This Color Photograph Shows Road Cuts of The Historic Beartooth Highway Soon After Completion.
….This Is A Copy Of The “Huge Photo” That Was IN The Red Lodge Café, As Discussed Previous Photo.

…. “ And up and up, over one of the highest paved roads in the world. I feel some anxiety about this, which I realize is irrational and try to get rid of by talking about the road to the others. There’s no way to fall off. No danger to the motorcycle.“
..*********..
….In the photo you can see the white painted centerline, thus the road is paved. But evidently, the Beartooth Highway originally was Unpaved and, as you will notice in the photo, had NO guardrail!!
….Thus the Narrator having just viewed the /\ Above /\ Photograph, had much more reason for fright than he let on.

Red Lodge Café, Red Lodge, MT. …. This /\ Above /\ Photograph Was Taken By Brent Egenes Of Flash’s Photography Store.
….I deduce that The then owner of Flash’s Photography Store, who was Mr. Brent Egenes, was the person who took this photograph perhaps as long ago as 1945. The 3 gents whom I interviewed (see previous Red Lodge Café Photo) remember this photo as being in the Café ever since that date.
….NEW TOPIC: At the bottom of the /\ Above /\ Photo =>
You should especially notice what looks like Volcanic Rocks. To me, this adds Interest and Reality to the Resulting Photo, and are indeed ZMM Book “Quality” in action.
….AND, for anyone who actually attempts to find this Photo Camera Location, they should climb till they find such a Volcanic Rock Outcrop!
..*********..
…. Mr Brent Egenes’ son, Thomas Egenes, has been the owner of Flashes Photography, which was at 21 S Broadway, Red Lodge, MT. (406) 446-1940. However the store is now closed.

….The NEXT PHOTO is A Topographic Map Showing =>The probable Camera Location from where Mr. Brent Egenes took his 1945 Photo,. Of The Road Cuts of Historic Beartooth Highway.

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(Photo by Brent Egenes ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = NA)

A Topographic Map Showing =>
….The Probable Camera Location Of Mr. Brent Egenes’ 1945
……..Photo Of Road Cuts of Historic Beartooth Highway. ….. =>
....…….

....[ …. And up and up, over one of the highest paved roads in the world. I feel some anxiety about this, which I realize is irrational and try to get rid of by talking about the road to the others. There’s no way to fall off. No danger to the motorcycle. ]

Six Switchbacks, Rock Creek Canyon Precipice Edge, Beartooth Highway ~14 Miles South of Red Lodge, MT.
....
....The /\ Above /\ Photo Shows a TopoZone.com Map Of Likely Camera Location, Where Mr. Brent Egenes Took His 1945 Photo Of Road Cuts of Historic Beartooth Highway.
VIEWING INSTRUCTION:
..A) Click On /\ Above/\ Photo until you get largest view.
EXPLANATIONS
..B) To the /\ Above/\ Topographic Map have been added Green Lines showing approximately Mr. Egenes’ Camera Location, which is at upper right. You see, Mr Egenes chose a location on the Rock Creek edge, of a relatively flat plateau region. The Three Green Lines, show the Center and Two Sides of the View Field. You might go back and re-study Mr. Egenes’ Photograph, to understand how the Three Green Lines, project to the edges of Mr. Egenes’ Photograph. (( To “go back” to previous => Click Upper Left on “Left Arrow”. ))
..C) In /\ Above/\ Photo, at Lower Left, you see an area labeled “Beartooth Wilderness”. This is surrounded by a Red Border Line that merely is a Boundary, and is NOT showing a Road.
****
…FULL INSTRUCTIONS => To See & Study Further => Using An ONLINE Version of TopoZone Map, Of SAME Landscape Area As /\ Above/\ Topographic Map View Photo =>
…. => RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT “NEW TAB” =>
…AFTER Map View Comes Up, You Will See an AWFUL Clutter of Adverts That Are Impossible To Eliminate =>
YOU BEST SHOULD =>
....Use Scroll Bar At Far Right => Adjust Green Topo Map Until Upper Left Until => You SEE-JUST-BELOW The [[Plus & Minus]] => [[Box]] => Do-Mouse-Hover-Over It =>.Shows “Full Screen” => THEN Click On It, and Adverts Will Be GONE. =>
....….Then use [[Plus & Minus]] To Zoom. You can “ClickDrag” Map In Any Direction to See More Off Your Screen Edges.
****
…B).The Topozone Map That Comes Up Should Show A Version of the /\ Above/\ Photo, where you see US-212, Zig-Zag Up The Precipice-Side of Rock Creek SW of Red Lodge, MT.
...C) If you see different from B) => Click the [[--]] to Zoom-Out OR [[+]] to Zoom-In, AND THEN => “ClickDrag” Map In Any Direction, until you see center of screen, /\ Above-/\ Photo View. …. At which point, To See More Of What You Want, you can Zoom OR “ClickDrag” Map In Any Direction.
…D) As You USE the above-mentioned ONLINE Version of TopoZone Map, you will see its Lines are Sharper and the Colors of the Road Lines are more vivid => Than the /\ Above-/\ Photo View.
****
….Next Photo Shows “A Frightful Place To Look Way, Way, Way, Down, To Rock Creek.

.... *************************
(Photo = TopoMapCameraPovBrentEgenes1945PixRoadCutsBeartooth Highway1+CameraPOV.jpg ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 124i ~4500ft.)

On Approximately The Fifth Tier, Beartooth Highway, MT.
..AND Standing Beside Quad Creek, A Small Mountain Melt-Water Stream =>
….There Is a Frightful Place To Look Way -- Way – Down!

….[ “ There’s no way to fall off. No danger to the motorcycle. ]
……Just a memory of places where you could throw a stone and it would drop thousands of feet before coming to rest and somehow associating that stone with the cycle and rider. “

At Switchback curving around In The Melt-Water Cut of Quad Creek, Fifth Tier Up, Beartooth Highway, ~14 Miles After Red Lodge, MT. In the /\ Above /\ Photo => Standing on one tier, you are looking way down along the Cut of Quad Creek, and can discern the valley floor and two other tiers way, way, way down. Although being here is terror-ific, there is a doubled-heavy guard-rail that’s nearly continuous, and well maintained. This will not allow that which fear suggests: =>. Going over the edge!

********************
A) INSTRUCTIONS HOW => TO SEE AN ONLINE TOPO MAP OF THE /\ ABOVE /\ PHOTO LOCATION ALONG THE BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY.
..A) SHORT INSTRUCTIONS => For Using The ONLINE Version of TopoZone Maps.=>
..1) On The BLUE WayPt = Number Below => RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT “NEW TAB” =>
..2) AFTER TopoZone Map Comes Up => Use Scroll Bar At Far Right => Adjust Green Topo Map Until Upper Left => Until you SEE-JUST-BELOW The [[Plus & Minus]] => [[Box]] => Click Go To “Full Screen” =>
..3) Use [[Plus & Minus]] To Zoom. You can “ClickDrag” Map In Any Direction to See More Off Your Screen Edges.
****
Suggestions To User: =>
..4) Although TopoZone Maps are a really great resource, they unfortunately do not mark the “WayPt = ” on your screen.
..5) When the TopoZone Map comes up, please know that => The “WayPt = ” is in the EXACT CENTER of your computer Screen.
..6) SUGGESTION => As best you can estimate, place a SMALL ~”Sticky Tag Pointer” to mark screen center.=> Then Click-On => [[Plus & Minus]] => And IF your “Pointer” is CORRECT, it will still mark the same relative place on the Topo Map.
..6) Since this ~”Sticky Tag Pointer” will likely be useful (when you look at a future TopoZone Map), may I suggest you leave it there temporarily.
****
TopoZone Maps have been successfully used on my Windows & Linux Computers (on both Firefox & Chrome).
….Please send email re how well this works for you, on other computers/software.
*************
B) FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING => THE ON-LINE Version of TopoZone Maps =>
….These Instructions, As You Will Remember, Are On The Previous Photo. Right Click and Select New Tab. => AFTER this Page Comes Up, Scroll Down To And Read => “FULL INSTRUCTIONS”.
..***********************..

NEW TOPIC: A Good GPS Computer APP => When working with GPS Data From Your Camera, Smart Phone, or Handheld GPS Device such as Garmin => You might want use these Two Very Nice TopoGrafix Software Applications installed in your computer. =>
..A) Click Here For Free Computer APP EasyGPS=> AFTER This Page Comes Up, Scroll down to and click on => “Download EasyGPS” NOTE: Installed in your computer => .EasyGPS is very useful for Downloading (and Uploading) GPS Data to (and from), your Devices. It will also show your Waypoints on a Sort Of A Map, which I which I much use => For “Edit Accessing” my GPS Coordinates values for my WayPoints. But .EasyGPS will ONLY show towns or roads, on this Map until after you $ Pay To Subscribe.
..B) Click Here For $ Subscribe To Computer APP ExertGPS=> Their Page Says => “ExpertGPS is the ultimate GPS map software for planning outdoor adventures. View GPS waypoints and tracklogs from any handheld GPS receiver over aerial photos and US topographic maps. Plan your next outdoor adventure over scanned USGS topo maps and send a route directly to your GPS receiver to guide you in the field. View your GPS tracklog over an aerial photo to see exactly where you went. … ExpertGPS handles all your mapping and data-conversion jobs.

************************* (Photo = 106-0610 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = .. WayPt = 133w )

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.

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

Back On the Street of Red Lodge.

…. “ …. we put on the heavy clothing, repack and soon have traveled to …. “

Broadway (Main) Street, Red Lodge, MT. The /\ Above /\ Photo is a view half way uphill from the Court House to the Restaurant. The restaurant is on the left and on the oppose side of street is the photography shop and the candy shop.
….************** …
, NEW TOPIC:.
…Although the mountain seen in this view seems to dominate when walking the streets in Red Lodge, it dropped completely out of my awareness as I was walking & driving in the downtown and as I drove further South. Also out of my awareness was any perception of the confining bluffs or “both-sides-of-this-Rock Creek Valley”.
…. I’m wondering why? Is this because as one gets nearer to the base of the mountain, it starts to be “just a big hill” partly obscured by the town’s trees? Likewise for the confining bluffs. Either way “the mountain” & “the bluffs” ceased to attract my attention. In fact, all the time I was driving from Laurel towards Red Lodge and even through Red Lodge, I was not very much aware of being in a valley, because I was not paying attention to the rather few views of the Valley Bluffs, on either side of me...
….This Quite Different From My Expectations & Visualizations, In My Earliest Readings Of ZMM. In These Readings =>
….I had always visualized any ZMM discussion of “valley” or “creek”, as being in Quite Narrow and V-Shaped” Valley. This is because the ‘Valleys” I had mostly seen, were when I traveled in the really rugged mountains of West Virginia. In this state, the valley towns are squeeze between-walls! And thus when driving through a West Virginia Valley Town, you see only just: 1) a-creek 2) a highway and 3) a-single-line-of-houses!

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(Photo = 105-0591 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 126q)

A LAST LOOK NORTH ALONG BROADWAY (MAIN) STREET =>
….WE SEE MANY HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF OLD RED LODGE, MT.
In This Google Street View (GSV) SEE LEFT TO RIGHT. =>
..A) Flashes Photography & Several Historic Buildings.
..B) Broadway Street, Looking North At The Center of Downtown Red Lodge.
..C) An Historic Old Stone Bank Plus Even More Historic Buildings.
..D) A Portion of 12th Street Going East.
..E) At The End Of 12th Street (Unseen To The East) Is Rock Creek.
..F) Beyond Rock Creek See The Valley’s Eastward Confining Bluffs.

Main Drag Red Lodge, MT.
..*********************..

As Is The Case of Miles City, MT, & Laurel, MT, The Red Lodge Downtown Has Many Old 1890’s Era Buildings => “The Old” Is Still There!
…This is because, since their early ~heyday, these towns have had stable populations and stable economic activity. There has been no “growth”, and thus no money, or need, to “knock down and replace with “modern”! …In Fact, many towns have lived with The Quick & Cheap & Modern, long enough to actually value “The Old & Quaint”.
….AND eventually, really by force of necessity, these towns (and many similar), have learned to value, treasure, honor, & preserve, long into the future, what already exists. They came to see the “The Old & Quaint” as an asset, and thus work hard to preserve and use their Traditional Quaint Old Buildings that have “Character”. It is sincerely hoped that the this continues for Laurel, MT. Miles City, MT. & Red Lodge MT.
…Other Examples =>
…A) Hague, SD.
… The Old, Red Brick Café Building in Hague, ND. Which We Sincerely Hope Will Be Preserved Long Into The Future.
..********.
…B) Miles City, MT.
…. Towns Who Wish To Preserve Their Older Buildings, Would Do Well To Follow The Example of Miles City Historic Preservation Office. Back In ~2002 this effort was led by Ms. Amorette Allison.
The Montana Historical Society Said =>
…. Amorette Allison has played an instrumental part in collecting, archiving, and writing articles, even 7 books on Miles City History. Her passion for Miles City history led her to a job as the Historic Preservation Officer. … She has researched past [Miles City Star Newspaper] editions, oral histories, and general research to write the columns about this town.
….************** ….

…DATE-LINE: August 17, 2021. by Henry Gurr.
…A) Unfortunately the above article About Ms Amorette Allison & Her Work With Miles City, MT. Preservation, is NO longer available at => //mhs.mt.gov/Portals/11/finduse/docs/bot/HKAN/Allison.pdf. However =>
…B) Under New Leadership, The Miles City Historic Preservation Office WebSite Has A Small Amount Of Information. Click Here.
********..
….IN SUMMARY: Many towns have lived with “The Quick & Cheap & Modern”, long enough to Now Value “The Old.& Quaint”."
********..

….As Is Seen Topo Maps, The Town’s Streets In The Downtown Areas of Red Lodge, Are On A Slightly Sloping Valley Land, That Is Planar. ( IE Like a Slightly Sloping Board.)
….This Fits What Seen In /\ Above /\ Photo & Other Photos Of Streets of Red Lodge.
….In addition, you can see in the /\ Above /\ Photo, just how close Rock Creek is to Broadway, and the center of Red Lodge. This is because Rock Creek Valley is here relatively narrow, leaving space only for a Downtown Area that is long and narrow.


(Photo = GoogStVu OldBldgUnChange}1850s68US-212Broadway(Main)St RkCrkConfineBluff RedLodgeMT.jpg ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = ~127 }

The NON Involved ZMM Traveler Will Not Discover the Narrator’s Meltwater Stream Until Rock Creek Park, Where It’s Right By US-212 & Obvious.
….Looking Through The Trees => Note Dry Grass Covered Bluff In Distance, Upper Left, Signifying the East Edge of the Valley.

….….[ “ When coffee is finished we put on the heavy clothing, repack and have soon traveled to … “ ]

Just South of Downtown Red Lodge, MT. Here at a second large city park, this huge rushing mountain stream runs immediately by the highway. But even at Red Lodge, the water is surely “older” than an hour!
….In 2006, I was better primed, and remembered to snap the /\ Above /\ Photo. However, in 2002, by failure of attention, I did not get Narrator’s “meltwater creek” photograph here.
….At the time I remember thinking => No problem, since I expected to get good shots of the stream & canyon ahead. But as before Red Lodge, good views of the stream eluded me. And ALSO somehow I missed the one good place I later found in 2006 (6th next photo).
….Continuing travel South from Red Lodge, my experience was the same as before Red Lodge =>”The stream” was generally not close enough to directly perceive (or photograph) from road, until I entered the U shaped glacial valley.
… And by then the road was way up the canyon wall, and way too far away to properly illustrate the ZMM Narrator’s “We are following a creek to its source.” ,.

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(Photo = Summer2006 0481 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 127k ~5600ft)

....Another Line of Trees Signifies a Stream (Rock Creek) With Recent Mountain Snow-Melt.

….….[ “ When coffee is finished we put on the heavy clothing, repack and have soon traveled to “ ]

2.1 miles SouthSouthWest of Red Lodge, MT. The /\ Above /\ Photo shows
..A) The line of trees marking Rock Creek where we are still => “following a creek to its source“. And
..B) Above the tree tops, notice the bluffs that confine the flow of Rock Creek.
..C) See that the Ever Larger The Grey Outline of the Ominous, High, Dark Mountain is no longer “looming directly ahead“ AND
..D) See that the color has changed to Dark Green, showing that the Camera Location Is far closer to this Mountain, with far less Hazy, High Moisture Atmosphere between.
..E) Google Maps says this is Mount Maurice, and the lower peak, next right is Wapiti Mountain.
..F) Even here, this snow melt-water is probably “older” than an hour.
….********************** …

NEW TOPIC.
…For the US-212 Traveler from Laurel, MT to Red Lodge, MT the whereabouts of Rock Creek is not really much noticed. Thus the full reality of this stream is not really forced upon the traveler, until they are in Red Lodge, MT, where US-212 is right beside the huge, rushing mountain stream. As was seen in Previous Photo, this is Rock Creek running by the highway at a very nice second city park.

….Ahead The US-212 Traveler Will See =>
..1) The Real & Deep Mountain “V”-Shaped Valley that Rock Creek FLOWING WATER has carved out, at which time the perceptive traveler comes to the full reality of this stream as A Full Geological Force!
..2) Even further up this valley we see a change to => The Real & Deep Mountain “U”-Shaped Valley that the ICE GLACIER has carved out, at which time the perceptive traveler becomes to the full reality of this stream as A Much Greater Geological Force!
….****************** …

To See A Google Street View (GSV) of the /\ Above /\ Photo Scene =>
….You Will See That Google Street View (GSV) Has Many Advantages Since => In Addition To 360 Deg Full Circle Panorama, It Offers Ability To Magnify, and see better Distant Details, Such As What A Sign Says!! RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT “NEW TAB” => After Google Street View (GSV) Comes Up, Then => Click the Google Street View Image WHERE you want the “VIEW” To go. => Thus you can Successively Click-Click-Click = “GSV Drive” The street you see on your computer screen. You can even click on a Side Street to “GSV Drive” along that Side Street !!
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(Photo = 105-0603c ...... ZMM Page = 105 ...... WayPt = 128w)

.... A View Looking South => The Valley Is Getting Narrower.
….The Line of Trees at Left Is the only Indicator of the Stream..

Beartooth Highway ~ 5 Miles South of Red Lodge, MT
My notes say: “Now Getting Into the Valley Entrance. Cloudy and colder.” There is no ZMM passage here, because the Narrator leaves out any mention of the scenery prior to the first mountain road switch-backs. Despite this, I thought you should see this and the next two photos of the scenery on the way there. Remember this “valley size” and contrast with that of the valley in the next photo.
….Also, begin to study and remember how the line of trees in an otherwise grassy expanse is the indicator of a major stream, as you see here.

Montana Scenic Byway: Beartooth Highway & The Bear's Tooth. =>
…. [[A Brief History, From Which The Below, Is An Excerpt.]]
Information Concerning =>
...:a) Region: Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming East of Yellowstone National Park
....b) Length: 64 miles.
....c) Endpoints: Red Lodge, MT & Cooke City, MT
....d) Features: A huge plateau above 10,000 feet with alpine lakes, glacier-carved cirques and fragile tundra
....e) Side Activities: Hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling
..**********************..
....It had been a long August during the summer of 1882. General Phillip Sheridan, famed Civil War veteran, had led his group of over 120 men out of Fort Washakie in western Wyoming at the beginning of the month. By the last week of August, the inspection tour had crossed the Gros Vente Mountains and followed the Snake River into Yellowstone. The area had recently been designated a national park and already tourists had flocked to the area.....
....The General moved his men up the Lamar River on the east side of Yellowstone to a mining camp near Cooke City. Now he faced a three-day march down the Clarks Fork River before turning back north for Billings, Montana, where he would meet the Northern Pacific Railroad to take him to Chicago.....
....An old hunter by the name of Geer approached the General. Geer claimed that he had an intimate knowledge of the Beartooth Mountains which blocked the direct route to Billings, necessitating the circuitous detour down the Clarks Fork. Much against the advice of his comrades, and maybe partly to satisfy a hankering for going where no party had gone before, Sheridan listened and resolved to follow the hunter. Two days later, despite forest fire and snow drifts 40 feet deep in craters, the group completed the first crossing of the Beartooth Mountains, landing near present-day Red Lodge, Montana.
....Fifty years later, in 1936, the Beartooth Highway opened along Sheridan's route. Designated a National Scenic Byway in 1989, the Beartooth has been blessed as "America's most beautiful road" by no less an expert than Charles Kuralt.
(Excerpt Continued Next Photo.)
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(Photo = 106-0602c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128k)

A Mid September 2006 View of Entering Rock Creek Canyon.

~5 Miles south of Red Lodge, MT.

(Excerpt Continued From Previous Photo.)....
....The Beartooth originates in Red Lodge, Montana, which got its start as a coal-mining town shortly after Sheridan's visit. The town boomed during the late 19th century. But the mines began closing in the Depression. Tragedy struck during World War II when an explosion at the Smith Mine killed 74 people, and the mining era was over. Today the town retains much of its character from those early years, with its main street lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. And with skiing on Red Lodge Mountain and summer attractions like the Byway and the nearby Beartooth Wilderness, the town has become a tourist mecca.....
....South of Red Lodge, the road quickly begins ascending the Beartooth Plateau. Between 50 and 60 million years ago, a massive uplift created the Beartooths. At roughly 3,000 square miles, the Beartooths are one of North America's largest land masses rising above 10,000 feet, reaching its highest point at 12,799' Granite Peak. This is a land of glacier-carved cirques, high alpine lakes and fragile tundra.....
....A pull out 20 miles from Red Lodge, up a steep series of switchbacks, is a great place to get a broad view of the Plateau. To the north lie the Hell Roaring and Silver Run plateaus, broad expanses rising between the several forks of Rock Creek. Jewels like Glacier Lake glisten in hanging valleys off the walls of Hell Roaring. Line Creek plateau runs to the south, an area where sharp eyes may spot mountain goats or bighorn sheep.....
....The road continues climbing as it crosses into Wyoming. By now the land is well above timberline. The views are expansive, south across the canyons carved by the Clarks Fork, north into the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. In the wilderness, a narrow pyramidal spire is profiled against blue sky. This is the Bear's Tooth - Na Pet Say in the language of the local Crow Indians - from which the mountains take their name.....
....Thirty miles from Red Lodge, the Beartooth reaches is highest point at 10,974 feet. Here you feel like you are truly at the "Top of the World." And shortly after the summit, you pass the Top of the World settlement, a combination store, motel and gas station.....
....Descending, the Beartooths reveal themselves as lake country. Almost a thousand lakes fill the wilderness. Along the road lie Long, Little Bear, Island and Beartooth Lakes. Two of several national forest campgrounds along the highway are beside these last two lakes.....
....While the Beartooth is one of America's greatest drives, it also offer plenty of opportunities for getting out of the car. Trailheads line the entire route. Just out of Red Lodge, roads lead up the various forks of Rock Creek, where trails head for Timberline Lake, Sundance Pass, Silver Run Plateau and other backcountry destinations. Other good jumping off points for short dayhikes or extended backpacks include Island Lake and Beartooth Lake. Most trails head north of the road toward the official Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. But don't miss the Beartooth Loop National Recreation Trail south of the road. This trail allows a 15 to 20 mile circuit by the original site of Camp Sawtooth, an exclusive retreat built during the 1920s.....
....Clay Butte rises on the right 42 miles from Red Lodge. A dirt road leads a couple of miles to a now-dormant fire tower on top of the Butte. The views here are most spectacular to the west, where the pyramid of Pilot Peak stands stark and the jagged edge of Index Peak cuts the sky.
….,(End Excerpt.) [[Full Original Post of this “A Brief History” Click Here.]]
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(Photo = Summer2006 0491 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128m)

Looking South And A Bit East => ….A Mid September 2006 View of Rock Creek and Bluffs.

~6 miles South of Red Lodge, MT.

..*********************..
Beartooth Highway’s Wild Wild West.=> “The History of a Wild Highway”.
…. ((The below Is an excerpt from The Full Original Post With 3 Really Neat 1930s Historical Photos. Click Here. ))

....It could be said that events leading to the construction of the Beartooth Highway were set in motion on March 1, 1872 when the Congress of the United States set aside Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, a full 70 years before its eventual opening on June 14, 1936.
....Mining + Tourism = A Highway
....By 1880, following years of exploration by trappers, gold seekers, and government expeditions, followed by a rapid influx of tourists anxious to view the wonders of Yellowstone National Park, the mining communities of Cooke City and Red Lodge, Montana were well established. With gold, coal, and tourists to be moved these two communities recognized the importance of building transportation infrastructure for the area.
....It was quickly determined that building railways for hauling ore through Yellowstone National Park was not going to be an option. At the same time it was determined that, in order to take advantage of the economic development that tourism generated for a community, access from Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park would need to be secured. Then, in the 1920’s the automobile became the preferred mode of transportation for visitors to the area and the need to develop a road system into and out of Yellowstone from the two communities galvanized community leaders to action. After years of lobbying by area citizen groups Montana’s then Congressman Scott Leavitt sponsored legislation called the Park Approach Act (H. R. 12404). The Park Approach Act provide for construction roads that led to National Parks and allowed construction of the Beartooth Highway to begin in 1931. Although it was originally intended to authorize a major national program of access roads to National Parks only one road was actually constructed under the legislation – the Beartooth Highway. (Excerpt Continued Next Photo.)

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(Photo = Summer2006 0493 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128p)

A Mid September 2006 View Deeper Into Rock Creek Canyon.
….The Valley Is Very Narrow, And “V”-Shape Is Seen.

~7 miles South of Red Lodge, MT.

..*********************..
Beartooth Highway’s Wild Wild West.=>.The History of a Wild Highway
(Excerpt Continued From Previous Photo.)....
....Early Years of Road Construction
....A majority of the Beartooth Highway was built between 1932 and 1936. The engineering aspects of the project were impressive, even by today’s standards. For example, the 4,000-foot descent into the Rock Creek Canyon (7.5 miles at over 6 percent grade) on a very steep sidehill slope required creative field engineering. The project was completed on time and within budget; but at the cost of the lives of two workers. Considering the difficult terrain, short construction season, and harsh weather the progress was remarkable. The highway was officially dedicated on June 14, 1936 with a ceremony and caravan of supporters.
....Most names given to geographic points on the highway during construction have not survived, but definitely represented some meaningful interpretation to workers in 1936: “Primal Point”, “Lunch Meadow”, “High Lonesome Ridge”, “Grizzly Knob”, “Frozen Man’s Curve”, and “Inspiration Point” to name a few. Today’s Rock Creek Vista was known as “Knox Point”, and at nearby Wyoming Creek, a curving switchback that doubles back on itself was referred to as “Mae West Curve”!
…. ((The above is an excerpt from The Full Original Post. With 3 Really Neat 1930s Historical Photos Of Construction Workers & Machinery. Click Here. ))

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(Photo = Summer2006 0495 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 128n)

Road Has Curved, So View Is Looking West Along the Road Ahead =>
…The Valley Is Changing To a Canyon.
…..Even More Pine Trees Now In Addition To the Broad Leafs Along the Stream. View Southwest

Beartooth Highway, MT. In the /\ Above /\ Photo the valley is getting even narrower yet. The light green of the broad leaf trees along the stream, at left, is just discernable through the darker green of the pines.
….The roadblock signifies one lane traffic ahead for highway repair. I use the stop opportunity to take this photograph of the road ahead (Southwest).
…Please => Remember this “valley size” and contrast with that of next photo, looking back at the road just traveled.
….After I resumed motion, my notes say: “[cross] mountain stream – road now steep – use lower gear -- ears pop.”

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(Photo = 106-0604c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 129w)

A View Looking East, Because Road From Red Lodge Has Curved.
….We See the Broad Leafs Along the Stream And 1988 Fire Damage In Pine Trees At Left.

Beartooth Highway, MT. The /\ Above /\ Photo shows the road I just came up.. ….It’s almost my turn at the “roadblock”. I don’t have time even to walk far enough to keep my car out of the photo.
….The fire damage in the pines must be part of the major 1988 Yellowstone National Park fire. This also will be seen in my later photos.
….You can see why my notes said, [car shifts to] “lower gear”.
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The ZMM Book’s Main Focus In Every Chapter Is The Chautauqua Lecture.
….Consequently, Much Of The Passing Landscape Remains Unmentioned
….. No passing scenery, no matter how spectacular or interesting is “written about” unless it “poetically amplifies” the lectures ahead or just passed.
….Otherwise, what is (was) great scenery had to be bypassed by Author Pirsig, with no comment, no descriptions, nor indication of its presence.
….Such is the case for the road from Red Lodge to the mountain switch-backs. Similar requirements constrain me, in my choice of photographs to be included in this Gallery.
….But sometimes, even if there is no applicable ZMM passage as is the case at this WayPt = 129, I opt to show additional photos to fill in the gaps in the travel scenery.

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(Photo = 106-0605c ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 129k)

An Even Narrower and Deeper Valley Is Now Seen. Canyon Walls Are Steep In This Upstream View Looking South And A Bit West.
….And If You Look Just Below The Snowy Peaks, You Can Discern The “U”-Shaped Glacial Valley Form.

…. [ZMM passage repeat] [ “The sun is bright and hot when we’re in it, but when we pass under trees along the road, it’s suddenly cold.” ]

Entering Rock Creek Canyon, by a shade tree, Beartooth Highway, MT. “U”-shaped valleys are caused by the grinding action of the valley filled with Glacier Ice, as it slides further down the valley. The Glacier Ice incorporates many rocks which do the actual grinding, and this greatly speeds up the cutting action.
….Compared to a Glacial Valley, If a narrow valley is geologically “new” and is primarily carved out by water of a stream, it is generally “V”-shaped.
.…And by contrast with the above => If the valley is very, very old, it generally will be quite wide and relatively flat, like we have seen in the previous photos of the Yellowstone River Valley.
….By happenstance, the /\ Above /\ Photo location is the only place where I recall finding “over the highway shade”. This is why I stopped here to cool off.
…. Here, this shade tree was behind me, but at this time of day, the shade had not reached the highway. Only later in the day would it cover the highway.
….Properly done, you should actually see a photo of this shade. However, this is one of several places where I thought I had taken a photo, but it was not in the camera when I got back. What happened?
….At certain WayPt’s along the travel route, more than one photo is needed to properly show the scenery. => Generally I have a choice: a) 360 degree panorama. b) Two or three side by side. or c) One forward + one rear.
…. At this location a second photo to the rear, really NorthNorthwest, is shown NEXT Photo.

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(Photo = 106-0606 ...... ZMM Page = 105 ...... WayPt = 130w)

Dense Close-up Trees Partly Obscure the Opposite Side of the Valley.
….Looking North Northeast, A Downstream View.

Entrance to Rock Creek Canyon, by a shade tree, Beartooth Highway, MT. at WayPt 130. Same Location as Previous Photo. Here we can see some of the shade trees and some of the valley’s West side.
….It was not possible a to get a good shot “down valley”, nor to get a good shot of the road just traveled up this point.

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(Photo = 106-0607 ...... ZMM Page = NA ...... WayPt = 130k)

The Camera Location For => This View Of A “V”-Cut Valley Happens Be Where Road Goes By A Melt Water Stream Called Quad Creek
….From Red Lodge, On The Second Tier Up, We Can See Two More Tiers.

“ ….. and [we] have soon traveled to the first of many switchback turns across the face of the mountain”

Beartooth Highway, At the Third Switchback After Red Lodge, MT. ….….My paper research notes say: “Altitude 7964 -- My traveling here, as is true for traveling my life -- this moment -- I will not be back ever again -- this moment -- these moments -- way way down – [I can see]… the U-shape valley and stream.
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….In the /\ Above /\ Photo you can see the continuing road, next tier up, which continues to where it reappears at the upper left edge of The photo.
… Now look carefully higher up. That’s the highway “on the way back” after going around the mountain, out of view at the left, completing a switchback (seen in forthcoming photos), and then coming back around the mountain again and continuing as the gray line which continues off the photo to the right.
By This Time I Have Lost Track Of The Number Of Tiers And Switchbacks.
….But as I write these Photo Captions (you are reading right now), this is NOT a problem, => This is because I use an excellent the Computer Application called GoogleEarth, into which I have imported the GPS Coordinates, for each of my 2002 Photos.
….With GoogleEarth, I can view each of my WayPoints added to an excellent Satellite View of The Beartooth Highway, climbing the Switchbacks on these mountains.
….This is a really good way to be sure where each of my photos exactly fit into the “Tiers” and “Switchbacks”.
….An especially nice feature => The GoogleEarth Display somewhat reveals the 3D .of these mountains, by manually doing a Clk&Drag of the landscape.
..****************..
…The Next Photo shows, very likely, where the ZMM Narrator’s above passage must have happened.

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(Photo = 106-0608 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 131w)

Continued From Previous Photo => The Road Then Abruptly Turns Right, To Follow The “Curve Around” The Melt-Water Cut Of Quad Creek.

…. “The asphalt of the road is much wider and safer than it occurred in memory. On a cycle you have all sorts of extra room. John and Sylvia take the hairpin turns up ahead and then come back above us, facing us, and have smiles. Soon we take the turn and see their backs again. Then another turn for them and we meet them again, laughing. It’s so hard when contemplated in advance, and so easy when you do it.”

An Abrupt Turn Right, To Follow The “Curve Around” A Melt-Water Ravine Cut, After Red Lodge, Second Tier Up, Beartooth Highway, MT. In the /\ Above /\ Photo You See => The Highway Entering A Melt-Water Ravine Cut, Quad Creek, Where The Road Abruptly Turns Right To Follow The “Curve Around” The Melt-Water Cut.
…. Then => The continuing road is the gray line angling up (6 % grade), up & off the photo to the right.)
… Now look carefully higher up. That’s the highway “on the way back” after going around the mountain out of view right, completing a switchback (next photo), and then came back around the mountain again!
…THUS the /\ Above /\ Photo, shows very likely where the ZMM Narrator’s above description must have happened: We can then approximately imagine where their motorcycles could have been => One cycle at the camera location for the /\ Above /\ Photo, and the second cycle at the next “higher up” tier shown.
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…..INSTRUCTIONS HOW => TO SEE A TOPO MAP OF THE /\ ABOVE /\ PHOTO LOCATION, ALONG THE US-212 HIGHWAY.
..A) Short Instructions => Using The ONLINE Version of TopoZone Maps.=>
..1) On The Blue WayPt = Number Below => RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT “NEW TAB” =>
..2) After Map Comes Up => Use Scroll Bar At Far Right => Adjust Green Topo Map Until Upper Left => You SEE-JUST-BELOW The [[ Plus & Minus]] => [[Box]] => Click Go To “Full Screen” =>
..3) Use Plus & Minus To Zoom. You can “ClickDrag” Map In Any Direction to See More Off Your Screen Edges.
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Suggestions To User: =>
..4) Although TopoZone Maps are a really great resource, they unfortunately do not mark the “WayPt =” ….
..5) When the TopoZone Map comes up the “WayPt =” is in the Exact Center of your computer Screen.
..6) Suggestion => As best you can estimate, place a SMALL ~”Sticky Tag Pointer” to mark screen center.=> Then Click-On => [[ Plus & Minus]] => And IF your “Pointer” is CORRECT, it will still mark the same relative place on map.
..6) Since this ~”Sticky Tag Pointer” will likely be useful when look at a future TopoZone Map, I suggest you leave it there temporarily.
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TopoZone Maps have successfully been used on my Windows & Linux Computers (both Firefox & Chrome).
….Please send email re how well this works for you on other computers/software.
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To Read FULL INSTRUCTIONS => For Using The ONLINE Version of TopoZone Maps. AFTER this Page Comes Up, PLEASE** IGNORE** THE PHOTO & TOP HALF OF READING*** YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY => SCROLL DOWN TO AND READ => “FULL INSTRUCTIONS”. Click Here.
(Photo = 106-0609 ...... ZMM Page = 109 ...... WayPt = 132w )