At the foot of the Bear's Tooth

Day 14: Greenough Lake Campground, near Red Lodge, Montana

Distance traveled: 355.7 km

Cumulative Distance: 5,314

Maximum speed: 129 kph

Moving average: 80 kph

Temperature range: 20.2 - 34.0 C

Due to road construction at the edge of Sheridan, we, i.e. Garmin, got a little confused as we tried to find our way out of town. Some old roads no longer exist and new ones were being created, so that the GPS thought we were driving “off road”. This makes it very challenging to find a route since it is always searching for the nearest road to get us to our destination, assuming it is not an Interstate or gravel road. We did follow the directions though, and ended up on a small adventure as it has us on what appeared to us to be a private road belonging to a coal operation; there was a gate on the road but it was swinging open and the road was paved, sort of, or at least, had been at one time. We went through the gate and what remnants of pavement there were soon gave way to gravel, though it was small and on a hard packed surface, so was easy for the bike.  As we made our way along, getting closer to the coal operation, we were running alongside another road, this one paved and I thought if we could get on that, even if it meant going through the grass, it would be better but alas, there was a fence defending that road. As it turned out, there was another gate blocking our exit from the coal operation. Nan jumped off the bike to see if the lock was just “dummy locked” but it was indeed shackled and closed, so we ended up having to turn back the way we came.

This resulted in our having to take about ten kilometres of Interstate; not the end of the world – it was not busy, few trucks, 75 mph speed limit and no guard rail to block our view.

In short order, we were climbing switchbacks into the Big Horn National Forest, only at the north end as opposed to last week on our way to the Black Hills. Even though we had passed through a few towns on the way, we had resisted the temptation to stop for a bite having had a couple of coffees in the hotel room early and wanting to make some miles before taking a break, especially as we had had our little side trip. High, high up in the Big Horn, we came across the Arrowhead Lodge, not quite at Burgess Junction where Highway 14 heads south and 14a continues west.

The Arrowhead was a pleasant surprise to us because we were getting quite hungry, having been on the road for an hour and a half, and there was no reference to it in the Garmin. Actually, there was nothing listed for Burgess Junction, even though there were at least three lodges up there, gas and restaurants.

It was pretty quiet up there and we wondered if it was open but with school started in many parts of the country, it was full-on shoulder season at the lodge. As per usual, we had just missed the breakfast hour, which finished at 11:00 a.m. The building which houses the restaurant was built in the late 30s and had a ton of character and the usual charm of an out-of-the-way fishing and hunting lodge. Additions to the original building were more practical, and there were cabins and a larger complex associated with the main dining area. The whole place actually looked quite large and I would think it probably had 40 rooms, so would be a pretty busy place in the summer.

What was really great was that the food was really authentic, home made and outstanding. Nan had a burger but the patty was hand made and grilled. I had brisket that had been rubbed and smoked by the cook as well as house made cole slaw and beef soup. It was all quite exceptional and for anybody heading this way to the Black Hills, I urge you to stop here and eat.

It was a seemingly long ride across the basin from the Big Horn National Forest to the Bear’s Tooth National Forest – hot and boring – but when we got across, things immediately picked up. We went through a few little towns, passed by the tragic Smith Coal Mine, where 72 coal miners had lost their lives in a 1943 mine explosion and into Red Lodge, a picturesque, touristy ski town not far from where we were camping for the night.

We were surprised as soon as we rode into town as all the buildings on the main street had flags hanging form them and the street lamps had beautiful hanging baskets of colourful flowers. The town is old and many buildings were brick or stone from the mining days and it all looked very inviting. Nan identified several stgores from the bike that she thought she might like to visit, however, that rarely happens on these trips. One place we did see though, was Bone Daddy’s Custom Cycle; earlier in the day, we had met a couple of motorcyclers and the gal was wearing a cool shirt from Bone Daddy’s. We decided that we would go in and check out what else they had.

It is not a cycle shop but a clothing shop. There were two outrageous gals in there looking totally bored and disinterested. It wasn’t even clear if they were working there or just hanging out; neither of them even got out of their seats from behind the counter when we walked into the place. However, we liked the clothing and we each picked something out for ourselves. Nan bought a gift for a friend and then decided she would keep it for herself.

We grabbed our usual deli dinner from the IGA and treated ourselves to a nice bottle of wine, later congratulating ourselves for eating relatively healthy, all things considered. On the way to the campground, we see signs that say “food storage required” and a picture of a bear. The local high school football team is The Grizzlies. We are heading over the Bear’s Tooth Pass tomorrow. Who do you think was getting anxious about bears? The camp host told me that there had been no bears around for the entire summer and despite the fact that our campground reservation had snagged us the premier tent site, right next to the river, it did not have a bear-proof food storage bin as did most of the other campsites, so we ended up moving. 

Ed note: having lunch at the edge of Yellowstone. Internet too slow for pictures. Later.