Day 7 - Cooke City to Red Lodge

Cooke City MT to Red Lodge MT, 88 miles total and 36.1 mpg. Totals for the trip, 1969 miles, 27.4 mpg. Those are the stats.

It is early Sunday morning. I woke up, and here I am. It is our first night without the boys, and they’re on my mind – I guess that’s why I’m up.

We had a nice quiet evening in Cooke City Friday night. Cooke City is a quiet place. We walked the town again, and the ‘action’ seemed to be in the second bay of the Exxon station! There was also a reunion going on. It was pretty quiet.

I’m having trouble with internet connectivity. The WiFi in Cooke City was very slow – and now at Dunham’s my connection is still slow. I haven’t been able to get Fridays pictures uploaded yet, so I’m falling behind, and that’s fatal in a way. Some troubleshooting is in order when I can get to it. It’s frustrating when things that should not take any time, like uploading pictures, begin to consume time and keep me ‘at the computer’. I don’t want to be in front of this monster all the time.
Back to the trip. In Cooke City we varied the morning schedule a little. After the 5:30 feeding and walking we actually went back to bed for a bit! That was nice, and when we did get up (around 7) we got ourselves cleaned, packed and ready to go, then walked into town for a nice breaky at the bistro. We sat outside with the boys, the weather was beautiful, and sitting in the sun was nice. After breakfast we packed up the car and headed out, forgetting to get gas. Sally-Heath drove first and again, the scenery was just wonderful. Snow, almost raging streams, waterfalls, lakes – cameras can’t capture it, and my words can’t describe it. It is breathtaking.

I was concerned about running out of gas. There is no gas station until Red Lodge. But the good news is after going to the summit of the mountain between Cooke City and Red Lodge, it is all downhill – and what a hill. For this short trip we averaged over 45 mpg! When we got to the gas station the car told us we still had 24 miles of range to spare.

The next stop after gas was the hardest. We went to the vet and put the boys in their cell, oops, kennel. This begins the first time we have been separated on the trip. I’m sure they’ll be fine, but I’m not sure about me. They’re about a 20 mile drive away from Dunham’s, but I think I’ll be making that drive fairly often.
Then we headed for the airport. The anticipated meeting time was noon, and when we got there it was just shortly after noon, and Chuck, Caroline, Gary and Jane were there, just unloading the plane. Cindy pulled in shortly after, and Lyle was on the way from the Cabin. We loaded up the vehicles, had a drink or two, and when Lyle got there we decided to go home and get settled in. We must be getting old – I’m sure that in previous years we would have hit the Snow Creek Saloon for at least one drink!

Lyle and Cindy live in Luther, a signpost about 20 miles west of Red Lodge. They have created a beautiful home here, and each time we come they have upped it another notch. It was almost perfect last time, it is perfect now, and I don’t know how they’re going to follow this act! In the pictures you’ll see some of the views from their home. They pretty much match the best of all the thing we have seen on the way here.


The afternoon was lazy. I’m going to stop mentioning drinking, because that is a constant. We played a horseshoe like game called CornHole. You throw small bean bags at an inclined plane that looks sorta like a football field (Nebraska) with a large hole (beanbag size) at the top of the plane close to the endzone. It was surprisingly difficult, especially because there are no 30 foot level spots around, so you’re either throwing uphill or downhill, and the dynamic is totally different. It was fun. After that we checked out the new pool table. It’s a great table, and about all I can say is at least none of us every wasted much time learning how to play well! It was fun, too. I’m sure we’ll see more of both CornHole and pool in the days that follow.

Dinner was at the Pollard. There’s a lot of history here, and I won’t bore or misinform you with it. The Pollard is/was a hotel in downtown Red Lodge. It is a place you can go for a more formal meal. And a great meal. It is moderately expensive, but as you say, it’s worth it. Other than the great food and great service, probably the thing that stands out most is what happens when the puppies gather for chow (or just about anything else). Now here is the setting: The Pollard, a nice, quiet, formal dining room. About 16 tables, mostly for 4 – when we get there I guess it was half full. The 8 puppies took their place, and the whole atmosphere changed. It was no longer quiet. I think we all felt a little sorry for the other patrons, but there is no way a puppy gathering can be quiet. Don’t know if we ruined anyone’s night out, or perhaps enhanced their night out, but it was a fine puppy evening.

After dinner we checked out the Bear and Bull Bar – it was dead, and we left without having a drink. Then we piled into the Suburban and drove the 4 blocks to the Snow Creek. They had live music, and we went in. It turned into a fairly quick stop. A drink, a dance or two, and back home. The band was good, especially at Reggae. But it was late for us, and we were all tired. Gary was our designated driver, and he got us home in spite of ourselves – I know how hard that is, and I can only say ‘wonderful job’.

Once we got home the party rekindled – imagine that! More drinks (I wasn’t going there…), music, presents, talk. One by one we faded into the woodwork. That was the end of day one – a great day it was.