# Yellowstone: N.E./ Lamar Valley



## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

Well, after much debate I decided to take a couple of days and ride inside Yellowstone National Park. As any of you have been there know, the roads are very narrow and in horrible condition. Add to that, Aug is one of the most crowded months in the park. But, I had the time and the desire so what the heck. I decided to start out in one of the least visited sections of the park, Lamar Valley which is in the N.E. corner. The valley itself is very beautiful and is best known for it's fantastic flyfishing and more recently, wolf sightings. Since I was riding alone with no sag wagon, I decided to make "out and back" trips. I rode from the NE entrance to Tower Falls and back. Total distance for day one was 64 miles. I don't have the artistic eye like so many of you here and my camera is an old 1 megapixel, so my photos leave a lot to be desired. 

1: Yours truely at Montana entrance, all Freded out in my best Performance kit with camel back and mountain bike shoes.  

2: First part of the ride is about 7300ft elevation and travels down the mountain through heavily wooded area. Saw a lot of deer here. 

3: This is a rock. It was a wierd optical illusion at first glance looks like an eagle standing on the ground. I just had to get a photo. 

4: I was very happy to see that many of the roads in the park have been resufaced. The pot holes used to be horrible and cars would weave all over the roadway just to avoid the craters. This makes it much safer for traveling, however, there's still no shoulder along this route.


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

1: There aren't many thermal features in this section of the park. This is one of the few, Soda Butte. I live at 2500' elevation and the heavy sulfur smell emitting from this beauty was a special treat while gasping for air at 7000'!  

2: A scene that can only be seen in Yellowstone. There was a bit of road construction going on and this heard of Buffalo was hanging out with the flagman. 

3: A view of Lamar Valley. 

4: Some of the many flyfishermen in the area.


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

1: This is near Tower Junction. Looking down at Yellowstone river. Elevation is somewhere around 6000'.

2: Another view of the river looking east.

3: Tower Falls. The trees have blocked the view of this very tall waterfall. Photos do not do Yellwstone justice. It must be seen to be appreciated. 

4: Heading back. The scenery was beautiful in both directions. I was the only cyclist on the road this day.


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

1: Classic American West imagery near Roosevelt. Cowboys aren't dead yet. 

2 & 3: These pics are cheating (from the roadbike perspective) I didn't ride my bike to this location. I just thought they were cool pics that folks from places like Australia may enjoy. These photos were taken in Mammoth which is about 20 miles from Rossevelt. The drive over is beautiful, but the road is a classic, Yellowstone potholed nightmare. I don't recommend riding your bike along this route.


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## spot (Feb 16, 2005)

Thanks for the great photos. Some day I would like to see the park. Yellowstone must be a lot like the Grand Canyon, must be seen in person.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*No they don't.*



Bryan said:


> I don't have the artistic eye like so many of you here and my camera is an old 1 megapixel, so my photos leave a lot to be desired.


Great stuff and anyone who does that kind of riding is no kind of fred.


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## Bryan (Sep 19, 2004)

MB1 said:


> Great stuff and anyone who does that kind of riding is no kind of fred.


HEY THANKS!  

Now I feel like that nerdy kid in the old 80's movie. You remember? He pays some hot chica to date him and then he suddenly finds himself hang'n with the "Cool Kids"!


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Fine pictures. You have a good eye. I love Yellowstone. It's one of my favorite places. Once you get off the main roads, It's like the Garden of Eden.


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

*i love those deep blue skies*

Brings back fond memories of time spent in God's country. I haven't been to another part of the US so prone to the layers of deep blue skies and brooding clouds.

Once I had an enlargement made of a photo taken near Cody. But the enlargement was too bright and pale. The lab technician (in TX) assured me that the skies cannot be so dark blue like I described. I assured the technician that if he ever went to WYO, he'd understand...

I lived in Evanston for a while. Are you up in Montana?


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