Wondering how others were going to spend the 4th my wife Kathy and I and another couple, jumped on our Harleys and rode up to Red Lodge, Montana to find out. Ya, I know, it’s a long way to go for the weekend. Every little town we rode through was having, or getting ready to have, their 4th of July celebration.
First off I will say that the countryside was green, green, green, and the rivers were all running really muddy, really wide and really fast…and there is still a lot of snow left in the mountains. Looked more like April than the 4th of July.
In Lander, Wy, Main St. was closed for their celebration. We spent the night at an old RV/Tent campground right in town. It was run by an old codger who told us to pick a spot under the shady cottonwoods and put up as many tents as we wanted. I don’t care how many of you there are. That’ll be $20. CASH! We paid up…CASH…and picked our spots.
In Cody, Wy they were getting ready for their tribute to the 4th. Lots of flags and folks in town. We kept going on to Red Lodge, Mt, at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. We rode our Harleys down Main St. and it looked like a mini-Sturgis rally. Motorcycles and bikers everywhere. We fit right in. Lots of American flags waving in the breeze in a grand display of patriotism. Camped in the KAO, all of our neighbors were bikers. Harley’s lined up like it was a dealership. All good folks and proud to be Americans.
In the morning we rode over the famous Beartooth Pass. It rivals our Red Mountain Pass. Fabulous views. Alongside the road there were still drifts of snow 10 to 15 feet high that the road had been plowed through. Coming off the other side, as far as one could see, the mountains were still VERY snow capped. We entered Yellowstone NP where we were treated to bear, buffalo and elk. That evening we sat around the campfire sipping some of Lynchburg’s finest and kept mosquitoes at bay with DEET and cigars.
In Flaming Gorge, Utah we saw an eagle in a tree eating a freshly caught fish. As we came off of Menoken Hill Monday night we were treated to the great Montrose Rotary fireworks display. We even got onto our deck at home, with a cold one, in time to catch the grand finale.
The cost of our curiosity? Gas, $122.81. Campgrounds, $52.50. Food, $32.50, for a total of $207.81. The material gathered for paintings and the sheer pleasure of it all? Priceless. It sure beat staying home and mowing the grass.