Red Lodge Rally Part 1

We left for Montana early on a Wednesday morning. It started off a little cold but quickly warmed up. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We stopped for the first night in St. Regis, Montana. From there, on Thursday morning, we crossed the Rocky Mountains in the early morning. As we rode through Montana, we saw so much wildlife. We saw a nest with an Osprey and her two chicks on top of a utility pole. We saw a herd of pronghorn in a field, under a large shady tree. There were many pronghorn and deer scattered throughout the fields as we rode through miles of farmland and pastures interspersed between the mountain ranges. I also saw my first prairie dog, standing watch next to its mound. The scenery was spectacular.

We made it to our destination in Red Lodge, Montana, on Thursday evening. We had reserved a room in nearby Laurel, about 40 miles outside of Red Lodge. Our friends were able to stay in town, some in a hotel right on Main Street, and the others in a rental property on the other side of town.

On Friday morning, we rode into Red Lodge and spent the day checking out the town and all of the vendors that came for the Rally. We were able to relax and get to know the other people in our group that we rode down with, as we only knew one couple to begin with, and the rest were friends of theirs, that we will now be able to call our friends, too. We went to the rental house in the evening and barbecued with our new friends. We had a great time.

On Saturday, we went on a poker run through the Beartooth Mountains that run along the border between Montana and Wyoming and traveled the historic Chief Joseph highway. It was a breathtaking ride! The wildflowers were in bloom, and the mountainsides were covered in yellow, red, and purple. The air was sweet with their fragrance, and there was an exciting new view with each corner that we turned, as we ascended one mountain and descended into another valley. We saw canyons and mountain peaks, and beautiful rock formations of many colors.
We finished our run in Cooke City, Montana, which was near the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. From there, we separated from the rally group and headed off into the Park.