Week 3: Montana to Idaho to Wyoming
Thanks for joining me on my trip along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Whitefish, MT, to Antelope Wells, NM. I'll be sending this newsletter about once a week. It will be in a narrative journal format with a few pictures. To see more pics, please check out my Instagram account.
Day 15: Lima to Upper Red Rock Lake CG
We couldn't leave Lima without another tasty breakfast from Jan's Cafe. Our growing group was now six riders strong since Glenn and Tim rejoined us after having last seen them around Helena. We made our way back into the open rangeland on rolling roads following a swiftly flowing stream which eventually brought us to Lima Reservoir Dam. It was the first large body of water I've seen in a while and home to many birds such as geese and pelicans.
By lunchtime we were passing a ranch house with a few trees out front providing the rare commodity of shade. We laid our bikes down and started snacking. The ranchers came out to chat for a bit and offered us fresh water. Later in the afternoon we started to see some changes in the landscape as the Centennial Mountains started to rise on our right and the Red Rock Lakes came into sight on our left. We camped on the shore of the upper lake which is home to many more fowl, including trumpeter swans and sandhill cranes which made a lovely alarm clock in the morning.
Day 16: Upper Red Rock Lake CG to Warm River CG
After leaving the lake we started moving into more mountainous and timbered country as we ascended a relatively easy pass which was not only another Continental Divide crossing, but also the state line of Idaho. Some fun twisty forest roads brought us to the Mack's Inn area where we ate lunch and resupplied.
The next 30 miles consisted of a sandy, bumpy rail trail which is also used by ATVs. After a lot of bouncing around, we opted to use some parallel gravel roads until the last few miles. We got back on the trail and found the surface better and the scenery nicer with the Warm River gorge on our left side as we made our way down to a campground. A few rain showers passed over before the end, so we sheltered briefly in the entrance to an old railroad tunnel. The last couple miles threw a bunch of mud onto our bikes, but it was actually a welcome change from the dust.
Day 17 & 18: Warm River CG to Colter Bay and rest day
Idaho was short-lived, as we crossed into Wyoming the next day. There was a decent amount of climbing on the way and we passed a group of horse-drawn covered wagons and another large group of horse-back riders. Along the way we also found a nice swimming spot at Grass Lake.
Our target stopping point for the day was around Flagg Ranch on the north-south road that goes into Yellowstone. Of course this area was quite busy with tourists, so unfortunately we found no vacancy nearby. After some deliberation, we decided around 6PM to ride another 16 miles to Colter Bay, which is a large camping area on Jackson Lake with a stellar view of the Tetons across the lake. They had some reserved sites for cyclists, so we easily secured a place to camp and decided to stay an extra day.
The campground has a grocery store, restaurant, and laundry facilities of which we made plenty of use. The evening of the rest day brought a few thundershowers and a very lovely sunset behind the Tetons.
Day 19: Colter Bay to FR-532 Camp
Back on the bikes after a nice rest, we tackled Togwotee Pass at a fairly leisurely pace. Our group was back down to four after Glenn and Tim stayed behind for a longer rest. We started with a breakfast in Colter Bay and then stopped a few miles down the road at the Heart Six Ranch for a snack and some iced tea. Later, after climbing the gravel section of the pass, we had lunch outside a gas station. The remainder of the pass was on highway 26. We crossed the divide again at the highest point yet, over 9000 feet.
At the top we found a few cars pulled over taking photos. A few hundred feet off the side of the road there was a mama grizzly bear with two cubs foraging in the brush. They didn't seem to pay any mind to us, but we didn't linger too long.
The downhill on pavement went quick. We stopped for dinner at yet another restaurant in Lava Mountain Lodge. I've certainly eaten out much more than I had expected to be able to on this trip. A few more miles down the road we turned off the highway onto FR-532. It crossed the Wind River there and an informal, free campground was available with bear boxes and a restroom. We had a few RVs with generators as distant neighbors, but otherwise it was a quiet night.
Day 20: FR-532 Camp to The Place
Yesterday was one of the tougher days on the route. It consisted of several warm-up climbs before another divide crossing at Union Pass. Unfortunately we weren't rewarded with a stellar downhill, but more of a rolling road across the alpine to subalpine forests and meadows, which were certainly beautiful enough to distract from the hard riding. Glimpses of the Wind River Range began to appear as we gradually descended on increasingly rougher roads. At one point my bike got so shaken that the front axle came unthreaded. Luckily it was an easy fix.
After such a tough day it was very nice to find ourselves at The Place, somewhere we'd heard about from a northbound cyclist. The Place had just reopened under new ownership and wanted to provided a small sanctuary for cyclists as well as a community hub for the people of Kendall Valley. The family that owns it was very generous in providing us a meal, a place to camp, and good company.
Day 21: The Place to Pinedale
Today we slept in a little bit and had tasty breakfast burritos at The Place before riding the final 25 miles on paved roads into Pinedale, WY. The town has a quaint downtown with some prosperous businesses. I spent a couple hours at the bike shop due to an annoying, clicking crankarm. The fantastic mechanic, Austin, at Geared Up, hooked me up with the necessary parts and labor. I was even able to swap to a slightly smaller chainring which I'm hoping will allow me to climb hills a little easier. He also helped Howard with some fixes to his bike.
Afterwards we hung out with Austin at the Wind River Brewery for lunch. Later we walked through town and ended with some ice cream.
Our party of four will soon split up. Mikey and Tricia are only riding for two more days before they have to return home. I'm planning to take another rest day in a couple days and Howard will be continuing on to keep with his schedule. The Great Divide Basin will be mine to tackle alone. It is a desolate stretch with few places to attain water and food, so I'll be stocking up. I'm feeling good and I'm excited to move into Colorado within the next week or so.
The numbers so far:
- 895.6 miles
- 3 states
- 8 Continental Divide crossings
- 3 grizzly bears