With the "extended play" button firmly pressed on Montana's summer of 2010, we decided to take the twisty back roads of the Beartooth Highway. Nothing quite satisfies like the 11,000-foot-high plateau that is the Beartooth Mountain Range. Rolling tundra on the top and u-shaped glacial valleys below await the Sunday (or in this case, Saturday) driver.
Judging from the collection of roof-racks, sports cars, and souped-up choppers, we weren't the only folks who felt the last-minute sense of urgency to "get out" before the inevitable winter season arrives.
Red Lodge, or "Jackson Hole North" as one local put it, did not disappoint either. A late lunch at the Bridge Creek Cafe / Wine Bar delighted with "crab fingers," ahi-tuna tartare with crispy won-tons, and a beet salad with the requisite goat cheese crumbles. We paired the meal an Oregon Riesling that had surprising depth and balance. The occasional chopper and sports car provide the only distractions as we bask in the spenditude of the moment.
Sitting outside enjoying lunch on October 2nd in Montana is pretty good. Sitting outside enjoying lunch in the shade and still feeling almost a little too warm - priceless.