Quad Cycling the Beartooths

In preparation for this return trip to the States, I purchased travel insurance to cover me in the occurrence of any accidents, particularly on motorcycle or 4-wheeler.  As I communicated to the travel agent drawing up the insurance that I would be 4-wheeling, it took a great deal of effort to make clear just exactly what 4-wheeling is.  ‘No’, it doesn’t have doors; ‘no’, there are no seat belts; ‘yes’, sometimes there is a windscreen.  The travel agent finally turned to a co-worker and asked if he knew what it is called, but he only answered with a blank stare.  So eventually the phone call was made to the insurance higher-ups, who confirmed for the entire travel agent office that it is covered under the title of ‘quad cycling’.  They obviously don’t ‘quad cycle’ much in Scotland.

Yesterday (Wednesday), Kim and I and Mother Mary (now winter resident of Tweener, MT) went quad cycling in Cooke City’s backyard.  Nearly everywhere we went I had been on snowmobile on multiple occasions, but it looks a whole lot different when not covered by a 10-20 foot blanket of snow. 

In the previous post, I mentioned the numerous lakes that give the Beartooth Mountains part of their character.  The photo below is a good example of the beauty found in this part of the Rocky Mountains which isn’t found elsewhere.  I’m standing at the top of Sheep Mountain and the lake second from the right in the scene below is Round Lake.  If you follow this link to the post I made back in March 2010, you can see in the final picture my dad standing on a lake with a large mountain ridge behind him.  He is standing on Round Lake, at that time covered by 3+ feet of ice and the ridge behind him is Sheep Mountain, the mountain on which I am standing in the picture below.  Coincidentally, Kim’s winter trip that year also features in the 2010 post!

This is taken from Sheep Mountain also, albeit looking the other direction.  You can see our ‘Quad Bikes’ in the distance.

Daisy Pass, leading down to Abundance Flats.

Here’s looking back at Daisy Pass from Abundance Flats.  The willow colours are testifying to the fact that fall is in the air.

It’s hard to get a good picture looking into the sun, but the colours of autumn come through in this photo nevertheless. 

Kim and I on the quad cycles at the Lulu cabins, two of the many dilapidated buildings left over from the mining years in these hills. 

Kim’s now en route back to Fort Lewis in Washington and I’m enjoying my final two days here in this second home away from home.  Thanks, Kim, for coming to see me… again!