My friend, Patrice, strongly recommended that I drive the Beartooth Highway in Montana. So, this morning, I'm taking a look at the map and see that the Beartooth starts right outside the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. The late Charles Kuralt called the Beartooth the most beautiful stretch of highway in America, so I've got to see that.
The trip takes me through a new section of the Park, up some low mountains and then a descent into the Lamar Valley...very beautiful. I meet a few buffalo along the way and finally exit the Park into Cooke City, Montana. The Beartooth Highway is a 24 mile stretch of highway through the Beartooth Mountains and it is, indeed, striking...my photos don't do it justice.
When I have reached the end, I turn turn around and head back the other way...equally striking because I'm viewing the same terrain from a different angle. When I get back to Cooke City, I'm thirsty, so I stop in a local saloon for a beer. I really enjoy the conversations that I overhear while traveling, including this exchange between a middle-aged couple...
Her (pointing to the Jaegermeister dispenser behind the bar): "What's Jaegermeister?"
Him: "It's a German beer."
Her: "Beer? Those are three pretty small bottles in that machine."
Him: "It's a really strong beer, so they serve it in little glasses."
Back at camp, I start packing up because tomorrow morning, I leave for two days of R&R in Jackson Hole before heading back into Grand Teton National Park to camp. Dinner is another grilled cheese and bacon sandwich...with a little Spanish Rioja to wash it down. My last campfire in Yellowstone...it's getting cold again...time for bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment