Day 28. To Buffalo, WY

Friday September 18th.

Once again we got up early hoping for a last chance to ride the Beartooth Highway. Sadly, the road was still closed and in a last ditch effort I called the Highway Department for the latest news. The road was iced over and as temps were still below freezing at elevation it was unlikely to be opened within our window of opportunity. So we had to admit defeat once again and know that we will be back for another go. Having left Red Lodge behind and headed East our next adventure was crossing into Wyoming and over the Big Horn Mountains. We had done this ride last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. As the mountains came into view we were slightly disconcerted to see snow on the peaks. Inexplicably it hadn't occurred to us to make sure our route over the Big Horns was open. We quickly pulled into a gas station and checked the Wyoming DOT website. Much to our relief we determined the road was open and the pavement was dry! The fact that most DOT's have great websites with very current road conditions certainly makes our life easier.

Before long we were climbing and the views were spectacular

As we got higher the temperatures dropped and before long we were riding next to snow on the ground

The fall colors were spectacular in these beautiful Aspens

We saw lots of deer and pronghorn antelope but could not stop on the narrow winding road to get photos. Once we reached the highest pass, we began to descend and the views below could not be captured

Vast open plains of grassland and sagebrush.

Once we crossed the Big Horn mountains, we quickly rode the final 70 miles to arrive at our destination for the night; Buffalo, WY.