In Laurel on the morning of their fifth day, they discuss taking an alternate route to Bozeman, south through Yellowstone Park. Pirsig says, "It'll be cold. But just tremendous." On the morning of day five, they passed through Red Lodge where a 63 mile section of highway 212 known as the  Beartooth Pass Highway  arches up over 10,000 feet before descending to Cooke City. At a turnout on the road - Rock Creek Vista Point, they stopped to take some record photographs to show they had been there and then they walked to a little path that took them out to the edge of a cliff. A few miles up the highway, they rode through twin walls of snow 12 feet high and when they emerged they were at the summit. At Cooke City, they stop to eat and Pirsig remarks that John and Sylvia look and sound happier than he had seen them in years. High-country exuberance - traveling through the Beartooth will do that to you. The route is stunning in its beauty. Down the road a few miles is the town of Silvergate which leads to the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park where they stopped to pay a man in a Smokey Bear hat. They traveled down Northeast Entrance Road to the junction with Grand Loop Road, turned right, rode across and up to the junction with North Entrance Road, turned right again, exited the park at Gardiner, rode across the river and stopped at Hillcrest Cottages for the night.