The Bear's Tooth

September 29 Jean and I decided to drive along Beartooth Pass.  She had been dealing with pressures from her work, and we hadn't done something together since we went to the Montana Fair in August.

We drove in a loop, starting in Gardiner, then going to Mammoth, Cooke City, Red Lodge, Laurel, Livingston, and then back to Gardiner.  It was definitely an all-day trek since we wanted to take pictures and enjoy the day as much as we could.  I'm not complaining about my work schedule, but my night shift obviously keeps me up all night so we had to hoof it a little bit because sunset is now around 7 pm.  I get up late in the morning or early in the afternoon, so I had to get up "early."

We enjoyed viewing the bridge on US Highway 212 at Lake Creek.  There is also a waterfall there for those who are willing to walk one or two hundred feet.  From there we made a couple stops near Beartooth Butte.  We could easily see the fire watch tower on Clay Butte.  There is still some construction at Beartooth Lake, but it's limited.  We hardly had to wait at all.  From there we drove to the top, about 11,000 feet above sea level.  I noticed that the sign that used to say that we were at the 11,000 mark is painted over.

Beartooth Lake

Near the top we could clearly see Quintuple Peaks, also known as the Bear's Tooth.  I am truly a geek because I have the USGS data for Montana and Wyoming on my computer.  Apparently, even though the sign says The Bear's Tooth, that is actually not the mountain's name.  In fact, the official name is Quintuple Peaks.  It certainly is a geologic quandary.

It's me!  I'm in front of Quintuple Peaks on the Montana and Wyoming border.

Probably Jean's favorite spot was at Twin Lakes.  There are so many lakes in that basin, but only the two lakes are named.  The basin isn't named, and neither is the ridge on the edge of the basin.  I am absolutely amazed at the lack of identification for a place which is so popular and beautiful.

Twin Lakes; Hellroaring Plateau is in the background.

On the Montana side of the pass, we stopped at a roadside park.  There were several least chipmunks in the area, and they looked to be well fed.  We took some pictures of them for a little while and then walked on the short trail to the edge of a cliff.  From that vantage point we were able to see a good portion of Rock Creek Canyon.  There was a little bit of smoke in the air from the Antelope Fire in Yellowstone National Park, and it gave the mountains extra character.

Autumn Blaze

Once we reached Red Lodge, we saw a red fox on Shadow Lane.  It must have had fleas or something because it was constantly itching itself.  It was nearing some people's chickens, but didn't actually pay a lot of attention to the chickens.  I think the fox was more worried about my presence than anything else.

Jean and I ate dinner in Red Lodge at Bogart's.  It's a good Mexican restaurant that we can both recommend for anyone traveling in the area.

From there, we drove to Laurel and got some gas, and then headed back home along Interstate 90.  We had a really great time.  The last time I went on Beartooth Pass was with my ex-girlfriend back in 2007.  Jean hadn't been there since she was a child.  It was about time that we saw it again.  We really had a great time, and we got the relaxation that we needed.