{"id":3406,"date":"2016-08-18T08:10:34","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T14:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3406"},"modified":"2019-03-16T10:11:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T16:11:47","slug":"gardner-lake-beartooth-pass-wyoming-8-14-12-8-15-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=3406","title":{"rendered":"Gardner Lake & Beartooth Pass, Wyoming (8-14-12 & 8-15-12)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days 7 & 8 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast.<\/em><\/p>\n

The sky was just starting to get light.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were up and out of Lupe’s “tiny house” (tent) to greet the day before Lanis woke up.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP were camped on the beautiful Clark’s Fork\u00a0of the Yellowstone River.\u00a0 Lupe sat on SPHP’s lap wrapped in a blanket for a long time, watching the sunlight start shining on Pilot<\/span><\/a><\/strong> (11,699 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> and Index<\/span><\/strong><\/a> (11,240 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> Peaks<\/strong><\/span> beyond the bend in the river.<\/p>\n

After a while, Lupe felt like sniffing\u00a0around in the forest.\u00a0 After two days in Yellowstone National Park, where she wasn’t free to do much more than ride in Lanis’ Honda Element, Lupe was just happy to be free again.\u00a0 While SPHP made breakfast, Lupe roamed a little downstream exploring the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe explores the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River in the early morning light.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A deer visited Lupe’s camp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"So<\/a>
So did a spider.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"But<\/a>
But Lupe was too busy watching squirrels to worry about the deer and spider.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eventually Lanis woke up.\u00a0 Lanis & SPHP discussed plans for the day.\u00a0 If Lupe was going to get all the way to the west coast, it was probably time for her to start making her way farther W pretty soon.\u00a0 However, since Lupe’s recent\u00a0trip to Beauty and Becker Lakes had been so gorgeous, SPHP suggested spending one more day in the Beartooths before moving on.\u00a0 Lupe would get a lot of exercise, which would make her happier riding in the Element the following day.\u00a0 Lanis agreed.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Honda Element and Lupe’s tiny house along the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis has breakfast along the river with Pilot (L)\u00a0and Index (R)\u00a0Peaks in the distance. It was pretty hazy out all day long due to big forest fires far away\u00a0in Idaho.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After breakfast, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP hopped in the Element and headed E on the Beartooth Hwy No. 212.\u00a0 Lanis stopped at the Top of the World store.\u00a0 SPHP ran in to buy a couple of topo maps.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Lanis checked out the directions outside.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The directions outside the Top of the World Store weren’t as helpful as Lanis had hoped.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After consulting SPHP’s new topo maps, it was decided to check out part of the Beartooth Loop National Recreational Trail.\u00a0 There was a trailhead just a few miles E along Hwy 212 near Long Lake.\u00a0 Soon Lupe, Lanis and SPHP were setting out on the trail.\u00a0 Lupe was very happy!\u00a0 There was a lot of open ground with sweeping vistas where she could run and run.\u00a0 She was full of energy!<\/p>\n

The trail went past several lakes.\u00a0 Hauser Lake came first.\u00a0 Quite a bit farther on, down in a valley, Lupe reached Losekamp Lake.\u00a0 From Losekamp Lake, Lupe followed a spur trail that wound E up onto a ridge N of Tibbs Butte.\u00a0 Up on the ridge, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP\u00a0turned N\u00a0to\u00a0reach Gardner Lake – Lupe’s ultimate destination.<\/p>\n

\"Open<\/a>
Open ground along the Beartooth Loop National Recreational Trail. Lupe ran all day!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Gardner<\/a>
Gardner Lake in the Beartooths. Photo looks N along the W shore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mountains<\/a>
Mountains NW of Gardner Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trek to Gardner Lake wasn’t as spectacularly beautiful as Lupe’s trip to Beauty and Becker Lakes a few days earlier.\u00a0 There weren’t as many lakes and streams, the mountains didn’t seem quite as close or high, the forests were sparser and more distant, and there weren’t as many wildflowers.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, there was much more open\u00a0grassland where Lupe could\u00a0race along with her nose to the ground sniffing at top speed.\u00a0\u00a0At some\u00a0points, there were\u00a0some pretty grand sweeping vistas.\u00a0 Best of all, there was absolutely no one else around.\u00a0 And at Gardner Lake, Lanis did manage to find some pretty nice wildflowers near the shore.\"Wildflowers<\/a>\"Wildflowers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Wildflowers<\/a>
Wildflowers at Gardner Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Except for a long exploration of the forested ridge NE of Losekamp Lake, where Lanis and SPHP split up for a while, Lupe’s return trip from Gardner Lake just retraced her path from earlier in the day.\u00a0 By the time Lupe was back at the Honda Element again, there was no question that she’d gotten enough exercise.\u00a0 She had run all day long.\u00a0 It had been a wonderful day to be a Carolina Dog wild and free in the Beartooths!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe and Lanis near a pond just downstream of Gardner Lake. Tibbs Butte is seen in the distance. Photo looks S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe, Lanis and SPHP returned to the campsite on the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River for another night in Lupe’s tiny house.\u00a0\u00a0During her last evening on\u00a0the\u00a0beautiful river, the\u00a0American Dingo slept very soundly.<\/p>\n

The next morning, it was time to leave the Beartooths and start heading farther W.\u00a0 After breakfast, Lanis and SPHP broke camp and packed up Lupe’s tiny house.\u00a0 When everything was ready, Lupe jumped up into the Honda Element ready for whatever adventure might be next.<\/p>\n

Lanis\u00a0drove the Element\u00a0E on Beartooth Hwy No. 212 again, just like the day before.\u00a0 This time, Lupe was going to go over 10,947 foot Beartooth Pass, the highest point she had ever been to yet!\u00a0 She was then going to cross the border into Montana for the very first time, making Montana the 3rd Lupe state!<\/p>\n

Just a few miles\u00a0before reaching\u00a0Beartooth Pass,\u00a0Hwy 212\u00a0was up on top of barren mountains overlooking Gardner Lake, where Lupe had been just the day before.\u00a0 Naturally, Lupe, Lanis and SPHP wanted to stop and take a look at Gardner Lake from above.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From the Beartooth Hwy overlook, Lupe surveys Gardner Lake, where she’d had such a good time running around the day before. Tibbs Butte is seen on the L.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Gardner<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis and Gardner Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fog\u00a0started sweeping over the ridge ahead as Lupe neared Beartooth Pass.\u00a0 Up at the pass, the tops of the mountains were mostly clear, but the giant valleys and canyons\u00a0to the N\u00a0were full of clouds.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP stopped for\u00a020\u00a0or 30\u00a0minutes to look around, but it didn’t take long to get the idea what a bank of fog looked like.\u00a0\u00a0Soon Lupe was on her way again.<\/p>\n

\"Fog<\/a>
Fog starts sweeping across the highway in places as Lupe approaches Beartooth Pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Above<\/a>
Above the clouds at Beartooth Pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The mountains had trapped a big bank of clouds N of the pass. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The border with Montana was just a few miles from Beartooth Pass, where the highway was still at a great height in the mountains.\u00a0 Amazingly, there was a speed limit 70 mph sign up there!<\/p>\n

Lanis especially\u00a0found this highly amusing.\u00a0 It was obviously some kind of Darwinian Introduction to\u00a0Montana\/Wyoming Intelligence Test (DIMWIT) to see if tourists were smart enough to survive in Montana.\u00a0 For what lay ahead was not a nice straight, smooth highway, but miles of 20 mph, 15 mph, and even 10 mph hairpin curves snaking tortuously along the brink of tremendous precipices.<\/p>\n

Partway down the giant descent, there was a\u00a0little parking lot at a viewpoint.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP stopped to check it out.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The first thing Lupe discovered at the viewpoint, was that squirrels were using little holes built into the bottom of the rock retaining walls to come onto the walkways and beg for food from tourists. Lupe was keenly interested in the frequent sudden appearance, and subsequent disappearance of all these squirrels! She peered over the walls to see where all these squirrels were disappearing to.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lanis<\/a>
Lanis at the viewpoint N of Beartooth Pass in Montana. Clearly not having as much fun as Lupe! Perhaps suffering from coffee deprivation?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Montana<\/a>\"View<\/a>\"View<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe thought this viewpoint along the Beartooth Hwy, was great fun! She wanted to stay and play Catch-A-Squirrel (the American Dingo version of Whack-A-Mole) all day!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With all the clouds trapped on the N side of the Beartooth Mountains, it wasn’t surprising that it was raining by the time Lupe reached Red Lodge, Montana.\u00a0 Lupe spent the afternoon snoozing comfortably in the Element while Lanis drove on\u00a0to Bozeman.<\/p>\n

In Bozeman, for the 1st time on her big 2012 Dingo Vacation, Lupe got to stay in the lap of luxury at a motel near I-90.\u00a0 She was very curious about it all, but was on her very best behavior.\u00a0 Dingoes are very adaptable to a wide range of conditions.\u00a0 Rest assured, Lupe took a dose of soft living completely in stride!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe leaves the driving to Lanis on the way to Bozeman, MT.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2012 West Coast\u00a0Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span> or Master Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days 7 & 8 of Lupe’s 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast. The sky was just starting to get light.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were up and out of Lupe’s “tiny house” (tent) to greet the day before Lanis woke up.\u00a0 Lupe, Lanis and SPHP were camped on the beautiful Clark’s Fork\u00a0of the Yellowstone River.\u00a0 … Continue reading Gardner Lake & Beartooth Pass, Wyoming (8-14-12 & 8-15-12)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[429],"tags":[105,489,491,106,26,488,104,417,275],"class_list":["post-3406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2012-west-coast","tag-american-dingo","tag-beartooth-loop-national-recreational-trail","tag-beartooth-pass","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-gardner-lake","tag-lupe","tag-montana","tag-wyoming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/P1030678.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3406"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20765,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3406\/revisions\/20765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}