The trip flies the group into Bozeman, MT on the 22nd.
That afternoon we will head to Montana State University at Bozeman as one of the kids is thinking this might be the place to further his education.
The to the Red Lodge Inn for the last night of civilization for a week. Joan or Linda will drive our rental car to the Trailhead by Cooke City, MT. Then it will be 26-27 miles of wilderness.
The Trip.......
We arrived in Bozeman on time. Delta did a great job getting us there for a trip of a lifetime. The airport is small but nice done in a Western decor.
Yes the school mascot is a Bobcat!
The drive to Red Lodge where our hotel is located would take about an hour an half or two. First though we visited MSU. A quick lunch at a local pizza shop and brew pub. Lets just say the pizza was nothing great. The university is nice. We went into the Engineering buildings and discovered the older buildings had been added onto over the years. The student center was nice with a bowling alley and rather large recreation area. The library was huge.
Driving into Red Lodge from Bozeman
Red Lodge Inn is a great place to stay. The staff run a clean and efficient place to stay. I can't give this place a higher recommendation.
We then drove to Red Lodge where the motel we are staying at for the night was located. The Red Lodge Inn was expecting us and had our very clean room was ready. After a quick dinner at the local restaurant and ice cream bar the group went to bed.
In the morning we had a good breakfast at the Red Lodge Cafe
After the breakfast we met with a local guide named Steve. did a great job showing the group how to use Bear Spray. Yup, the best protection outside a shogun to stop a bear. We also learned that the bears are not the only creatures to be concerned with while we are backpacking. The moose, elk, and mountain lions are more of a concern.Steve reinforced the backpacking rules of keeping the campsite "food/cooking" free and ensuring that our cook site is a good distance from our tents.
Pretty Wild...
At noon or so we began our adventure driving via the Bear Tooth Highway to Cooke City and the trailhead. What was interesting about the drive is that this highway begins at Red Lodge and takes us through the northern gateway of Yellowstone. This highway is closed during the winter. Red Lodge is a dead end city during the winter and has a large ski resort.
The drive would take us about an hour and half with views of glaciers and the vast Yellowstone park. We stopped several spots and you can see some of the photos we took in the gallery.