Bear Tooth Pass and Yellowstone

Erik says this is the best motorcycle road he has ever experienced and really regretted not having a webcam for Bear Tooth Pass. We accessed it from Redlodge, Montana #212 and rode it into Yellowstone. The traffic was light on the pass since school is back and it was midweek. At the highest point we were 10,950 feet; it has been called the most beautiful drive in America by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt. It closes Oct 8 but is still open for snowmobiles. The construction of the road is well done with banked curves, snaking pavement where you can look down and see the switchbacks, optimally placed, frequent lookouts and stretching 48.3 km. The scenery was spectacular with alpine lakes, glaciers, rock dotted tundra and wildlife: we saw eagles and marmots. Erik loved the ride up since the sheer cliffs and the height takes your breath away. He was like a little kid, shrieking with each new corner and the sheer spectacle of it all. I was more nervous, trying to concentrate on the road itself as I have a fear of heights. I enjoyed the road down more as the dropoffs were not so profound.We suggest if you are interested to check google images: Bear Tooth Pass as our photos cannot compare. It was hazy with forest fire smoke all through our ride today. In Yellowstone we had to change our plans and omit Old Faithful as the exit route we needed was closed due to fire. Traffic was still heavy in Yellowstone, hotels were fully booked inside the park and pullouts were frequently congested. But still worth it. We will return to check out what we missed. What amazed us most were the prolific herds of bison. At one point we stopped by a plateau pullout and I walked around the corner and almost came face to face with a huge buffalo. I included a photo of him. Glad he was not much interested in me....