Day 39, Saturday, August 24, 2012, Grant Village campground, Yellowstone to Signal Mountain Lodge, Teton National Park

Day 39, Saturday, August 24, 2012, Grant Village campground, Yellowstone to Signal Mountain Lodge, Teton National Park

It was friggin' cold Saturday morning. I had to pee real bad around daylight and kept putting it off until I became so aware I had to pee I couldn't put it off anymore. I threw on my Keene's and dashed for the toilet. I did a small internal battle whether I wanted to breakdown my tent and pack or get back in the sleeping bag. As soon as I stuck my head into the tent I opted for back in the bag as it was so much warmer.

I laid there for a while contemplating what I would wear and other unimportant stuff until I knew I could not put it off any longer. Breaking camp is always a lot easier than what one contemplates before attempting it. It was around 28 degrees. My bag had kept me warm but the tent is a 3 seasons tent and it was not keeping the interior warm. I bundled up: bike shorts, long sleeve T, wind front tights, bike jersey, bike socks with wool socks over them, Showers Pass jacket over the top half, the flexible B, B? (It starts with a b but I cannot remember it's full name) around my neck and pulled over the top of my head, and merino wool gloves on the hands. The ride to the restaurant for breakfast was one mile. My feet got cold and my nose was running like a waterfall by the time I reached the restaurant. My face was numb or at least I think it was. 

I didn't thaw out until my food had been served to me, so Bob's attempt to be cheerful landed on frozen ears and psyche. He didn't attempt to speak to me again until it was obvious I had thawed out.

Frank told me to eat real slow and I did my best so it was about 9:30 and the temp had got up to 32 degrees. Four degrees and sunshine helped me ride more comfortably. Eventually I found myself quite a bit out in front of the others. A coyote dashed across the road about 50 yards in front of me. It felt warmer and I elected to pull over and dress down. Off went the jacket, tights, and wool gloves, on went the vest and knee warmers. 

 

Lewis River Falls

We stopped just inside Teton National Park to snack. There were small climbs to be attained so people took off at different times to get it over with. Once we got to a place where the Teton were visible, they weren't. It was a very smokey day. After dinner I was able to get the pictures below with the iPad.

Stats: D= 48.8, T= 3:49, Mx= 35.6, Av= 12.7, El Gain= 1396, Mx Alt= 7749 (add 200 feet), ODO= 4367

Day 37 & 38, Thursday, August 24, 2012, West Yellowstone to Grant Village, Yellowstone Park and a rest day

Day 37 & 38, Thursday, August 24, 2012, West Yellowstone to Grant Village, Yellowstone Park and a rest day

Up very early, for me, to breakfast at a cafe opening at 6:30 AM, then back to the motel to put the panniers on the bike and dress warmly. It was very cold, comparatively speaking, this morning. Possibly 39 degrees. I put my wind front tights on, Showers Pass jacket and merino wool gloves. It was adequate meaning I did not feel chilled.

Those who possessed Golden Eagle cards showed them at the gate. Those who did not paid. We will be staying an extra day at Grant Village. There was no room at the inn so we have reserved camp sites.

Yellowstone is a different place in that one senses things are different here. This in spite of the constant stream of cars and RV units passing us by. The amount of new, young, lodgepole pines covering the hillsides and adjacent to the road is astounding. Yes, indeed, fire is an important ecological ally. I wonder how nature will reduce the density of the new growth in ten years or so. Another fire, pine beetles, both, again, or something new and challenging? 

I was on the lookout for wildlife and looked down on my right and there was a cottontail rabbit nervously twitching ears and nose and I and the rest of us rolled by. Was he waiting for a break in the traffic so he could cross the road?

We began to use every pull out to pull out and eyeball the terrain for some sign of big game. Bob chose not to pull out and down the road he rolled. A bit later we round a corner and there is Bob stopped on the shoulder along with a bunch of cars. Just before we reached him there was another pull out and we did. there was a break in the lodgepole pine density and I was able to see what Bob had stopped to see, a bull Elk, and off to the left were several other Elk. I snapped the pictures below.

Great shot of Elk butt. Bull Elk butt. Herb is looking at the two below.

More Elk butt and a Bob profile.

The pictures below are of Elk. I don't care if Herb insisted they are geese to my eyes they are elk!!!

 

See the rack on the lead bull? Impressive, huh?

 

See the Elk grazing. Only Elk graze in the grass.

When we reached Madison and turned toward Old Faithful and Grant Village we pulled off into a park area. All of a sudden people were pulling up in their cars, including a bus, and parking willy-nilly and dashing out with camera in hand. The bison bull below was heading for water.

We took the Firehole River loop and I took the pictures below of the falls.

 

 

We stopped for lunch at Old Faithful. We watched a film about Yellowstone, through which I slept and then it was time for the water show. I shot a video with my iPhone, but am not sure I have the knowledge to insert it into my blog. 

After Old Faithful it was time to climb to the Continental Divide, twice. the first climb, to Craig Pass, got us to 8262. There was some descent then we began to climb again and got to 8516, but it was not the divide. We descended some more then climbed back up to 8391 to cross the divide the second time. From here it was a descent to Grant Village and our camp sites.

Day 2 was a rest day and time to do laundry. The morning was very chilly and we were moving slowly. We got to the breakfast site while Geno and Frank were still there then Geno and Frank rode off to Hayden Valley to spy Bison herds. They did and rode their asses off on the way back. 

Statsl: D= 59.4, T= 5:41, Mx= 39.1, Av= 10.4, El Gain= 2809, Mx Alt= 8316(add 200 feet), ODO= 4318.    

Day 36, Wednesday, August 22, 2012, Campfire Lodge, MT to West Yellowstone, MT

Day 36, Wednesday, August 22, 2012, Campfire Lodge, MT to West Yellowstone, MT

Easy morning after a hard day. Breakfast at 8 AM was very good. The special was a blackberry pancake with one egg and three strips of bacon. The pancake was huge, edges overlapping the plate edge. I left about three bites of pancake on the plate.

The route was flat as our elevation gain statistic will attest. I took the pictures below as an example of the view across the reservoir. It has a dam so it's man made and therefore a reservoir. Unlike Quake Lake which has a nature made dam created during our lifetime. It's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.

Gorgeous morning to ride.

 

Same spot in the road as picture above.

 

I took these pictures of log house builders because I wanted to.

 

Fairly big structure. Good sized logs anyway.

 

Bucking the log to length while the front loader holds the log up.

 

The strap is centered and they are working the log around to carry it to the structure.

 

Off they head for the building.

 

A log flattened on one side.

 

The log is going to be placed somewhere on the back side of the building.

 

This man was notching a log.

West Yellowstone exists for the tourist trade. We ate at a Chinese food restaurant for dinner and the waiter says he moves to Salt Lake for the winter. The restaurant closes down during the winter.

It looks to me as if the tourism business is slowing down. It may be selfish reasoning on my part as I project it means less cars and rv's in Yellowstone. Wishful thinking, probably.

Tomorrow will be another long day, around 50 miles with over 2000 feet of elevation gain. We will climb to our highest point tomorrow for our whole trip. After tomorrow it is kind of downhill to Jackson. Three more days of riding the Rex on its inaugural trip. Then I pack it up and ship it home to Carmichael.

Stats: T= 1:55, Mx= 25, Av= 11.9, El Gain= 616, Mx Alt= 6490, ODO= 4259, D= 22.8

Day 35, Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Ennis, MT to Campfire Lodge, MT

Day 35, Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Ennis, MT to Campfire Lodge, MT

Second hardest day on the bike, so far, this trip. As stated, Bob and I elected to sleep in as the day did not present, on paper, as very difficult. It would be a steady up but primarily at about 2%. We didn't sleep in as we both got a solid night's sleep. We were up just after Geno shut the door.

The other five went to breakfast at The Pharmacy whereas Bob and I elected to go to The Ennis Cafe. The day before while walking around we had asked a proprietress what she thought was a good restaurant for dinner and breakfast. When I asked her if The Pharmacy was a good choice she made a very negative facial expression and then said she wasn't going to say anything about The Pharmacy. We then asked her what she thought were good choices. She recommended the Ennis for breakfast.

Bob and I were the last ones out of the Riverside motel. A very comfortable morning. We had to climb up onto a bench above the Madison River. Once on top I felt a breeze blowing straight on. It slowed us down but we were able to maintain a steady 10-11 miles per hour. Two hours later it was still a steady head wind and we were tired. Around three hours I saw a sign for a rest stop ahead. Herb and Bob were already there. I pulled in, "No Water." A rest stop without any running water?!!? Bob engaged a man in conversation and he said he had water. He filled several water bottles and put some in my Camel Back. 

Smoke enshrouded mountains.

Mike was the last to pull in and he went begging in his persuasive manner and came up with five cans of diet coke and six bottles of water. This refreshment got us down the road about another hour or so, when we saw Geno's bike parked off to the side of a restaurant. It turned out they had just closed, but were quite willing to cook their last four burgers and three plates of tacos. Beverages were unlimited and I drank about four glasses of raspberry tea. We were wasted from almost four hours of riding and we still had another 15 miles to go.

The wind seemed to be coming more from the side as we headed for the Madison River Canyon and Earthquake Lake. As we headed into the canyon it became a tail wind. After four and a half hours on the bike we still had about three minor climbs to get up and over. We arrived at Campfire Lodge after five hours and fifteen minutes on the bike. We got an extra cabin so everyone could sleep in their own bed. There was no dinner place close by so we had to snack. 

                            

Picture is out of order, in that, it was a funeral parlor in Ennis. Really looks like a place for dead people to me.

 

The Madison river in the foreground with the scar from the avalanche above.

 

A second look. Niether of these pictures unless you blow them up indicate how massive a landslide it was.

 

My first look at Quake Lake.

 

A second look at Quake Lake.

 

The outlet is the V in the foreground.

 

The outlet first created by the Corps of Engineers but worn away over the last 60 years by the Madison River. The Corps elected to blow an outlet rather than take the chance the river would burst the quake created dam and a huge flash flood would follow doing damage to the ranches and towns downstream.

 

A long look down the lake. Now it is around 190 feet deep. All the dead trees are actually measurements of how far the lake has dropped since 1959.

 

Looking back at the outlet and the slide scar. Eventually the Madison River will wear away the slide created dam and Quake Lake will disappear. Three separate events occurred to create what we see here. An earthquake, then a landslide, followed by a flood. Over 20 people died in the campground, now underwater, that night of the earthquake.

 

Upstream of Quake Lake and only a mile or two from Campfire Lodge to the left of this picture.

 

Same spot but looking west at the meadow/wetlands.

Stats: D= 49.5, T= 5:15, Mx= 35.2, Av= 9.4, El Gain= 2200, Mx Alt= 6445, ODO= 4236,

Day 34, Monday, August 20, 2012, Sheridan to Ennis, MT

Day 34, Monday, August 20, 2012, Sheridan to Ennis, MT

After a restless night at a very nice motel and a decent, but slow breakfast we lit out for Ennis. Mike touted stops at Nevada City and Virginia City encouraging us to take it easy today. Mileage wasn't far but we had a climb before we got a long descent.

Below is a picture of Robber's Roost. During 1863 the local sheriff and his deputies decided to take advantage of the weak and rob them. They hung out at the rest stop when not robbing thus the name Robber's Roost. Vigilantes shot them dead in 1864.

This building served as the travelers' rest site, but was built after the robbers had been killed by the Vigilantes.

A separate building that may have been the original building.

Nevada City, MT is an interesting restored and transported historical town. Many of the buildings in the pictures below are from other parts of Montana. They were transported to Nevada City and restored. Mike, Geno, Herb and I stopped for treats at the bakery.

 

The first building one sees entering Nevada City, MT. It appears to be a ramshackle sort of building with the left connecting to the main house, a Victorian, below.

Victorian not clear yet.

Better light to see the Victorian on right.

From the other side.

To the right of the above picture. Seems to be a large storage place for stuff.

Close up of the building on the right of the Victorian.

The filagee and a copper coated weather vane. 

Nothing is happening with this building.

Imported railroad cars.

Wash hung out to dry.

 

A shot down a side street.

  

A shot down main street.

In Virginia City, MT just a mile or so up the road we stopped for food again. Bob and Geno split a sandwich and I had a milkshake. On our way out of town I saw the sign for the church below.

 

 

 

The road tilted up directly out of Virginia City and stayed tilted up for the next four miles.  It wasn't steep, i.e. low gear and barely turning the crank. It was just a steady 6% give or take. The descent, on the other hand, was probably the best, most fun, of our descents so far. Relatively straight with big sweeping corners. The only problem for me was gusty winds up near the top. Traffic was light so I felt OK using the whole lane. Once I had dropped a few hundred feet the gusty winds subsided and I felt OK letting the bike roll. Check my maximum speed for the day, and remember I am doing this with loaded panniers and a great bike.

The next day is supposed to be a relatively flat, steady ascent, over fifty miles. Bob and I are electing to sleep in. 

Stats: T= 2:52, Mx= 42.4, Av= 11.7, El Gain= 1744, Mx Alt= 6644(a little over 7000 per map), ODO= 4186, D= 33.5