that you went over Beartooth that late in the afternoon. It rains regularly on the pass in the late afternoon. I have ridden both passes many times over the last 17 years and I avoid going over Beartooth after about 3PM. Certainly by 4 PM.

See Motto below - " Team Pterodactyl - When we ride, we ride! " we did not melt.