Monday 10 August 2015

Cody Wyoming and Home

I packed up and headed for Red Lodge. I wanted to go back to Cody and eat at the Irma Hotel. Also I had not done the Chief Joseph Highway when I was there before. So I stopped for breakfast in Red Lodge at the Red Lodge Cafe' again. The waitress greeted me with You again! Bacon and eggs over easy and rye toast. It has been a long time since I found a person with that kind of memory. It was delightful.
This was one of many old cars I saw in my travels. This was in Red Lodge. I know there were several car shows and I saw many beautiful old cars.
I pulled out at a viewpoint on the Beartooth Pass. I parked next to 2 ladies in a car. They were from China but are from San Diego now and the mother was so effusive about meeting me. Oh she said I love your lifestyle and she insisted on taking a picture of me with the motorcycle so I included her daughter in the photo. I find this often happens with the Chinese and Japanese. They seem to be fascinated with a woman riding alone around the country???
At this point one is not even on top yet but it is a looong way down from whence I came.
Lots of bikers and tourists here.
 
 
On top of the world
Very near the top going down the other side is this lovely Lake. I then turned off before reaching Yellowstone and headed down the Chief Joseph Highway. Beautiful views although not as impressive as the heights and switchbacks of the Beartooth but it has a beauty all its own.
Crossed this bridge and stopped at the viewpoint for this canyon.
 
 
 
Gorgeous ground juniper
Gorgeous country
Then on into Cody. I went back to The Ponderosa Campground and as I was putting up my tent a young man on a Harley asked if I needed a hand but I said I was getting pretty proficient at it and then took him my new air mattress to show how it worked. I said I had been there about a month ago but wanted to go eat at the Irma Hotel so he asked if I wanted company. Of course I was delighted and he had talked Roman from Switzerland into coming with us. Roman rented a car in New York and was driving across America.
Who is this woman?
Roman from Switzerland
The Irma Hotel. Irma was one of Buffalo Bill Cody's daughters
Russ. He even paid for our dinner which was excellent.
My tent and Lucky patiently waiting for me to get packed up.
Russ was so nice and we have been exchanging emails since meeting. One day I get this email entitled There she goes.
Pretty sneaky
I travelled back to Red Lodge and then headed north. The correct direction this time. Hoping to get fairly close to home but alas I ran into another of those heavy hail, rainstorms through the pass between Livingston and Bozeman. When I got to Bozeman I took a motel. It was not high end but at least I was able to dry out everything and get a good nights sleep. It rained most of the night but although overcast was not raining in the morning and the further west I road I came out from under the clouds. This is the poor bike sitting out under a tree outside my hotel room.
I had decided to turn off I 90 and head north to Helena on Hwy 278 as I had never done that before. At the motel there was another BMW guy obviously  caught in the same storm but when I asked if he wished to share a meal I had ordered he was rather short and said he was still drying out and had other plans. Oh well. So went I turned on 278 there was a Wheat Montana bakery on the corner and I stopped for breakfast. I met a charming couple who own a ranch in Harrison Montana and we had a great conversation and I have been invited to visit them at their ranch. Sure made up for the curtness of the night before. As I continued on I was impressed with the beauty of this valley as this is where they grow a lot of the wheat for Wheat Montana. Mountains on both sides and a lovely lake and very little traffic.
You come into Helena on the back side and I stopped for fuel and took this picture of the sky I had left behind.
A lot of these metal structure abound in different places made up of old car parts. A pleasant beauty out of old junk.
Then Home. A bit of a let down but I can rest up before my next journey.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment