Letting the Wind Decide, pt 2

Livingston Montana has become a second home for me. My good friends Sarah Ann and Justin live just outside of town and are always gracious to loan their couch to me when I roll in for a visit. The coming weekend was the famed Art Walk in Downtown Livingston and Park County Studio Tour for local artists, and I thought I'd stick around to lend my support. There were a couple of days before the festivities started and I decided to ride towards Yellowstone to see what business contacts I could make.

After breakfast at Pinky's in downtown Livingston, I rolled south towards the Paradise Valley. This Valley, possibly the most famous in Montana, follows the Yellowstone towards the Park. I chose to ride the East River Road to avoid the busy Highway 89 and check out the little community of Pine Creek. The East River Road winds leisurely between the pastures and mountains with numerous access points into the National Forest and Wilderness.

Paradise Valley near Pine Creek

Near Pray is a popular destination called Chico Hot Springs. "Chico" is known for its local charm, soothing waters and having one of the finest restaurants in Montana. This is a perfect stop for weary bikers in need of a soak and a toddy at the end of long days ride. I decide to stop in and introduce myself. After a nice discussion with sales associate Ching Ling Coleman and a brief tour with a wonderful Breve Latte, I continued my journey in the Paradise Valley letting the prevailing winds take me. 

After a couple hours of exploring gravel roads, I found myself in Gardiner at the North Gate of Yellowstone Park. Time had gotten away from me and I made the decision not to back track to Livingston but enter the park to find a campsite. Like a needle in a compass, the natural inclination was to stay in the Northeast sector, my favorite part of Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Park east of the Lamar Valley

Tourist traffic is typically heavy this time of year, but for some reason todays traffic was light, making the ride through the Bison filled Lamar Valley enjoyable. All campgrounds along the way were full and I continued up Soda Butte Creek towards the Northeast Gate. In my rear view mirrors I could see a storm brewing, following my path into Cooke City. Uh-oh..

State Campgrounds are plentiful just to the east and I thought that any of those would be perfect. However, all had restricted tent camping due to the Grizzly Bear activity; RV camping only. My only choice was to enter onto the Beartooth Highway and the plateau that is home to the highest peaks in Montana. The storm behind was bearing down quickly and cracks of thunder could be heard ricocheting off the exposed peaks. Time to find a campsite... and quick!

Near Island Park Campground with thunder getting closer, I found a primitive site, quickly set up my tent and dove in as the wind started to buffet the walls. Soon the rain would fall and I would drift off to sleep and awaken hours later to the sound of a distant Coyote. With the storm gone, I would spend a peaceful, chilly evening at 9500 ft before riding the "most beautiful road in America" and making my way back to Livingston.