Inside the park, we saw thousands of bison. They had many babies within their herds -- a rare sight. Some of the bison were crossing the road or standing so near our bike that we could have touched them, had we dared. I had never seen so many of them in my life! We also saw a herd of elk swimming across a river as we rode through one of the valleys, and we saw many deer grazing in the meadows and along the edges of the road as we traversed the park.
The natural scenery in the park was also amazing! We rode to Artist point, and took photos of the spectacular Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River. We saw the Old Faithful geyser blow, in an exciting show of nature’s power, and many bubbling pools of mud and volcanic steam in various places throughout the park. We cruised by Yellowstone Lake and saw a
great variety of birds, and we could see the Grand Teton Mountains in the not so distant background. Our experience was so much more exciting from the seat of our bike than it would have ever been from a car, where we would have to stop and get out every time we wanted to see something. We completed our ride through Yellowstone at about 7:30 in the evening. By 9:00 p.m. we were at a place called the “top of the world,” high in the Beartooth Mountains, in Wyoming. It was sunset, and the sky glowed red along the crest of rock, forming the peaks of the mountain range to our west. We were at timberline, and we were surrounded by glaciers on all sides. It was spectacular! As we were taking in the breathtaking scenery, we stopped suddenly, as a mother moose crossed the road right in front of us, joining her calf on the left side of the road. I had never seen a moose before!
We continued to ascend the pass for another half hour. I don’t know why we had to keep going up from the “top of the world,” but we finally reached the summit, at just under 11,000 feet in elevation, at 9:30 p.m. It was certainly getting cold, but that didn’t matter, because all around us were glaciers and alpine lakes. Everything was glowing pink and purple all around us, as the setting sun cast its glow on the ice and snow in the glaciers between the craggy peaks. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! I could have stayed there forever, if it were just a little warmer!
We made it back down the other side, as darkness continued to descend upon us, but I think God made the sunset last extra long that night, just for us, as it stayed light long enough for us to safely find our route. We made it back to our hotel for the night at 11:30. It was the best ride of my life!
We left for home on Sunday morning. Our group split in half part way back, as we each decided to take a different route home. We chose to take the scenic highway 12 from Missoula into Idaho. As we rode along the Clearwater River, the scenery was again amazing! And, as dusk began to creep in on us, we saw the wildlife coming to life along the river. We again had the rare opportunity to see a young moose at the river’s edge.
We arrived home on Monday evening, ending a most amazing journey. I will always remember the beauty of nature and the bonds of friendship that I experienced on this remarkable adventure.
