Soon “ We’ll Be Going Down “
…Loose “Rock-soil” and Rocks Pushed Out By Bulldozer To Level The Roadbed.
…….These Rocks, Beside Pavement Face Southwest And Are Warmed By Sun Exposure =>
…… And Sun Warmth Brings On New Grass and Tiny Purple Flowers, And Even Nice For A Marmot Den.

…. “I’m surprised at how all the way up it backfired and sputtered and kicked and gave every indication it was going to quit but never did. I didn’t adjust them, out of curiosity to see what eleven thousand feet of altitude would do. Now I’m leaving them rich and sounding just bad because we’ll be going down some now toward Yellowstone Park and if they aren’t slightly rich now they’ll get too lean later on, which is dangerous because it overheats the engine.“

Beartooth Highway, WY. My notes say “Marmot digging hole in gravel area.”. My memory says it was this was in the bank of road fill beside the pavement! (Or a place just like it!) A Marmot is a ground burrow dwelling vegetarian rodent that is similar in most respects, to what is called in Northcentral & Northeastern USA a “Ground Hog”. This is the critter of folklore that => “Sees Its Shadow” on the infamous “Ground Hog Day”, February 2nd, thus predicting 6 more weeks of winter
….There Were Marmot Burrows All Over This Area. I wish I could have taken a photo of their habitat. Later my notes say “Saw two more big fuzzy-wuzzy Marmots.”
….Apparently this elevation and these mountains are a favorite habitat, because I saw all together some seven scampering Marmots. But I was never able to get a good photograph, because they are very hard to pick out in the brown grass. The only time I actually saw them, they were rapidly galloping directly to their burrow, and instantly gone from sight!

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(Photo = 106-0637...... ZMM Page = 110-111...... WayPt Assigned = ~145r = Road edge, about a mile SW of BM 10,947ft)