Beartooth Pass

 The big ride was a couple of weeks ago.  Sturgis was a quiet town.

 Milkshakes along the way.

 Minnesota

 Red Lodge, Montana

 Going into the Beartooth Pass

 Looking for chipmunks at the top of Beartooth Pass.

I felt fine about the cabin debacle by the time I got a good night's sleep.  We got a fairly early start and had all day to make the drive to Cooke City.  It's one of the "Most Breathtaking Drives" in the country, so I was full of anticipation.  My car's GPS didn't recognize Highway 212, which is the Beartooth Highway, so it had me routed on a 9-hour drive that looped around Cooke City and back.  Ridiculous!  The GPS on the phone was able to route me through the faster way.  Honestly, I don't know how anyone, myself included, got around without GPS.  I wouldn't have known where to go without it.

Before we left Rapid City, I thought we all deserved a treat of our choice at Starbucks.  Ptolemy always wants a cake pop, and never gets one because they're expensive and I'm cheap.  But after they were such good kids during Mount Thunderstorm (except you-know-who, but I'll cut her some slack), I let them get whatever they wanted.  We all started the day off happy.  That's what I like about Starbucks:  it's always a clean, happy place with a good vibe and comfortable chairs.  After a quick stop at the grocery store for our Cooke City food contribution, we were off!

The traffic was light, mostly because Sturgis was over and also because there was construction over Beartooth and signs discouraging "Sunday drivers."  Lucky for me!  (Driving into Rapid City, I told the kids it would be another half-hour.  Freestone said, "Unless we hit rush hour."  I said, "I don't think they have rush hour in South Dakota."  Free said, "Really!?...Do people in Chicago know this?"  Funny kid.)

212 is a two-way, one-lane highway, so I was glad not to be too stuck behind too many trucks and motorcycles.  And I didn't want to go too fast, the scenery was so amazing.  I did have a brush with death, despite the dreamy traffic.  We were driving along when an oncoming semi started drifting into our lane.  I slammed on the brakes, veered off to the side and honked for all I was worth.  He corrected and we didn't die.  I was shaking from adrenaline for the next hour.  I could hardly breathe.  To think that all of our lives could have ended so abruptly on that highway in northeastern Wyoming...I couldn't stop saying prayers of thanks that God's plan was not for that to happen.  During all of our various travels this summer, I really felt reassured that we would all come home safely.  I do wonder how many angels it may have taken to steer that semi back into its lane, though!  :)

I can see why the Beartooth is one of the country's most famous drives.  It's incredible.  As we approached and I told the kids we were going up over the mountains, they couldn't believe it.  It was fun to look down at all the switchbacks we had covered and up at all the switchbacks we were going.  Coming down the other side was where the construction was, but traffic was negligible and it didn't take long to navigate the one-way section through the mud.

When we arrived at Paul and Rita's cabin, Laura and Gordon and their kids were there waiting.  It took the kids about one second to find someone their age and start playing as if they were best friends.  It was so lucky for me that Laura and Gordon decided to be at the cabin at the perfect time.  It was a great winding-down for the trip because I felt so at home with them and in the cabin, where my kids were familiar with the surroundings.  So really, I was rested up and relaxed before I even got home, thanks to Laura and Gordon and their family.  I wish we had had more time, but you never really have enough time in Cooke City.  The night we arrived, we were able to talk and catch up.  Laura and I hardly ever see each other, but we feel connected through the blogs.  It's a blessing, one that, among other things, allowed us the chance to decompress with the limited time that we had together.  Aaahhh....home without being home!