Log for Saturday, July 5, 2003
(Posted from the road)

Greetings from Missoula, Montana! Since I posted an update I have driven (and survived) the 10,947-foot high Beartooth Highway (US Route 212); kayaked at Cooney Reservoir in Montana, kayaked Beartooth Lake (at 9,022 feet), just off the Beartooth Highway; visited Yellowstone National Park; kayaked in Cutler Lake, Montana, near Gardiner; kayaked the Yellowstone River; visited the Missouri Headwaters State Park at Three Forks, Montana; and kayaked the Jefferson River near Cardwell, Montana. It has been a busy couple of days.

The 68-mile Beartooth Highway, famously called the "most scenic drive in America" by the late Charles Kuralt, starts out as a two-lane highway west of Billings, Montana, with a posted speed limit of 70 miles per hour. So you start out thinking, "How bad can this be if the speed limit is 70 miles per hour?" Well, suffice it to say that this drive is not for the faint hearted. Around the thirtieth mile I was extremely glad that Jack, my acrophobic husband, was not along for the ride. There were only tall, skinny tree branches serving as markers for the right and left edges of the shoulderless road. These stood out amazingly well against the blue sky and clouds. Moving at speeds greater than 15 miles per hour was unthinkable. The curves and switchbacks really keep you on your toes. Fortunately, there are pull-out areas where you can rest your white-knuckled hands, stretch your legs and take stunning photographs. And what photographs you can take along this road! I have never seen anything quite like it. The snow-covered mountains and pine trees all give way around 9,500 feet to a strange, barren plains-like look atop the Beartooth Plateau. The plateau held around three feet of snow on the ground, which had been plowed from the highway, but was quite visible everywhere else. Looking at the Beartooth Plateau you almost forget you are on top of the mountains. The wind was pretty ferocious at around 10,000 feet and I was glad I had purchased that second set of Yakima tie-down straps for my kayak in Sheridan, WY. The kayak and bicycle on the SUV rooftop took the winds very well.

After approximately 22 miles on US 212 I entered Boyd, Montana, where I turned right onto Boyd County Road at the sign for the Cooney Reservoir. I drove eight miles down a very narrow two-lane road to the north entrance to Cooney Reservoir Recreation Area. Montana has a self-pay system in most of its State Parks and Recreational Areas so I read the list of fees and determined that mine was $5.00. I tucked a five-dollar bill into the small green enveloped provided, tore off the receipt for my windshield and dropped it into the slot in the box. Then it hit me — I had purchased a Montana State Park yearly sticker which was displayed in my windshield. I consider the extra five dollars paid to the state of Montana to be well worth it.

I drove around the reservoir to find the boat ramp in an unshaded area. It was 92 degrees and the heat was blazing. Putting in was a bit difficult because of the steep grade on the boat ramp so I used the grassy area on the edge of the boat ramp. There were several waterskiers on the reservoir so I had to be aware of sudden wakes. The boaters were courteous enough but I found myself hugging the shoreline quite a bit. This is a very beautiful paddle mainly because of the snow covered Rocky Mountains in the distance. I ate my picnic lunch by the 1 shade tree on the shore that I could find then headed back to the Beartooth Highway.

The glacier lakes are numerous and beautiful on the Beartooth Highway, but the lake I have been looking forward to kayaking in for over 2,000 miles finally came into view at 9,022 feet — Beartooth Lake. (It was great to be able to check the altitude on my GPS all along the Beartooth Highway.) Reaching Beartooth Lake was a big thrill after seeing its waypoint dot approaching on the GPS for so long as I slowly made my way along the curvy road.

Beartooth Lake is a small body of water next to the Beartooth Campground. The first thing you see upon entering the parking area is a sign that says, "This is grizzly bear country." I was happy to see two other boaters at the site. They had just finished taking out their inflatable kayak. They looked pretty cold and told me that it was great kayaking, but that the water was very cold. They were dressed in hats and winter jackets. I added a few more layers and unloaded my boat. In addition to the boat ramp, the launch area has a grassy area where I managed to launch without getting my feet wet, for which I was grateful given the water temperature and howling wind. Here the mountains rise so high here that the constant looking up at the scenery from a kayak on the water almost causes a permanent crick in the neck.

The wind was blowing quite a bit but the lake itself was fairly calm. The west end of the lake should be avoided as it empties into a fast-flowing stream. However, the rest of the lake offers spectacular scenery. I didn't kayak here too long because I had a fairly aggressive itinerary for the day and still faced a 4,000 feet descent from the Beartooth Highway.

I spent the night at a log cabin in Cooke City, Montana, an old mining town near the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. I had a great breakfast at the Log Cabin Cafe in Silver Gate, a place recommended to me by the proprietor of the Antler Lodge Log Cabins where I spent the night. I entered Yellowstone at 7:30 a.m. and had not driven 100 yards when I pulled over to take my first photograph of a female moose and small deer on the right side of the road. The Yellowstone Grand Loop drive gave me similar opportunities to photograph buffalo, elk and wolves. I stopped briefly at Mammoth Hot Springs to walk around and see the limestone cliffs, then headed for Gardiner, Montana along route 89 which runs all the way north to Livingston, Montana, the Yellowstone River hugging it most of the way. I was able to stop and take a lot of photographs at the many fishing access points to the Yellowstone River. These points are each named so it makes it easy to remember a great spot to access the river. There were many people on rafts and inflatable kayaks on the river. My favorite access point is called "Point of Rocks."

I'll leave the descriptions of Cutler Lake, Three Forks, and the Jefferson River for later. I'm so exhausted from the driving and there's a lot to tell.

This morning I am leaving I-90, heading north on Route 93 to the Flathead Valley where I will kayak and camp on Flathead Lake before my rendezvous with my brother, David and his son Joel, at Kalispell, Montana on Tuesday. Together we will visit Glacier National Park. There should be some excellent kayaking on Bowman Lake, St. Mary Lake, and McDonald Lake. I'm looking forward to seeing them, exploring Glacier, then driving to Seattle to hook up with my other brother, Bob, for our trip to the San Juan Islands.

Latest Photos from the road

Snow along road on US 212		Soda Butte Creek, Yellowstone National Park		Log Cabin Cafe, Silver Gate, MT		Beartooth Mountains
Glacier lake on US 212		Gardiner Creek		Yellowstone River along US 89		West entrance to Yellowstone National Park
Beartooth Lake		Glacier lake		Snow		Beartooth Highway
Plains on top of mountains, 10,000 feet		Rocky Mountains		Beartooth Highway		View from Beartooth Lake

Click on a photo above to view a larger image.