Yellowstone Adventure 2017 - Day 6

   It was my first and only day off this week so I decided to get up early and head over the Beartooth to Red Lodge Montana. I at breakfast around 6:30 and headed out around 7am. The weather was cool but not cold. It has been unusually warm here lately and that does not make non air-conditioned dorms pleasant for sleeping. Fan is running high all night long.
   Around 15 miles out I had to stop while a family of bison passed me going the opposite direction. I uploaded this video to Facebook. After a few more miles I increased my elevation from 7500 get to around 8500 feet as I headed over the mountains near Mount Washburn. The day was clear and pleasant for driving. I stopped several times just to take in the scenic beauty before I descended into lower elevations and into Lamar valley. The bison herd have migrated north and I saw three distinct herds grazing in the valley next to the Lamar river. Probably 1500 total. They stayed mostly on their side of the Lamar river, but occasionally I would have to watch for one crossing the road.
  Several miles past the Lamar valley I exited the Park via the north east entrance.  From there it was not long before I entered the town of Cooke City. A nice historic town that is open in the winter but mostly to snowmobilers.  Leaving Cooke City I started climbing gradually as I approached the Beartooth mountains. The lakes and water falls were very beautiful and I stopped to take many pictures. I also stepped off the beaten path and into some snow to show those at home.
   It did not take me too long to notice more motorcycles coming at me from the opposite direction and soon a thought entered my mind about why. I remember being in Red Lodge and one of the shop keepers told me that they have a motorcycle fest similar to the one in Sturgis South Dakota. As I climbed higher and higher I saw many more motorcycles and I figured I picked the wrong day to visit Red Lodge.  The roaring of the engines as they passed made it hard to narrate any video and there was so many that finding a parking space in a scenic pullout was next to impossible. I did manage to get my car off the road and to a good scenic spot for lunch. But the peace and quiet of resting and relaxing was broken constantly by the hogs as they passed by.
   After lunch I descended the Beartooth mountains and headed into a very crowded Red Lodge. There were so many bikers parked on the street and side streets that I foregoed stopping to see the town. I made a U turn and headed for Cody. I needed to get some medicine for my friend Bob and I needed more cough medicine, as the cough was fairly bad today.
   It was 60 degrees where I ate my lunch and 97 in Cody Wyoming. The town looked the same as I left it last September and the McDonald's WiFi and ice tea were still good.  As I was leaving Cody it started to rain on me around the Buffalo Bill Cody dam and the temperature dropped about 12 degrees.
   It was about 40 miles to the east entrance of Yellowstone and I kept my eyes peeled for grizzly, as this area near the Shoshone river is a great place to sit them.  Having not spotted a bear I reached the entrance and proceeded to head back to the Old Faithful Geyser area. Going over Sylvan Pass the skies let loose with a downpour and hail.  This lasted for about a mile and a half and was pretty intense. I stopped a few times to view the scene around Lake Yellowstone. Only saw an elk from the distance on my way back to the dorm.
  Making it safely back to the dorm I found a note from my roommate that he would be camping and fishing tonight. He gave me the location in case anything happens to him. We are required to do that if we stay over night anywhere.  Heading to bed early as I have a day shift tomorrow followed by a week of night shifts. By the schedule I may be getting Saturday and Sundays off. Take care you all and keep praying for my health. If things don't clear up by Wednesday I will be heading to the clinic.  Thanks for all those that said they prayed for me.