The climb up was a little hairy. Even though I’ve done this before in the Rockies, it is still unnerving to drive on such narrow roads, winding up and up, slowing into hairpin turns, all the while the drop down over the side of the road gets steeper and steeper. One just keeps going higher and higher until one reaches the pass. Teddie was not a happy camper. She moaned all the way up and all the way down, periodically raising her head to look out the car windows at the majestic sight of mountains and sheer drop offs and the immediate proximity of the view, instantly on the other side of the close hugging road guards. Just as quickly as she raised herself up to look she laid right back down and started a low moaning groan that originated somewhere in the back of her throat, as if saying to me, just like the character Chucky on the cartoon ‘Rug Rats”, “I don’t know about this . . .”
A few miles after we left Red Lodge, Montana, there was a LED sign just on the side of the road,it said we should expect snow and ice in the pass, but that it was open to travel. Thank goodness we did not have to drive on any frozen surfaces, the temperature only dropped down into the high 30’s, but was in the mid 40’ for most of the way up. Traveling through those switchbacks at about 20 to 30 miles an hour caused this rookie to grip the wheel hard as we climbed the mountain up to the pass, always keeping my eyes peeled for some fellow crossing the yellow line into my lane. There’s really no room to negotiate. There is no good choice. Get hit or go off the road in to the abyss, or both. The good news is there are plenty of places to pull over and steel one’s nerves, or to get out of the way of some yahoo that thinks he’s driving in a video game. Teddie and I did that frequently to take pictures. It was a little white knuckle at times.
Red Lodge to Yellowstone
Close to the pass in Shoshone National Park
When we got to the top of the pass, about 11,000 ft, I was reminded of that old Jimmy Cagney movie where he says, "...on top of the world ma, on top of the world." Then he jumped off.
Immediately, after traveling over the pass in the Shoshone National Park we got stopped, because of road construction. We could not see what, exactly, they were doing, An old fella, dressed for winter with his reflective gear over his clothes, was holding one of those stop-slow signs and talking to someone in the vehicle that preceded me. After a while he came over to our car and started to talk with me. He said we might have to wait awhile, maybe as long as fifteen minutes, while a crew paved a piece of the road ahead on the way down the mountain. So, we just started to talk. He said, “I see you’re from pretty far away,” and I told him what my trip is all about and what my plans are; he told me that he retired three years ago and spent a couple of months in Ecuador, which he really loved. “Didn’t have to have a car. He said, "I took public transportation everywhere. This country of ours really misses the boat as far as public transportation is concerned.” To which I agreed. Then he spent a couple of months in Portugal and a couple of months in Greece: “I went there twice. The first time I went at the wrong time at the year.” He complained that Greece is, “too darn hot,” so he came back to check it out during cooler weather. I asked him where he lives when he is stateside, he replied, “down in Red Lodge.” He moved back there this year because his daughter is getting ready to have a baby. As soon the baby is born he will be,” . . .right back on the road again.”
We had to wait until a pass car came up from the opposite direction, with a bunch of cars trailing behind it. Then that pass car, really a pickup truck, turned around and, after saying goodbye to the fellow, we all followed him down the mountain for about two – three miles through the construction. Then he pulled over and let us pass him and we just went on down to the valley floor. It was nice to travel faster than 25 to 30 miles per hour again. Although we didn't go much faster than 50 miles per hour until we got down to more level ground. On the way down, at about 9,000 feet, I saw two people on bicycles going up that hill. Holy mackerel. I sure would not have wanted to be them.
Teddie on top of the world
Cooke City, Montana
The small Mountain Lakes were absolutely stunning. Sometimes, I came right up on one and I wanted to pull over and take a photo, but it was too late. When I tried to think ahead and pull over, I always managed to stop and take the worst view. If I did not pull over, trying to get a better view, there was no place to turn around. Go figure.
I’m not quite sure how this works, but at some point right before the pass I went into the state of Wyoming, when I got to the bottom of the mountains, I was in Cooke City, Montana. Go figure. I passed a sign that said ‘Venison, Elk, and Buffalo jerky.' I had to stop and get some. I paid $16 for 3.2 oz of Elk jerky. That’s a little excessive, but I did it anyway. Oh, my goodness, was that elk jerky good.
To add injury to insult, I had to buy $10 worth of gas to get the key to the porta potty from the gas station across the street. When I came out of the porta potty there were some Middle Eastern guys who wanted key. The whole bunch of them had just jumped out of a small Mercedes tour bus; and I told him they couldn’t have it, because I was told to bring that key back. They looked at me like I was out of my mind.
Next stop, Yellowstone Park. I wolfed down the jerky on the way to the park and gave the packaging from my jerky to the park ranger collecting the toll, he was kind enough to throw it away for me. He asked me if it was worth the money. I said it certainly was. You can’t get Elk jerky in Vermont. He agreed that must be true. On the other hand, I added, “you can’t get Vermont maple syrup here in Montana.” So - pay the price. We certainly charge enough for that syrup in Vermont. Then, much to my surprise the federal government charged me $35 to drive through Yellowstone National Park. I'm not complaining, mind you. My cousin Doug told me that I should take the long way to his dad’s place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming just to take this drive through Yellowstone. Besides, it was on my bucket list. Was that ever good advice given to me by cousin Doug.
Just after Teddie and I entered the park we got stuck following some fellow who was bound to get his $35 worth on the drive through; he was just putzing, barely driving the car. He kept stopping and taking pictures out of his window. Right after I passed that car I saw a Buffalo off to the side of the road and pulled over and got out of the car to take a picture and that fella went right by me again. Back in the soup.
First of many Bison viewed in Yellowstone.
Traffic Jam
Not too far ahead, I was beginning to bemoan the fact that I wasn’t pulling over more often. Just as that thought passed through my head there was a traffic jam, caused by a herd of Buffalo crossing the road. Quickly, I hopped out the driver’s door and took a couple of photos. Those Buffalo were in no hurry to cross the road. One of the old bulls had taken a liking to the orange snow sticks that lined the road in preparation for the oncoming winter and was licking it pretty aggressively. From the pressure he was applying to stick with his massive head and slow moving tongue, he managed to push that stick to an angle that caused cars to have to move over the center line to get by it without scratching up their fenders or their doors. Who knows what was on that stick that he found so delicious. After a few minutes we got beyond the choke point.
About a quarter of a mile down the road there were at least a hundred Buffalo moving in and out of a wetland area. All the while Teddie with groaning in in the back. She wasn’t happy, because she wanted to get out. I couldn’t let her out, because there were just too many people, some with horses, but just too many people and cars to let her run around. I cannot imagine what it must be like to go through here during peak season. Thank You Teddy Roosevelt. I was only able to get Teddie out of the car one time. We took a nice long walk on a service road that was blocked off.
About five miles before leaving the part of the park that we traveled for so long, I finally got to see some Sulphur Springs. Not really that huge geysers that one associates with Old Faithful, but pretty cool to look at, anyway. I sure am glad I have a sport setting on my camera. I was able to get pictures of the hot water bubbling up without being merely a blur. There was no way to predict when it would come up, so you just had to be ready and hold the button down to capture several images.
