Red Lodge Café Left Interior View

…. “When coffee is finished we put on the heavy clothing, repack and have soon traveled to the first of many switchback turns across the face of the mountain …. ”

Red Lodge. MT. Be sure to study the antique Victorian ceiling and unique display case on the wall.
*********************
Here The ZMM Narrative Moves to =>
….THE ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY: ABOUT WHICH WIKIPEDIA REPORTS =>
….“It has been called " ! he most beautiful drive in America," by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt.
**********************
[[An Excerpt From A Much Longer Article Titled => A Complete Loop Tour. =>]]
....”A SCENIC MONTANA & WYOMING DRIVE, WINDS THROUGH HISTORY=>
....Climbing To Alpine Lakes And Wildflower Meadows Atop The Highest Mountains In Montana, The Beartooth Highway Is A Spectacular Route To Yellowstone National Park.” .
….”The Beartooth Highway also is [part of this] loop drive through other Montana and Wyoming wildlands steeped in history and beauty. This [varied and wonderland drive] outside-the”-[Yellowstone National] Park Beartooth Loop” can take you from Cody, Wyo.; Cooke City; or Red Lodge over mountains, through Sunlight Basin and along Beartooth foothills….
....… [It is at] “Red Lodge, where the Beartooth Highway begins its westward climb. Built in the Great Depression as a federal WPA project, the highway offered employment to many men who otherwise would have been out of work.
....”The mountain route to Yellowstone [National Park] had long been a dream of some Red Lodge boosters who foresaw that tourism could replace the loss of mining jobs after local coal mines had closed.”
....”A 5-year project.”
....”The 67-mile highway from Red Lodge through Cooke City to [Yellowstone National] Park's Northeast Entrance was constructed in five years, opening in 1936.
....”It zigzags up to Beartooth Pass (elevation 10,947 feet), presenting breathtaking views of the adjoining Beartooth Wilderness.
....”The Beartooth Highway is scheduled to open by Memorial Day in May, but late snows can postpone it.
....”A trip on the Beartooth Highway in the first weeks of the [summer] season is an adventure in snow country [with walls of snow 20 feet high] for travelers who bring warm clothing and are prepared for winter driving conditions. Look for hardy, expert cross-country and downhill skiers along the way.
....”Depending on the weather, the Beartooth wildflower show will peak in mid- to late July or early August. Even above timberline, travelers will see a rainbow carpet of low-growing flowers that survive the harsh climate and short growing season in fragile soils.”
....Click Here For Remainder of Article.

*************************
(Photo = 105-0592 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 126n)