OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- It struck a personal chord this morning to read the news that members of the American Motorcyclist Association have voted the Beartooth Highway as their favorite stretch of road in the U.S.

The winding, mountain highway climbs nearly 6,000 feet between Red Lodge, Mont., and Cooke City, Mont. Part of the route dips into Wyoming just east of Yellowstone National Park.

Riders who wrote to the association magazine said they enjoyed the route’s curves and mountain scenery.

The Powell Tribune reports that members voted for their favorite roads through the association’s website. The Beartooth beat out nearly 100 other roadways.

The personal note is that my father, born in Bear Creek, Mont., near Red Lodge in 1910, worked on the Beartooth Highway construction crews.  On his days off, he would hike into the Beartooth lakes and catch trout.

Also, I've pedaled the Beartooth on my bicycle.  It's easier on your lungs going down.