July 10, 2013 Beartooth Pass, Wyoming/Montana

I have always loved Beartooth Pass, so I talked John into driving up.

Waterfall on the way up. It was cranking. We stopped at the Clay Butte fire tower. Visited the visitors center on the bottom level and then went up to the top level and visited with the volunteer. He and his wife live in the middle level for two weeks out of the year. Watch for fires and entertain the visitors.  The volunteer is showing John how the Osborne fire sight works.

Wild flowers and the Gallatin mountains from the fire tower.

Another nice waterfall. Beartooth Butte and lake.

The Top of the World store. We stopped on the way back and got ice cream. An alpine lake.

Lunch at another lake. If you look closely you will see the swarm of mosquitos buzzing around John.  there was enough wind there to sort of keep them at bay, but we ended up finishing our lunch at the top, away from them. We  had planned on hiking, but I forgot about the mosquitos up here. They are the worst I have ever seen.

Chaco's shot over an alpine lake.  One of the switchbacks at the top.

John singing the Sound of Music and skipping through the flowers.  A view down into a cirque. In the very far right hand corner you can see the Bear’s tooth.

John photographing. There was a circle of tourists around this girl taking pictures of her feeding the chipmunk.  John wanted to tell them the chipmunk had fleas that carry the plague. I heard one of the girls telling another that they won’t bite. . .

Alpine tundra, snow and alpine lakes. It is breathtakingly beautiful up here.

Vista, Sue and John overlooking.

What we were overlooking. John parked the car in front of this snow plow,there were three in this lot, all chained up and ready to go. It can snow any month of the year up here. The pass is closed in the winter and it is always a big ta doo to get the snow plowed out of the way and open by late May.  Some years it is taller than the cars when it opens.

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John got me this opal and silver necklace for my birthday to match the ring he bought me this spring.  Alpine tundra flowers. You have to get on your knees to really see them they are so small. This huge bug landed on the windshield .

The alpine flowers were thick. 

Alpine forget me not's are one of my favorite flowers. A little piece of the sky. Sky pilots and phlox. Back at camp the bugs were bad too, I wore this outfit to watch sunset. Deet on feet and hands.