We flew into Bozeman early in the afternoon and landed in a valley. The best thing about small airports is that while you are getting your rental car your luggage is already spinning around the conveyor belt ready for pick up. Once we got our luggage, we waved to the rental agent and could see the brown Subaru Outback in the first parking space. Small airports usually require changing planes in huge airports like Denver, but you are out and on the road within 20 minutes of landing.
After leaving the airport, I was completely amazed at how the flat land went immediately into mountain. On the east coast we have shore, small hills, so-so hills, some big hills and then rolling mountains. As we were driving along the service road, it came to me that here you have flat land and then boom, a mountain and then BOOM another mountain. There and nor foothills, no transitions, just high elevation plains and then BOOM, the mountains rising another 6,000 feet above you.
Before the circular root could begin a very important stop had to be made at the Wal-Mart. Now many may oppose corporate or location policies, or just hate the store because of what it stands for, but when you are not in a booming metropolis and need an ice cooler, beer, wine, paper products and food, there is rarely a better place to get you in and out with a completed shopping list for a reasonable cost.
As we left Bozeman and Wal-Mart we drove east along I-90 to Livingston, Montana we started to cross the Gallatin Range which was filled with Pines and a hundred shades of tan. As we came down the range we entered into another valley which was breathtaking and had an educational rest area that talked about Lewis and Clark’s activities in the valley. With a quick detour through the historic and well preserved and active town of Livingston we turned south to reach Yellowstone border by night.
The valley we entered was roughly 50 miles north of the park boundary and was aptly named Paradise Valley. The valley lies between the Gallatin and Absaroka ranges and is absolutely beautiful. There are two roads that go from north to south. The first is 89 which is a State Highway with higher speeds and more of a straight drive from Livingston to Gardiner. The other is East River Road which runs along the east side of the Yellowstone River and along the west side of the Absaroka mountains. The Yellowstone River was previously known as the Elk River by the Crow Indians and was a traditional hunting ground for antelope, bison and elk. We drove along East River until we got to the town of Pine Creek and went to the Gallatin National Forest to hike the Pine Creek Trail to the waterfall. On the way up to the trail head, we drove on a narrow road with several switchbacks that rose above the valley providing superb views of the valley. After coming around a turn I noticed that there was a lone horse walking down the middle of the road. As we finished the next turn there was a group of four horses, or as I thought jackasses, walking down the road. At this point it was useless to try and pass them and had to wait for them to finish hanging out with the car. One horse decided that the bugs I had driven through would be tasty and proceeded to lick the hood of my car.
When we got to the trail head, we got out of the car for what we were led to believe was a quick two mile round trip relatively flat hike. Well, as hikes go this one sounded perfect to transition into higher altitudes before we got into the parks. Alas, as all ideas go, the trail was a bit different with about a 500 foot elevation rise and closer to 3 ½ miles round trip. The waterfall was worth the hike, and included a pine two plank bridge across the creek with the railing on only one side. As we hiked down the mountain, I thought about all the options I could have for dinner at the Pine Creek Lodge and Café.
After dinner we headed south along East River Road until we got to the intersection of Mill Creek which would take us back to Route 89. It is sometimes better to be on the main road instead of the back road as dusk approaches. The area has a lot of deer that I was not sure the Outback wanted to meet. Where we turned is a bridge over the Yellowstone River that is known locally as a great jumping spot. People run across the street and jump off the railing and into the river below. Route 89 runs parallel to the river on the west bank and passes through farms before entering the town of Miner and the Yankee Jim Canyon which we approached at sunset. The town of Gardiner is at the end of the canyon and just north of the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to fly fish, go to Chico Hot Springs and hike a bit more. If I was to go back, I could stay several days in Paradise Valley and not get bored.
Dining
We got to the Pine Creek Lodge and Café just before they opened for Saturday night at 5:30. If I was looking for a mental Montana experience, this Roadhouse completely met my expectations. It was a former log cabin with extensions that had been made into a restaurant with eclectic decor, a small bar, a large screened in deck, four cabins for visitors and a big backyard for barbeques. You will not miss the property because they have a twenty foot sign lit with neon and a huge marquee. The owner previously worked at a resort and historic hotel down the street, and brought his extreme talent and creativity to this restaurant.
Luckily we got there early because it is a restaurant that fills up quickly with reservations. They do have an overflow in the backyard with a barbecue for dinners, live music every weekend and for the overflow of the restaurants for those that did not make reservations. What is great is that the creek that we had just hiked also runs along the restaurant for a great sense of accomplishment. Here we were able to meet our goal of eating regional food and products instead of what we could get easily back home. The first dish was the Elk Meatloaf in mushroom gravy with rice and vegetables. I am not one for meatloaf, but the chance to have elk was too much to resist, and I was duly rewarded for my daring into the traditional concept of meatloaf. The meat was not as gamey as I thought and the seasonings complimented the dish so well that I could be convinced to make this meatloaf my new favorite dish. I complimented the dish with the Madison River Brewing Company’s Salmon River Honey Rye beer.
The second dish was a cheeseburger with beef from the local butcher. Maryann ordered the burger medium and with Swiss cheese. It was great getting a dish that was almost all local, including the bun. The burger was big, thick, juicy and the perfect shade of pink. The third dish was the rainbow trout tacos, with the fish being caught within the area. The trout was crusted in cornmeal and pan-fried, served up with pepper jack cheese, avocado sauce and a corn relish. The tacos were gone in less than a minute and it was clear that this was an award winning recipe that can be found in One Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish – The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook. I thought we would just be finding a road side restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised at how top notch the food was. I was actually too full to even contemplate dessert.
Photo Count 59 and Hours in Car 90 minutes
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