Day 12 - The Beartooth Pass and Yellowstone

 The day began with reasonable-looking weather, just a few clouds as a foreboding of the rain to come.  Right off the get-go at 8:00 am, the group headed out of Red Lodge for the Beartooth Pass.  Meanwhile, the mothership with the shop, tools, tables, and canopies took a route that was 100 miles longer on I-90.  This is the usual tactic to get there and set up before the riders arrive.  Even though their drive is more miles, they typically arrive at least 2 hours ahead of us.  

The Beartooth is an awesome motorcycling challenge.  The road rises to a summit elevation of 11,000 feet via switchbacks and tight hairpin turns.  These curves are marked with 20pmh speed limits.  Those limits are no-nonsense.   On most roads, speed limits can safely be doubled on a motorcycle.  Not these.  I found myself often in first gear.  

Often, there are no guardrails.  A mistake here would be disastrous.

The top-of-the-world views are amazing - but don't get distracted!

On the western descent, there are a few straights where one can relax the grip on the handlebars just a little.  The summit is a place to stop. 

Greg McBride and Bernie Nietvelt, our two fast guys, reached the summit first

Richard Asprey celebrates with a much-needed hot coffee after cresting the summit.  

The temperature in the valley was 47F.  Here, it must have been freezing.

Alton, driving the chase truck and trailer, is dwarfed by the sheer scale of the Beartooth.  Beware of falling rocks!

After the descent, we travelled through Yellowstone National Park.  In the park traffic, and close encounters with buffalos made progress very slow.  The average elevation was over 7,000 feet.  It was rainy and very cold.  My riding gear stood up reasonably well.  Overall, I was dry except for the hands.  Nevertheless, I don't think I have ever felt colder after a ride than this.  I was shivering uncontrollably while checking into the hotel.  Even after a 40-minute soak in hot water, my core was still decidedly cold.

To conclude, it was a helluva way to celebrate my 76th birthday.  Not the cold, and not the rain, could spoil a truly great ride and what felt like a real achievement.