BECKY’S TRIP Day One

by vols4everus · 05/19/2020

Becky at one of the great scenic overlooks along the Beartooth Highway

Day One

Our friend Becky was supposed to arrive on Wednesday, September 26, 2019. However, she was unable to travel until the next day. That did not matter. Due to the massive early-fall snowstorm that was being forecasted for the Rocky Mountain Front and Glacier National Park, the decision was made to change our itinerary. Since we would not be able to visit Glacier, it really didn’t matter.

Becky’s flight arrived at about 11 a.m. on Thursday, and I picked her up at the Billings Airport, which is not far from our apartment. While Becky unpacked, I made some coffee to go with us, lunch was picked up at a nearby Subway, and we were on the road by 1 p.m.

We knew major changes were instore due to the weather. As my brother pointed out, sometimes you must roll with the punches. It’s always good to have a back-up plan. Glacier National Park is about 400 miles northwest of Billings, so the weather, nearer our home, would not be a factor for at least a couple days. Gone, however, were our hopes for visiting the Crown of the Continent, another name for this magnificent park on the Canadian border. Plans for seeing Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks were also, in jeopardy. Nevertheless, we still had an afternoon, and Red Lodge, Montana was barely a little over an hour from Billings This quintessential city with a small town feel, is the eastern starting point of the Beartooth Highway. In S.A. Snyder’s Scenic Driving MONTANA, this is Scenic Drive #13 THE BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: U.S. Highway 212.

During the summer, sunset may not happen until 9 p.m. or later in Glacier National Park, with peak darkness not occurring until almost 11 p.m. On the other hand, sunset in Billings during late September was scheduled for about 7:15 p.m. So, we set realistic goals for the rest of Becky’s first day.

Gilligan, little buddy! A new-found friend along the Beartooth Highway

The Wyoming Department of Transportation had announced the day before Becky arrived that the Beartooth Highway was closed at the Wyoming state line until further notice, and as it turned out for the rest of the year. Every spring, WDOT’s goal is to have the highway open by the Memorial Day weekend, though, it was the beginning of June, last year, before they had the snow plowed enough to open the road all the way. Doug and I took a trip to Cooke City on June 2. And, even then, there was still a lot of snow at the higher elevations. As you can see that magnificent thoroughfare was open for a little less than four months, in the upper portions. So, if you want to traverse this truly magnificent scenic byway, there is a very short window of opportunity.

Doug and I were glad to see our dear friend. We had left everyone behind the previous October, and Becky brought a little of our old home to Montana. We missed out, however, on a lot due to the weather, but still feel the last week of September and first week of October is the best time to see the golden aspen of fall foliage. There is a lot less traffic after Labor Day, prices will start coming down sometime in September, it’s cooler with some snow in higher elevations, the elk are bugling and overall, it’s just a lot better time to visit the Rocky Mountains. What happened last year was just one of those things, a fluke early-season monster snowstorm pushed its way down from Canada. We fully expected to see three to four inches of snow in the park. That is why I rented an SUV. You can drive safely through a few inches of snow. But four feet, as well as high winds and gusts of up to 80 mph are impossible. As it turned out, Browning, Montana, the closest city on the east side of Glacier, was shut down to all vehicles except emergency ones. They had 48 inches (that’s four feet) of snow. Babb, Montana, which you must go through to reach the Many Glacier region of the park, topped that mark. By 11 a.m., Monday, September 30, they had received 52 inches of the white stuff. Now I like snow. I like it a lot. But even that is too much for me. LOL!

On that Thursday in late September, our revised itinerary called for a visit along the Beartooth Highway to the Wyoming state line and Montana State Highway 419 southeast through Fishtail and onto Nye at least. That last part was cancelled as it would have necessitated taking Montana 78, from Red Lodge, and traveling northwest until reaching MT 419. It was very windy while we were on the Beartooth Highway, and it was getting late, so we decided to return home.

The view as we were going toward the Beartooth Highway. It was early afternoon. We were fortunate, though, as the rain held off.

It takes a little over one hour to drive the sixty-two miles from Billings to Red Lodge, Montana. The portion of US Highway 212, otherwise known as the Beartooth Highway, from Red Lodge to Cooke City, Montana, is the gateway to the Beartooth Highway and the northeastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park; it is about sixty three miles.

The Wyoming State Line is about twenty-five miles into the journey, the alpine area of this drive, and that is where the road was closed on September 26. This scenic ride dips down into Wyoming at the highest point, the 10,947 foot Beartooth Pass, before reentering Montana and continuing to its terminus at Cooke City. It’s only a few miles from this sweet little spot on your way to paradise before you reach the park. Even if you stop to smell the flowers, you will be at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park in less than ten minutes.

The cottonwoods on the approach route (US 212), specifically on the east side of Boyd, Montana, a wide spot on the main thoroughfare to Red Lodge about forty-two miles from Billings, were in various stages of transition from summer green to, more commonly, light green and soft yellow.

Aspen become more common as you pass Roberts, Montana. However, they have barely begun to change color, and many are sparsely foliated. Immediately before entering Red Lodge, aspen become much more commonly represented.

The cabin of Liver-Eating John Johnson (born John Jeremiah Garrison Johnston) is located at the Red Lodge Visitor Center. The one-time town marshal of Red Lodge was the basis of the Robert Redford movie, Jeremiah Johnson. According to one source, Johnston, who had deserted the United States Navy, started a one-man vendetta against the Crow Indians after a group of them murdered his wife. It is said that he may have killed over 300 Crows, eating their livers as an added insult. In addition, there is a beautiful statue of Chief Plenty Coups at the visitor center. This famous Crow leader, who was born with the name of Alaxchiiaahush, meaning “many achievements” foresaw the end of his people’s way of life in an early vision.

Becky and Doug at the Red Lodge Visitor’s Center.

Chief Plenty Coups, one of the greatest leaders of the Crow Tribe

I did not think to take any pictures of the Visitor Center on this trip, so this was one I took when we first got to Montana in 2018.That small cabin, to the left of Doug is the one that “Liver-Eating” Johnson lived in.

The home of “Liver-Eating John Johnson. He was the real-life basis for the Robert Redford character in the movie *Jeremiah Johnson*. After his days of fighting Crow Indians, Johnson was a town marshal in Red Lodge.

As we left Red Lodge, the aspen become increasingly common with the increased altitude. These aspen were still heavily foliated and definitely transitioning in color, predominantly light green to soft yellow. It became quite windy as we traversed this high artery. Though, we were rewarded with some good photo ops, we turned around before reaching Rock Creek Vista and decided to call it quits for the day. Driving several thousand feet above sea level, and in many places without guardrails is not for the faint of heart. As Clarice sang, in the time-honored Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cartoon, “There’s Always Tomorrow” for dreams to come true!