Yeah Baybee, yeah! This is Driving Mecca. There is a certain feel as you cross the border into Montana. You are in the WEST. Wild, lawless Montana, where justice is swift and ranch land abounds. The speed limit is "reasonable and prudent" at least for the moment.
I stayed the night in Glendive, just inside the border of Montana, nice place and a good diner next door. It was cold and drizzly in the morning. The kind of weather that makes you shake your coat and face the wind and know you're alive. Work to be done weather...The lady at the desk told me the speed limit depended on many things...How do you spell V-A-G-U-E?
After breakfast, and a good look over by the locals, I headed out to see the unbridled highway. The roads were damp and I was nervous... like the first time on a rollercoaster, except this hurts if you screw up... So I wound Sophia up and away we went. Very light traffic made it fun for a while... 115 mph was all I saw.
The roads are not really set up for mad speed. Harsh winters take their toll on roads here. Texas, that's one thing, but the best speed here is around 90. It just isn't pleasant to wizz by a pick up truck like it's standing still. So, like everyone else, I blended in. I later found out that the unofficial limit is around 90, makes sense...you end up scaring the bejeebers out of the old folks when you flash past them like a missile.
Central Montana is very rural and very big. Fill up the tank when it gets to 1/4... I arrived in Billings at dusk and found it to be a nice small city, somewhat quiet. I stopped in a coffee shop, Broadway Cafe, for a Veggie burger, OJ and sent a trip update, ...neat place.
Red
Lodge areaThe young girl (from Key West, go figure) at the counter told me that Red Lodge was a good destination, and said, tongue in cheek, that the only thing in Red Lodge was a gas station. She said it was nice because snow was falling that night. I headed down Route 212 for Red Lodge, about 60 miles south of town. It is a beautiful if somewhat touristy town, pricey but nice. I stayed, of course at the Super 8. Excellent as usual, and no, they didn't sponsor me. Red Lodge is worth the trip. Below is a view of the route to Yellowstone past Red Lodge.
Next morning,which was beautiful and cold, after a mediocre/pricey breakfast, I headed over to a local coin-op car wash to get Montana off the car. It had been rainy, muddy and cold for the last 3 days, and I tried to keep my home away from home as clean as possible, mainly for moral support. The man at the gas station attached to the wash told me that the mountain road to Yellowstone was closed for the winter...but was open to the second "Closed" gate for hunters. I went up the road as far as I could, and it was smart for them to close it. 9000 feet was different than town level. I drove Sophia through 5 inches of snow over ice on a mountain pass, and realized that if I missed, it might be spring before the tow truck got there...no jokeno cell phone service either. I took Gas Man's advice and later went down the road Route 308 towards Belfry. This is a pretty road.
Not far down the road towards Belfry, (no bats though) was the site of the greatest mining disaster in Montana history. The Smith Mine exploded and 74 men lost their lives. The empty buildings are still standing and there is an eery feel about the place. Things seem to last forever in Montana, some towns are obviously long deserted and still in amazing condition. In Belfry, I headed south towards some of the most impressive scenery of the trip, period. As I drove down Route 72/120 towards Wyoming, to take the east entrance into the park, I was just knocked back by the vistas. Nothing but ranches for miles, some of the ranches literallly went for miles. This is the land of mile long driveways.
Wyoming 296 has to be one of the most beautiful highways in the world. Besides being a great driver's road, the mountain views are the type that you are pulling over time and again, just look across the vast country in awe. It is just amazing...
I arrived at the Yellowstone east gate and paid a hefty $20 entry fee, and chatted with the ranger. He started part time... 11 years ago...and has seldom left. he said he sees something new in the park every time he goes in. Since it was getting later in the afternoon, he suggested that I just follow the road over to the north (main) gate and see the views. Frankly, it was a letdown after the trip into the park, until the end, where dozens of elk were milling about, in the road, around the buildings and anywhere else they wanted. It was their turf. Up the road, near the main gate, the deer had control of the grassy areas. Just beautiful. They were very at ease around the people but made no indications that they were spoiled by man.
After grabbing a cup of coffee and a snack from the trunk, I headed up through Gardiner along 540 towards I-10. my goal for the night was Butte. That's like beauty, not your rear end.
After driving around Butte in the morning, (nothing remarkable there...other than it looked like time had fallen asleep 30 years ago), I headed west. I could taste Seattle.
The interstate was getting fun now. Long sweeping curves and better and better views made it interesting. I crossed the state line around mid morning and ended up in Idaho...