Day 30 – Sunday, July 29th (440 miles, Butte, MT to Thermopolis, WY):
I left Butte, MT around 7:30am this morning and drove for about 3 hours until I reached Red Lodge, MT. Red Lodge is a small town, just north of the Wyoming border, and sits at the eastern side of the Beartooth Highway. It is a beautiful town with lots of things to see and tourist attractions around, definitely worth a visit!
It was sunny and warm when I rode through the town and there must have been at least 100 other motorcyclists there, some about to ride the Beartooth and others that had just ridden the highway. I ran into some light rain as I was about to begin riding the Beartooth Highway, but other than that, I had nice weather most of the day.
Riding up the Beartooth Highway was a little nerve wracking as the road switchbacks up the side of a mountain, with steep drop-offs to the side. There were so many other people in cars and motorcycles on the road, which made for a slower pace for the ride.
When I reached the top of Beartooth Pass, it was very cold and windy and the only thing I could think about was actually getting off the mountain on the other side. It was a beautiful ride, being able to see more mountains (with lots of snow), a few animals, valleys, rivers, lakes, and other scenery.
When I came off the western side of Beartooth Highway, I came to an intersection with one road leading me to Yellowstone National Park and the other road leading me to Cody, WY, via the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Since I have been to Yellowstone many times before and hearing that the road to Cody was beautiful, I decided to begin riding on the Chief Joseph Byway.
The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway is another road I would highly recommend taking if you find yourself in the area. The road winds through mountains with great views the entire way. It was also less crowded than the Beartooth Highway, which was nice relief.
After arriving in Cody, I filled up my gas tank and then rode a few more hours to a small town called Thermopolis, WY.
I am now at the point in my trip where I have seen everything that I wanted to see and now the only goal is to make it back to Atlanta. I will stay in Thermopolis for the night and will begin a long day of riding tomorrow!
Views from the Beartooth Highway
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
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