Canadian Rockies '18: Day 6

START LOCATION: Cody, WY
END LOCATION: Missoula, MT
MILES TRAVELED: 488
TOTAL MILES TO DATE: 3485.9
WEATHER SUMMARY: Partly sunny... mostly good

Our route for today had been clouded with uncertainty. Beartooth Pass, one of the planned highlightsof the US part of our adventure, opened on June 1. In recent days the pass has been closed due to large accumulations of snow. Beartooth reopened yesterday, just in time for us to make the ascent.

Our connection from Cody to US 212, on which Beartooth Pass lies, is the Chief Joseph Highway. After getting off track for a few minutes, we were on our way to ride Chief Joseph. The morning was beautiful, and we had a great time on this stretch of motorcycling gem.

Chief Joseph Highway dead-ends into Beartooth Highway. Heralded as one of the the most scenic drives in the United States and a National Scenic Byways All-American Road, the route features breathtaking views of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains. It is one of the highest and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks reaching over 12,000 feet in elevation. Beartooth Highway itself is the highest elevation road in Wyoming at 10,947 feet.

Our morning was filled with exhilarating riding characterized by rapid changes in elevation, challenging switchbacks, and stunning vistas. The weather was near-perfect, and we enjoyed a ride that we won't soon forget.

We stopped for lunch in Red Lodge, Montana, then set our sights on Missoula, Montana - our home for the night. We were peppered with rain in an on-again, off-again fashion, but overall, the weather was very nice. The speed limit in Montana is 80 MPH, so we were able to get to Missoula as quickly as could be expected.

I'm tired. The strenuous riding, the late nights and early mornings, the responsibility that comes with being the ride planner, the ongoing challenges with the weather, adjusting to a new bike... all of this is catching up with me just a week into the adventure. Dinners with the boys is always fun. But I stayed in tonight. Ordered pizza. Called Annette and reflected on things.

Because my heart is a little sad tonight.  Life changed for me with the birth of two precious granddaughters. It's bad enough being away from those babies for an extended time. It's even more distressing to be out west, in a different time zone. Often, by the time I'm settled in a hotel room, it's too late to FaceTime with the littles. Maybe tomorrow I can catch them during our break for lunch. Or maybe we can arrive in Spokane before they are down for the night.

Tomorrow will be better. The route is loaded into my GPS. I'll get up, get ready, have breakfast, clean the bike up a bit (bugs and rain have made for a mess... again). And then we'll ride. And I know I'll be reminded that His mercies are new every morning.

When I consider the 10,947-foot view, today really was a good day. Here are some pics from the day... for you to experience with us, and for me to be reminded that yes, today really was a good day.

And if you didn't catch it on Facebook, here's a link to a video I created using the GoPro Quik app:

https://gopro.com/v/mzW0qKZaNXvr

Tomorrow, I'll be out again in search of the road less traveled...