June 18:
76 miles to Polson, MT. 1000-630. I got to chat with Mike some more as he packed up to head out toward Darby. He seemed very intimidated by the 3 pass day required in Yellowstone so I hope he has very favorable conditions. I did a hard sell on the Jackson Hot Springs Lodge & Twin Bridges Bike Camp but the 18 extra miles to the springs from Wisdom might be a bit much after the Chief Joseph Pass climb (7 miles at 7%), whether he does it from Darby or Sula. He gave me a cool bike touring url: www.crazyguyonabike.com & I may try to put stuff there, too. Breakfast at a diner around the corner, repack, head a mile in the wrong direction - typical morning. It was cloudy but not windy so it was easy over the pass into Jocko Valley, where I stopped for a huckleberry shake to go with my standard tuna sandwich. Another climb out of the valley was followed by a fierce 15 minute downpour, at the end of which I stopped for coffee & coconut cream pie (not as good as at The Virginian in Medicine Bow, WY, but I also wasn't high so ...). It was sprinkling & raining more or less the last 15 miles into Polson & clouds obscured the eastern peaks but there was a nice tailwind. The view of Flathead Lake from the bike path along Hwy 93 reminded me of the view of Puget Sound & the Olympics from our Steilacoom, WA, rental: grey skies, still water, islands, & distant snow-covered peaks. In town camping was too pricey so I was gunning for Big Arm State Park when Todd & Debbie drove by with big smiles & an offer to put up the tent in their backyard. They'd lived in Anchorage & Sandpoint, ID (to which one can paddle from here), so thought my travels were a great adventure. She's a massage therapist & he's the Polson city manager after bailing as a Russian business consultant (too much travel), & they've got 2 bright, engaging kids: Sandra's 13 & Story's 11. They came out to chat for awhile, too, before I begged to get my clothes changed & tent set up - I was quite chilled & damp after the afternoon's steady water offerings. They invited me in for a chicken salad dinner & we talked for hours about his previous work in Russia, marriage, differences between men & women from a biologically evolutionary perspective (Rae would've loved it), running ... with their adorable kids sometimes participating politely & intelligently & sometimes shooting each other with Nerf guns! What a great night ... I'm so lucky! Their pooch sat outside my tent that night, protecting me from a marauding skunk.
June 19:
40 miles to Rafael's place in Lakeside, MT. 900-1230. Happy Father's Day! Even though I told Sandra last night that I'd be sure to change in the tent since her room faced the backyard, I managed to be in the middle of pulling on my biking shorts out in the open when she popped around the corner to say "Good morning!" Dangit, scarred for life, I'd guess. They were all so sweet again for the morning send-off. Nice breakfast at Pop's downtown where I met Walker & his daughter, Frances. He & his wife had toured from Polson, MT, to Sarasota, FL, back in the early 90s & are stashing money for a year-long sailing/biking adventure with the kids. No rain & very still today but low, grey clouds obscured Glacier & Mission peaks. Flathead lake was so flat you could see the cloud's grey reflection on the dark water. Rolling hills all day around the lake but I made good time since I knew it wasn't going to be a long day. Hogan & Rafael kept in touch so we coordinated our arrivals at the Lakeside park within 20 minutes. Lunch with beers at the Tamarack Brewery then shopping for tonight's pizza & chocolate chip cheesecake cookie bars. The dirt road up to Rafael's place climbed 1000 ft in about 4 miles & would've been a struggle on the bike so I was glad to have everything in the back of his truck. The place is a beautifully architected & constructed 8000 sq. ft. log home, though there is a lot of finish work to do. It sits on more than 20 acres & abuts a National Forest, with astounding views of Glacier peaks & Flathead Lake. Great property. Being off the bike for the next 6 days will be a welcome treat & I'm stoked to be with Hogan & Rafael, especially with the prospect of being in Glacier on the near horizon.
June 20:
Meditated, egg & fruit breakfast, stretched, off to GNP for overnight permits, postcards, & a hike up to Avalanche Lake where we saw rivers, waterfalls, snowfields, mountain goats, & golden eagle chicks (through the telescope of a dude who'd been watching the nest for 10 years). Aaron & Erin were in Columbia Falls so we stopped in on our way to BBQ dinner to say goodbye (I'll miss those guys, for sure) & give them the bad news that the Over The Sun Road was not open to bikes, which we confirmed several times). Back late to Rafael's & right into bed.
June 21-22:
Meditated, breakfast of eggs, & put together backpacking gear. Stopped at Apgar Ranger Station to select 2 nights at Logging Lake Flat back country CG - 5 miles, no elevation. Mosquitoes swarmed us immediately upon exiting the car & didn't stop til we returned 2 days later. The trail was muddy, marshy going nearly the entire way way, which meant we saw lots of tracks: grizzly, black bear, wolf, racoon, elk, moose, & deer. A deer traipsed around camp at the tent. Cute ground squirrels ran around. A beaver with a fish in his mouth left a wide wake across the serene lake & Hogan's binoculaurs were put to good use. 2 ptarmigans perched in a tree on the 10 mile day hike on the 2nd day - the next CG was just as buggy & not nearly as scenic. Our view down the lake to snow-capped peaks was often reflected in the still water so the evening & morning colors were heavenly. A scout troop brought an entirely new swarm of bugs with them late on the 2nd evening so we retired early, intent on arising early & getting into the Many Glacier back country the next day.
June 23-24:
With less food, the hike out was easy. We ran into Laura & Brett again, this time at the tiny Polebridge bakery - I'd seen them at the Yellowstone Ranger Station, then in the Apgar VC, & now again. Nice, energetic, fun couple with a huge backcountry itinerary for this vacation. Sipping coffee & chatting was a treat. "No bugs, please," was our request to the ranger & he suggested Cracker Lake. 6 miles, 1100 ft elevation gain, winter camping conditions. Perfect. We set out at 4, filled bottles creekside, successfully managed a bare foot crossing of 2 icy streams, then slowed considerably when the intermittent snow banks became larger & more frequent. Eventually finding our way across large snowfields to locate trail infrequently, finally into an enormous cirque filled with snow fields, couliers, peaks, waterfalls, at the bottom of which was a large, deep, strikingly blue alpine lake with ice floes. Oh my! Beyond lovely ... hard to describe how beautiful & dramatic was the panorama. We secured the tent quickly as it was already 8, then cooked up beans, rice, & tortillas before reluctantly climbing into the tent as the sun dipped below the tall horizon & the wind picked up significantly. We left the fly & door open while tucked in the bags to absorb more of the (abbreviated) view & I was as happy as possible: Glacier NP backcountry, alpine cirque & lake, on the adventure of my life, with my best friend. Really?! Don't I have the most wonderful life?! A tick came down Hogan's arm, closing the tent imperative now, & I struggled to sleep because my cold worsened & the ferocious wind ocassionally flattened the tent across my head. Hogan had to get out a few times to keep the tent & gear from disappearing (he's so sweet to take care of that without guilting me). I couldn't get up til 8 since I felt crappy but, once up, started feeling better immediately. Oatmeal with raisins & mocha drink, then a fun, funny bit of exploring down near the cliff's bergschrund & at the soft edge of the lake's bankside ice. The wind was still gusting hatd, eventually breaking a tent pole, so we packed up & headed out at noon. The large icefields were somewhat easier to cross because they were softer & my bad hip was pointed favorably downhill. We came across some fur on the trail & a little looking around yielded the jaws & horns of a mountain goat. The soft tissue under the horns remained on the scalp, looking like a fresh, moist tongue & smelling very badly. Slightly lower water levels allowed us to put stones across the 1st crossing but I managed to not onlyu throw one shoe & sock into the water but also to tumble in & lose a hiking pole on the 2nd. A barefoot retrieval of the pole made me happy just not to lose something again (the snow had swallowed a pole's rubber tip the day before) & we soon made it to the car. 2 beers, a brief fireplace rest at the lodge, duct tape from a maintenance guy for a successful tent pole repair (thanks to Kathleen from Illinois on a trip with her son for use of her multi-tool), dinner & phone calls at a worn-down but tasty Babb cafe, an unorganized bit of grocery shopping (oatmeal, apples, cough syrup), then back to camp at Many Glacier CG for an early night. The trees here thankfully dampen the wind & there are no bugs, though my exposed fingers & toes are cold. Into the tent ...
June 25-26:
Awoke early to Hogan making tea & oatmeal in a blustery wind, though we were well protected by CG trees. I wanted coffee so we drove to the lodge, just escaping some sleet. Even though the lodge was fully booked we were nonetheless able to find a quiet, somewhat secluded spot with a view to stretch. Unsure if Rafael was coming, we drove to the same Babb cafe for lunch & quickly determined that he was only 45 minutes out. We all piled into the rental car, stopped at the Ranger Station for hike beta, & started up toward Grinell Lake & Glacier in bright sun. Lovely views, good conversation, & easy hiking without packs made it a pleasant outing but a sighting of a sow grizzly & 2 cubs less than 1/4 mile below the trail put the experience OVER THE TOP! So excited to finally see bears. They were spotted by a lovely Mexican gal, Naxi, & her partner, Jerry. Soon the trail was crowded with a dozen spectators passimg around binoculaurs - watching the bears sleep in a pile on a small snowfield & eventually moving briefly to feed before disappearing into the woods. Wow! I asked Hogan to adjust my camera settings to increase the digital zoom & resolution so that I might later be able to see something other than dots, which I think worked well. Yea! A little more hiking, clowning, & swooning over the scenery (another amazing cirque, lake, glacier view - nearly as stunning as Cracker Lake) before we were shut down by steep snow sloping precipitously. Beers & talk of past sexual exploits at the trailhead picnic table in glorious sunshine with peaks striving to the open sky, then a drive to a tasty, homemade dinner at the cute Park Cafe in St. Mary before we sent Rafael back home. We'd been gifted a bundle of wood (we assumed from next-door-neighbor, Kathleen) so Hogan got to fuss over an elaborate fire-building exercise, which failed immediately because the brochures we'd pilfered as fire starter weren't really flammable. A search of the car yielded a pile of my trip receipts, which I happily liberated from my over-stuffed wallet - wa-la, fire! Hogan slept outside & I took advantage of the alone time - if you know what I mean. Up early again, broke camp as we made & consumed tea & oatmeal with apples. We stopped at the Park Cafe for coffee & 2nd breakfast. I got carsick on the drive to the airport but rallied when we unpacked the car. We all looked at & swapped pictures when Rafael showed up to pick me up, then it was a warm, loving goodbye to Hogan. Rafael's dad, Milan was a very interesting fellow who rides Rafael too hard but had a lot to say about the merits of socialism as a system of equals & designed for workers (with which I agree), the inevitable demise of this generation of the entitled, & that of the European Union. I did a bunch of repair work while trying unsuccessfully fight off the return of nausea: superglued the pot handle back on, sewed & patched the pad bag & my torn rain pants, patched the tent bag & tent, fixed a rear tire & trailer flat ... whew. Rafael made brats & baked veggies for dinner & we sat on the back deck with a lovely view of Flathead Lake & the Rockies during a long sunset.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
FLASK June 12-18
June 12:
14 miles to West Yellowstone. Rain. Mel & John left early to do a 2-day, "let's see more of the park before we go" loop through Mammoth & Canyon. Jealous but I think I have a package in West Yellowstone then I should get moving toward Glacier to see Hogan on the 19th (yes!). Aaron & Erin (who's not feeling well) left for West Yellowstone after breakfast but not before telling me that they saw a black bear stalked then chased by a wolf! I haven't seen either & they get exotic behavior with both?! I'm just sayin' ... Shout out, by the way, to the Madison CG staff. Tarps up over hiker-biker tables? Free coffee or hot water in the morning? Encouragement? Seriously awesome! I meditated, packed in the rain - somehow managing to turn my dry tent & tarp into wet, dirty messes. As I slowly left the park I saw bison wandering marshes, elk grazing hillsides, bald eagles perched in lodgepoles, ... wildlife was abundant & it was an easy downhill 14 miles so the rain went largely unnoticed. Visitor center, cheap hotel, a hot bath, laundry, NBA Finals (unbelievable, Mavs in 6) with Aaron & Erin, DQ, comfy bed, zzzz ...
June 13:
80 miles to Ennis, MT. Repacked, had breakfast at Old Town Cafe, checked at the Post Office but no package (would've stayed in the park & rode out Mammoth ... oh, well), & finally stopped by the pharmacy for antibiotic & band-aids to try to get a supporating quarter-size wound on my scrotum to heal. Beautifil ride along Hedgen Lake, Earthquake Lake, & the Madison River, where I saw a herd of 10-12 bighorn sheep - several with curls! Also an osprey nest with young, fluffy chick heads poking out! Steve & John were heading to DC from Spokane. Older fellas celebrating getting on Social Security by riding cross country! Haha! Steve said when he was a kid he was in a hotel with his folks at a hotel in the area, on their way to Yellowstone, when the August 1959 quake hit! I stopped at a lodge for a burger, beer, & coffee & chatted with Patty (quite an attractive, curvy young woman studying Sociology & Criminology at Bozeman) about the unnatural human cultural institutions like monogamy, family obligations, & goofy shit like that. A roaring tailwind pushed me 25 mph down Madison Valley, right into a dark thunderstorm, but I had rain only 10 of the last 15 miles & pulled into the library wet but satisfied with a wildly scenic & fairly easy ride. Clayton pulled in on an old Bianchi. He's a 21 year-old touring with a gal, Julie, 36, from Portland to Virginia on the TransAm route. She'd got a hotel but he wanted to camp & we found a $19 site at an RV park 1 1/2 miles north of town. Warm shower, tent, stretch, then an easy ride back into town for dinner & beers at the Gravel Bar, where we sat at the bar with Ad & Marie from Holland. It rained while we ate, cleared for the ride to camp, them rained through the night. But my system for setting up the tent & stashing is finely tuned & the tent dried quickly in the cold morning sun.
June 14:
77 miles to Dillon, MT. Breakfast was a nice gathering as Clayton & I were joined by Julie (nice gal), Aaron, & Erin. Erin was throwing up yesterday morning so they were an hour behind me all day yesterday & had camped at the muddy, $12 fisherman's access camp just before town. She's one tough cookie & Aaron is really attentive with her. They're both truly friendly, easygoing people & I've really enjoyed their company. An osprey was hauling branches to her nest with young, and the not-too-distant peaks had new snow for a stunning backdrop to the valley as we left town. A stiff 10 mile 7% climb was a real leg-churner, what with the cold headwind & two false summits. The descent was freezing & impeded by the wind & soup & coffee in Virginia City didn't warm me up. I kept seeing Garnett signs as we rolled into Ruby Valley so stopped at a rock shop to find something for Rae since that's her birthstone. Dave opened his still-closed-for-the-season shop & his gal, Sue, climbed down from painting the roof dormer to help him find something I'd like. Post office across the street - done. Easy headwind through the valley with slowly increasing temperatures & sunshine - in fact, I broke out sunscreen for the 1st time in weeks! Ice cream in Sheridan - yummy. After an easy 10 miles on in-progress chip seal we came to an excellent Bike Camp in Twin Bridges. Right on a swollen creek, it had a small, screened-in sitting/eating area stocked with books, magazines, & miscellaneous bike stuff (lube, slime, tools), plus an outdoor grill & bikestand, & a nice, flat, grassy tent area. Norm does the maintenance &, because the city council has to approve funding above any donations, he asked that we write a note in the logbook even though we weren't staying the night - glad to oblige. We basked in the sun in the grass for a bit but it was getting late due to that tough, long morning climb so we got back on for a final slightly uphill, mild headwind, 28 mile push to Dillon. Great scenery of distant snow-covered peaks glazing in bright sunshine, sheep (Muir's locust) grazing in green pastures, & a long hilly valley. We each did 7 mile pulls, though it wasn't easy to accommodate the last rider because of the panniers, crosswind component, & very narrow shoulder on Hwy 41. It was late when we made town so we ate at a pizza joint where I caught up with Rae (she's so awesome!), then rolled a few easy blocks through a lovely downtown to the KOA. A fat, white, full moon rose over snowy peaks while the sun slowly set & I stretched while the kids did laundry & showered. No rain! Wow!
June 15:
50 miles to Jackson, MT. It was nice when I awoke - sun, nice temperature, creek running. Meditated, made hot cereal & tea, repacked, then chatted with Rob, who owns the KOA. He gave a 20% discount for the site since we're biking & said he had 427 bikers through last year! Wow! This CG is highly recommended, friends. We rolled back into town to get stuff at a roadside fruit & veggie stand (Dan, who ran it, had done an Olympic Peninsula tour years ago & gave us a lot of free fruit), then to Safeway for poptarts & other supplies. The 1st 10 miles were an easy, scenic roll out of town & onto Hwy 278. The wind really picked up as we started a long, gradual summit climb & grew quickly to a sustained 25 mph, cold headwind for the remainder of the day. The downhill off the 1st summit was a welcome relief despite being wind-impeded. We all thought a right turn at a split in the valley would create a tailwind for us ... Nope. Already tired, we formed a crude draft line & struggled through a repeating cycle of three 1 mile pulls, rest, ... The 2nd summit seemed harder but Erin pulled us to the top (she's one tough cookie), the downhill was much faster &, again, a little wind trickery in the valley below led us to think we'd get a break ... Nope. With just 8 miles to go, we did pulls & rests & marvelled over the wild, open, majestic scene all around us. The peaks here are more dramatic & jagged & just buried in snow. I will gladly say that it was easier to withstand a constant headwind with some company - my headspace stayed much better than when I suffered alone in southern Wyoming. The locals at the very nice Jackson Lodge told us they hadn't seen wind like this for 2-3 years ... uh-huh, heard that before. I had a cheeseburger, soup, & Mirror Pond (shout out to Deschutes Brewing (sponsor!)), & I finally got to see Erin eat a full meal. She's still sniffling but no longer queasy - yea! Jess gave us a break on the tent site price, which included a dip in the hot mineral springs. Man, was that nice! It's a beatiful old stone pool, 7 feet deep at one end, 25 feet long, & filled with wonderfully soothing hot water, in which we rollicked & recovered for an hour. Chilly & windy, you had to keep submerged but it was beautiful with mist pulled by the wind off the pool into exotic patterns through the lights. Quinn called to let me know my passport is in the van ... as my grandson, Ohin, would say, "Dangit, Noni!" I stretched briefly then crawled into the tent with my core temperature back up & my muscles relaxed thinking of Rae ... I should sleep well.
June 16:
71 miles into a Fisherman's Access CG on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. I called the passport office but they received the lost/stolen form & so I've lost that $195 fee. Oh, well. I've managed to lose 2 things for real, though - the 50 oz bladder & the water filter. I should be more careful, though I don't feel careless with packing & unpacking. Breakfast was toast, a muffin, & coffee & we started late right into the 1st snow squall of the day. It was, nonetheless, a very easy & scenic 18 miles through Big Hole Valley to Wisdom where we ate lunch (surpisingly, the Gyro was pretty good), though very cold. We ran into Evan, cycling from San Francisco to DC & not noticing much wind (Hello ... tailwind). Many more snow squalls shot snow pellets at us all afternoon as we gradually climbed through a lodgepole pine forest the 26 miles to Chief Joseph Pass (the 6th Continental Divide crossing of the trip, I think). It was wicked cold on the 7 mile 7% descent & a headwind was present on this side until we made about 15 miles - entering the beautifully recovering Bitter Root National Forest. We stopped 5 miles from Darby at a "Closed due to Dangerous Flood Conditions" Fisherman's Access CG. Shared dinner included sweet potatoes from the cool Dillon veggie stand, rice, garlic, peppers, & ginger teriyaki sauce from a bag. Yummy! Stretched (mosquitoes! Grr!), said goodnight, in bed. I'll be sad to be leaving the kids after tomorrow as they've been absolutely wonderful companions. But Hogan arrives in just 3 days & I'm stoked! Plus, seeing Rafael again after 5 years will be a trip! No talks with Rae the last 2 days ... so missing her even a little more right now. Anyway ... What a great trip so far! It feels like a real adventure to me already & there are so many wild fun things on the horizon! Yahoo!
June 17:
74 miles to Missoula, MT. The sheriff was at breakfast in Darby & is famous for (a) giving David Letterman a ticket, (b) managing a standoff with a white supremacy group, & (c) being the subject of a NatGeo Montana law enforcement show. Erin was held conversationally hostage for quite awhile, requiring rescue. Riding today was so easy: mostly downhill, all tailwind, bike path for 20+ miles, no rain, no snow, & scenic. James & Connor from Ireland were cycling from Vancouver, BC, into Colorado then wandering north again. Connor's beard was a flaming orange - pure Irish! We pulled into Missoula & I stopped at the bike shop but they had no camping beta. The parks along the river look ripe for rousting & even 3 miles down the gravel river trail past Montana University it looked too transient for me what with the shopping carts & all. A knock on the door of a house with a porch-full of bikes to see if I could put a tent up got me directions to the homeless shelter! Haha! Stretched then found a biker rally in the adjacent park so I watched the band for awhile (& made a cute video of a 3-year-old boy air guitaring in front of the bandstand), looked at bikes & old women in leather, & watched the swollen river tumble by in a brief bit of sun. Finally decided to go to a hostel in town - same price as KOA & in town. Dave let me set up the tent in the backyard instead so I paid $12 instead of $29 yea! I met Aaron, Erin, & her brother, Nick, & his wife, Kali, for dinner & beers. Very nice, happy couple & they're expecting their firstborn in late November. At just 4000 ft, Missoula feels warm at 51F so the walks through town were pleasant. Mike was at the hostel & on a neat tour from his oldest daughter's in Eugene to his youngest's in Boston, though he really started in Portland after a train ride from his hometown of Chicago. I must be in a good mood since I pet a cat that approached me in the alley behind the hostel. Wierd.
14 miles to West Yellowstone. Rain. Mel & John left early to do a 2-day, "let's see more of the park before we go" loop through Mammoth & Canyon. Jealous but I think I have a package in West Yellowstone then I should get moving toward Glacier to see Hogan on the 19th (yes!). Aaron & Erin (who's not feeling well) left for West Yellowstone after breakfast but not before telling me that they saw a black bear stalked then chased by a wolf! I haven't seen either & they get exotic behavior with both?! I'm just sayin' ... Shout out, by the way, to the Madison CG staff. Tarps up over hiker-biker tables? Free coffee or hot water in the morning? Encouragement? Seriously awesome! I meditated, packed in the rain - somehow managing to turn my dry tent & tarp into wet, dirty messes. As I slowly left the park I saw bison wandering marshes, elk grazing hillsides, bald eagles perched in lodgepoles, ... wildlife was abundant & it was an easy downhill 14 miles so the rain went largely unnoticed. Visitor center, cheap hotel, a hot bath, laundry, NBA Finals (unbelievable, Mavs in 6) with Aaron & Erin, DQ, comfy bed, zzzz ...
June 13:
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| Copyright: http://www.free-press.biz/graphics/West-Yellowstone/quake-lake.jpg |
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| Aaron and Erin |
June 14:
77 miles to Dillon, MT. Breakfast was a nice gathering as Clayton & I were joined by Julie (nice gal), Aaron, & Erin. Erin was throwing up yesterday morning so they were an hour behind me all day yesterday & had camped at the muddy, $12 fisherman's access camp just before town. She's one tough cookie & Aaron is really attentive with her. They're both truly friendly, easygoing people & I've really enjoyed their company. An osprey was hauling branches to her nest with young, and the not-too-distant peaks had new snow for a stunning backdrop to the valley as we left town. A stiff 10 mile 7% climb was a real leg-churner, what with the cold headwind & two false summits. The descent was freezing & impeded by the wind & soup & coffee in Virginia City didn't warm me up. I kept seeing Garnett signs as we rolled into Ruby Valley so stopped at a rock shop to find something for Rae since that's her birthstone. Dave opened his still-closed-for-the-season shop & his gal, Sue, climbed down from painting the roof dormer to help him find something I'd like. Post office across the street - done. Easy headwind through the valley with slowly increasing temperatures & sunshine - in fact, I broke out sunscreen for the 1st time in weeks! Ice cream in Sheridan - yummy. After an easy 10 miles on in-progress chip seal we came to an excellent Bike Camp in Twin Bridges. Right on a swollen creek, it had a small, screened-in sitting/eating area stocked with books, magazines, & miscellaneous bike stuff (lube, slime, tools), plus an outdoor grill & bikestand, & a nice, flat, grassy tent area. Norm does the maintenance &, because the city council has to approve funding above any donations, he asked that we write a note in the logbook even though we weren't staying the night - glad to oblige. We basked in the sun in the grass for a bit but it was getting late due to that tough, long morning climb so we got back on for a final slightly uphill, mild headwind, 28 mile push to Dillon. Great scenery of distant snow-covered peaks glazing in bright sunshine, sheep (Muir's locust) grazing in green pastures, & a long hilly valley. We each did 7 mile pulls, though it wasn't easy to accommodate the last rider because of the panniers, crosswind component, & very narrow shoulder on Hwy 41. It was late when we made town so we ate at a pizza joint where I caught up with Rae (she's so awesome!), then rolled a few easy blocks through a lovely downtown to the KOA. A fat, white, full moon rose over snowy peaks while the sun slowly set & I stretched while the kids did laundry & showered. No rain! Wow!
June 15:
50 miles to Jackson, MT. It was nice when I awoke - sun, nice temperature, creek running. Meditated, made hot cereal & tea, repacked, then chatted with Rob, who owns the KOA. He gave a 20% discount for the site since we're biking & said he had 427 bikers through last year! Wow! This CG is highly recommended, friends. We rolled back into town to get stuff at a roadside fruit & veggie stand (Dan, who ran it, had done an Olympic Peninsula tour years ago & gave us a lot of free fruit), then to Safeway for poptarts & other supplies. The 1st 10 miles were an easy, scenic roll out of town & onto Hwy 278. The wind really picked up as we started a long, gradual summit climb & grew quickly to a sustained 25 mph, cold headwind for the remainder of the day. The downhill off the 1st summit was a welcome relief despite being wind-impeded. We all thought a right turn at a split in the valley would create a tailwind for us ... Nope. Already tired, we formed a crude draft line & struggled through a repeating cycle of three 1 mile pulls, rest, ... The 2nd summit seemed harder but Erin pulled us to the top (she's one tough cookie), the downhill was much faster &, again, a little wind trickery in the valley below led us to think we'd get a break ... Nope. With just 8 miles to go, we did pulls & rests & marvelled over the wild, open, majestic scene all around us. The peaks here are more dramatic & jagged & just buried in snow. I will gladly say that it was easier to withstand a constant headwind with some company - my headspace stayed much better than when I suffered alone in southern Wyoming. The locals at the very nice Jackson Lodge told us they hadn't seen wind like this for 2-3 years ... uh-huh, heard that before. I had a cheeseburger, soup, & Mirror Pond (shout out to Deschutes Brewing (sponsor!)), & I finally got to see Erin eat a full meal. She's still sniffling but no longer queasy - yea! Jess gave us a break on the tent site price, which included a dip in the hot mineral springs. Man, was that nice! It's a beatiful old stone pool, 7 feet deep at one end, 25 feet long, & filled with wonderfully soothing hot water, in which we rollicked & recovered for an hour. Chilly & windy, you had to keep submerged but it was beautiful with mist pulled by the wind off the pool into exotic patterns through the lights. Quinn called to let me know my passport is in the van ... as my grandson, Ohin, would say, "Dangit, Noni!" I stretched briefly then crawled into the tent with my core temperature back up & my muscles relaxed thinking of Rae ... I should sleep well.
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71 miles into a Fisherman's Access CG on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. I called the passport office but they received the lost/stolen form & so I've lost that $195 fee. Oh, well. I've managed to lose 2 things for real, though - the 50 oz bladder & the water filter. I should be more careful, though I don't feel careless with packing & unpacking. Breakfast was toast, a muffin, & coffee & we started late right into the 1st snow squall of the day. It was, nonetheless, a very easy & scenic 18 miles through Big Hole Valley to Wisdom where we ate lunch (surpisingly, the Gyro was pretty good), though very cold. We ran into Evan, cycling from San Francisco to DC & not noticing much wind (Hello ... tailwind). Many more snow squalls shot snow pellets at us all afternoon as we gradually climbed through a lodgepole pine forest the 26 miles to Chief Joseph Pass (the 6th Continental Divide crossing of the trip, I think). It was wicked cold on the 7 mile 7% descent & a headwind was present on this side until we made about 15 miles - entering the beautifully recovering Bitter Root National Forest. We stopped 5 miles from Darby at a "Closed due to Dangerous Flood Conditions" Fisherman's Access CG. Shared dinner included sweet potatoes from the cool Dillon veggie stand, rice, garlic, peppers, & ginger teriyaki sauce from a bag. Yummy! Stretched (mosquitoes! Grr!), said goodnight, in bed. I'll be sad to be leaving the kids after tomorrow as they've been absolutely wonderful companions. But Hogan arrives in just 3 days & I'm stoked! Plus, seeing Rafael again after 5 years will be a trip! No talks with Rae the last 2 days ... so missing her even a little more right now. Anyway ... What a great trip so far! It feels like a real adventure to me already & there are so many wild fun things on the horizon! Yahoo!
June 17:
74 miles to Missoula, MT. The sheriff was at breakfast in Darby & is famous for (a) giving David Letterman a ticket, (b) managing a standoff with a white supremacy group, & (c) being the subject of a NatGeo Montana law enforcement show. Erin was held conversationally hostage for quite awhile, requiring rescue. Riding today was so easy: mostly downhill, all tailwind, bike path for 20+ miles, no rain, no snow, & scenic. James & Connor from Ireland were cycling from Vancouver, BC, into Colorado then wandering north again. Connor's beard was a flaming orange - pure Irish! We pulled into Missoula & I stopped at the bike shop but they had no camping beta. The parks along the river look ripe for rousting & even 3 miles down the gravel river trail past Montana University it looked too transient for me what with the shopping carts & all. A knock on the door of a house with a porch-full of bikes to see if I could put a tent up got me directions to the homeless shelter! Haha! Stretched then found a biker rally in the adjacent park so I watched the band for awhile (& made a cute video of a 3-year-old boy air guitaring in front of the bandstand), looked at bikes & old women in leather, & watched the swollen river tumble by in a brief bit of sun. Finally decided to go to a hostel in town - same price as KOA & in town. Dave let me set up the tent in the backyard instead so I paid $12 instead of $29 yea! I met Aaron, Erin, & her brother, Nick, & his wife, Kali, for dinner & beers. Very nice, happy couple & they're expecting their firstborn in late November. At just 4000 ft, Missoula feels warm at 51F so the walks through town were pleasant. Mike was at the hostel & on a neat tour from his oldest daughter's in Eugene to his youngest's in Boston, though he really started in Portland after a train ride from his hometown of Chicago. I must be in a good mood since I pet a cat that approached me in the alley behind the hostel. Wierd.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
FLASK June 6-11
June 6:
34 miles to Alpine, WY. Some city workers woke me up around 730 - nicely - & told me about some other tourers from previous years, one doing all trails (crazy). Meditated then had a very liesurely breakfast before going over to Ace for a small file set (& chocolates) to attempt the anticipated hub repair. But it wasn't the same spoke, which now leads me to think I managed to overstress some spokes the day I left Medicine Bow with the out-of-round wheel. It might be best to re-lace with new spokes, which the Jackson bike shop should have. An older gal, Barb, spent some good chat time with me out front while I worked the wheel. She just loved Rae's independence, saying it reminded her of how she ignored the skeptics when she moved herself from Maine to Star Valley. I talked to Hogan about meeting in Glacier & it almost seems likely - yea! I finally left Afton around 11 & within 8 miles had 28-year-old Serena as a riding companion til mile 23 when I stopped for lunch. She was touring from Logan, heading to Glacier then on to Seattle, trying to raise money for a cool non-profit she recently started to get at-risk youth outdoors (go to www.yaanonprofit.org & donate, everybody!). Her dad intended to ride with her to Glacier (both supported by mom in a car, it sounded like) but he took a bad spill yesterday coming down from Lander Turnoff Pass. He hit a metal post, fractured 6 ribs, punctured a lung, & was in the Afton hospital. He's from Oakley, ID, near Burley & City Of Rocks - cool. So Serena was just out for a ride til he could be released tomorrow & she was certain they'd re-start in a month. I offered to have her join me to Glacier but she obviously had some sorting to do. I had a sandwich, beer, & ice cream sitting outside the Thayne market &, just like when I was re-lacing the wheel in front of the Ace earlier, lots of nice folks chatted me up. Star Valley is absolutely, stunningly beautiful: snow on the big north mountains in the distance, dandelions in all the fields, snow on the east & west hills, aspens, pine ... yummy eye & soul candy, especially as I rolled down the valley with a light breeze for a tailwind into Alpine. The local RV park offered me a $9 tentsite so I decided not to go on toward the more remote camps between Alpine & Hogback where mudslides earlier in the year had closed Hwy 26/89 (which is still under repair so tomorrow should be interesting if the gravel stretch is long). With a long afternoon & clouds rolling in, I repaired a tear in the tent bag, set up the tent, showered, did some laundry (in the shower), stretched, & had a beer looking at the valley & mountains. I know my mood is still too weather-dependent but I will take all this good weather the last 3 days into reserve, since there are thunderstorms forecast the remainder of the week. My expired passport won't arrive in Jackson til Wednesday mid-afternoon so I'll likely be there til Thursday morning before heading into Tetons NP, I think. Rae would've loved this touring day & I'm pleased that I'm not feeling schedule pressure so that I can enjoy a scenic, low mileage day now, too. This is good head space & I'm happy for all I have around me & in me.
June 7:
39 miles to Jackson. Awoke to rain pelting the tent in the same manner it was when I went down. I'll need to manage the tarp/footprint I put under the tent so as to avoid some water pooling in the tent, I guess. For 75 cents I dried the sleeping bag, yoga mat, & the jacket that got soaked in the dryer at the campground. The patriot theme at the restaurant across the street was overdone but it was good food. I left Alpine in light rain & had a spectacularly wild & scenic ride in that rain along the Snake River the 24 miles into Hoback. The river was full & roaring with debris, whirlpools, tacos, chutes, & a few rafters & kayakers. Beautiful country! A motorbiker in Hoback pointed out a flat trailer tire & after replacing it I checked the spokes to find ANOTHER broken one. I'm getting good at tearing of the tire, tube, rotor, & cassette, re-threading, & true-ing on the upturned bike - 30 minutes! 17 more scenic miles along a paved bike path, with snowstorms obscuring some of the peaks in the distance. I ran into Stan on his bike right away & he directed me to Hoff's - a recently opened small bike shop in Jackson - where I bought what turned out to be too short spokes & was assured I'd get rousted if I slept in a city park. The visitor center pointed out what I suspected: $50 tentsites & $100 rooms - so I went to the post office to see what time Wednesday the mail from Rae might arrive. The Snake River Brewery parking lot seemed like as good a place as any to attempt the wheel rebuild & proved to be so entertaining to locals & tourists alike that several brought me beers. It turns out that lacing a wheel with too-short spokes while drinking is not the best way to do it! Fitzgeralds Bike Shop was next door & Andy - their marketing guy had already come by at someone's behest to tell me he'd keep the shop open til I was done. Good thing, too, since he had the right length spokes & was way nicer & more helpful than the kid that answered their phone the other day. I popped into the brewery for dinner & more beers, then tried to lace the wheel at halftime of Game 4 (Dallas won so it's tied now 2-2). Too drunk & I came to the realization that not only had I not sorted out where I was staying the night but I also had no transportation ... Serendipity to the rescue! Jake offered a place to stay, though it was 3 miles away, then do did Paul & AJ. AJ also happened to basically have a bike shop in his garage & was just 9 blocks away. So I watched the end of the game with Andy & a Dutch couple, Arthur & Agatha, who'd bailed on a bike tour in this area due to the weather but were gonna rent a motorbike in Salt Lake & head to the desert for awhile. Andy's started a bike courier website (www.bikewire.org) that sounded cool & Arthur suggested I check out an extreme Dutch tourer's website (Frank van Ryn at www.werefielser.nl) for beta & routes posted by others. OK ... game over & drunk I wander out & precariously balance the half-laced wheel, bike, & panniers on top of the trailer & start hauling. I chuckle at the absurdity (I look homeless!) as I wander the dark streets looking for Paul's place, which I find after a few stops to reload the pile that keeps tipping of the trailer. But I'm not sure it's the right place when no one answers knocks on the back door. I leave the stuff in the backyard & wander in search of AJ's place - it's now 1130 & I can't find it so knock on a few doors that still have lights on. Thankfully, cool people answer but don't know AJ or the house # ... hmmm. But AJ finally answers his phone & walks down the alley to get me to his garage bike shop where I also find Paul. He insists we retrieve the wheel & build it out so we hop on 2 of AJ's many bikes & head out in the rain. We take several mutual attempts to lace the wheel but no one's sober & I did a poor job of separating the different spoke lengths (the difference is critical & only marginally visible in good light, which we didn't have) so it goes poorly & I lose steam at 1AM. Paul & his girl walk me back to his place & I sink into his roomate's bed (she & friends - all Exum guides - are returning from a summit & ski trip on Denali!). Crazy night!
June 8:
28 miles to Jenny Lake CG in Grand Tetons NP. It was up at 6 to walk to AJ's where I fix all the lacing mistakes we made last night & true the wheel on his stand by 8. Paul's up when I return & we chat while I re-pack everything. Breakfast at Lotus Cafe was organic but not filling & over-priced. My expired passport was waiting at the post office & I was able to get the pics & paperwork off through the local courthouse with only one minor hitch: they need a real mailing address for delivery so General Delivery to the West Glacier post office was out. I went to the coffee shop to start sorting it out & eventually called the Whitehorse, MT, Glacier Cycle & Nordic bike store & Tim agreed to let me have it sent to them. Yea! The rear wheel loosened considerably throughout the 7 back & forth miles of morning errands so I went to Hoff's bike shop again after getting restocked for groceries & they graciously let me use their stand to retighten & true it. Shout out to Tim at Hoff's! There was a nice bike path & tailwind on the easy 13 mile ride to the park & the partly cloudy sky didn't obscure The Grand. So dramatic with snow & granite sharing space on that formidable formation. Sarah from the Moose visitor center helped me pick on overnight backpacking route for tomorrow. Quite a few nice folks to chat with on the way in & out, & inside (did I already say I like the trailer sign?). Tetons entrance fee also pays for Yellowstone! Cool! & Ranger Rob pointed out the inner park connecting road so now I'll leave unneeded food in the bearbox at Jenny Lake CG ($8 hiker biker!) & pick it up on my way back north to Yellowstone. It rained for the 8 miles to the CG & while I set up the tent - working hard to keep things dry requires diligence but is so important. It let up after I'd changed & made the short walk to the JL visitor center & had some Hagen Das & coffee, so I went back to get the camera for a walk around the lake. The views across the lake to the briefly & sporadically sunlight, snow-covered peaks were stunning. A sign pointed to the Moose Pond Loop & I took it, soon seeing a moose running across a rock-strewn, bushy slope across the way past the 1st pond. It disappeared in trees then re-appeared at the pond to drink before making his way through shallow, reed-choked water to stand within 20 feet of me for 15 minutes! I just snapped pictures & sat contemplating the wonder of being in the Tetons, rolling on the high of starting an awesome backpacking phase of the adventure. Marmots appeared on tall rocks & ocassionally chirped loud warnings, though for what I've no idea. Aspens, evergreens, granite, snow fields feed creeks & waterfalls that tumble into the ponds. I could almost see them being filled & wait patiently but to no avail to see the beaver whose home is at the far bank. It is serene, fulfilling, & the brief glimpses of the peaks bring only fleeting disappointment that I won't be climbing either of the 2 climbs up The Grand that are in Fifty Classic Climbs. It's so beautiful even as the weather withholds some of it - remarkable. I'm so happy ... The female moose eventually moved again to feed, which she did by tearing at the young, green tips of tall bushes, so I enjoyed that quietly for awhile. Joel wandered down the trail & we chatted briefly until I decided he'd enjoy alone time with this creature just like I had. I continued on the pond loop, crossing short drifts of well-travelled snow until coming to the dirt road leading back to the lake & I made camp by 7 (I saw the center closing so knew the time). I got water, stretched in a misty drizzle, then invited Joel over for a beer while I made rice, peppers, onion, garlic, & Tasty Bite! He's 22, from Detroit & will meet up with friends for trips to Yellowstone & Glacier, in which he worked the last 2 summers. He may join my backpack around Phelps Lake tomorrow.
June 9:
Some blue sky pulled me out of the bag & tent around 7. Cold. I made hot grain cereal with soy milk, brown sugar, & raisins - not bad. With no threat of rain & a light but cold breeze it made sense to lay some things out to dry then haul them back in after meditating so I could get coffee at the JL store. Joel came along & we intermittently but mostly hung out together in the visitor center by the fire. One of the store clerks, Bert, was from Wasila, Alaska - the 2nd person on the trip! At the visitor center, I asked a ranger about a strange noise I'd heard several times on the hike & in camp. It's a simultaneously deep & muffled beating with an increasing tempo. I thought yesterday the first time I heard it that is was my heartbeat! Well, it's the sound a male Ruffed Grouse makes thumping it's chest in a display. Joel spotted one & said it went so still when a hawk was near that he couldn't see it. Anyway, I went back to camp for lunch & it was nice out, with long cloud breaks, so out came all the stuff to dry again & I got things organized for the backpack overnighter. Joel asked along so I left the bike, unnecessary gear, & extra food, filled the backpack, & we set out to hitchhike. Drew, a climbing ranger, picked us up & dropped us at Moose VC. Phil, another climbing ranger, hauled us the next 4 miles to the trailhead. Phelps Lake was visible within a mile & we hiked another 1-2 miles along this scenic alpine lake nestled in pines with a snowy granite backdrop. We were chatting with an older couple from New Hampshire when a small gray coyote loped up the trail right at us with two squirrels in her mouth! She went around us & hopped right back on the trail! Beautiful animal! We set up tents, put food in the bear box, & said goodbye before heading out on separate walks. Ocassional bursts of light rain & snow muffled birds briefly & I heard but never spotted a few Ruffed Grouse. The views across the lake with snowy, cloud-shrouded peaks of granite & couliours was picturesque. The folks from Campsite #1 were making dinner on the trail when I returned ... David & Laura are in their late 20s & honeymooning here from Bloomington, IN, where they work with & offer rooms in their house to homeless people. Fantastic young couple so we shared a bowl, which set them laughing cuz they've been offered it by backpackers so frequently. I got half a stretch in before rain shut me down. I made & ate dinner in it, though, & it made me feel hearty to do so. It stopped while I cleaned up & walked back to the tent to write & fall heavily asleep. Mmmm, Tetons ...
June 10:
40 miles to Frogg Ranch (between Grand Tetons & Yellowstone NPs). Mmmm, Tetons ... Awoke late (later than Joel) & meditated, then made hot cereal & tea while Joel & I chatted. Nice kid - not full of himself (despite heading to University of Michigan Dental School this summer), not too chatty, easygoing. The hike out was pleasant along Phelps Lake & we hitched the 1st car - & then it gets crazy. So, Gaston & Gesille Suarez pick us up & we figure out that he works at Intel in The Massachusetts plant as an ex-pat from the Costa Rica plant. He was hired with the SECC expansion that I was a part of! He knew Isaac, Bill, Jun, & was 2-in-a-box with Tim Salo, who worked for me! & he knows Brian Kirzanich (Rae's boyfriend before she met me)! Crazy! I made lunch, packed the bike, said bye to Joel, & started a spellbinding ride north along the Teton Range. Eye Candy! It was cloudy on & behind the peaks, but they'd ocassionally clear & be so brilliant with sunlit snow as to take your breathe away. I took pictures for a couple motorbiking from Ohio - nice filks. The fun & familiar happened as I bought postcards at Signal Mountain - a sweet family from Chicago asked about the trip & we chatted for 20 minutes. Fun! I got to chat with Rae finally & I know I love her more than ever - she is so happy that I'm having fun! How luck am I? The views continued to unfold with lakes mirroring the peaks & clouds, immense couliours, & brilliant granite. The smell of pine so fragrant that you noticed anew with every breath. One climb & a long, smooth, fast descent & I arrived at the Frogg Ranch CG but $38 was too steep so the really nice kid, Jeff, working the counter pointed me 1.5 miles down Grassy Meadows road & ... BINGO! The best campspot yet: snow-covered peaks in the distance, a young but full Snake River 10 ft from the tent, swans, geese, ducks, picnic tables, bear boxes, & free! I set up camp, stretched, & rode back to the lodge for a very expensive burger & beers. As I was leaving I see three riders heading down my road & it's Noah, Chip, & Phillip, 3 really young (think high school) brothers riding from Medford, OR, to the southeast coast . Out for ten days already, they have a lot of the drill down & these home-schooled kids seem really confident, happy, & fun. Clearly religious as they had their bibles out when I wandered over to chat again after they'd set up camp. They've been riding late into the evening every day, then knocking on doors & sleeping in barns, yards, & even a greenhouse. Their goal is to ride 8800 miles in 130 days ... I decided not to suggest they slow down ... youth. They mentioned another tourer heading to Alaska but he's already well ahead & I'm busy slowing down, as I intend to fully enjoy The Rockies. I returned to camp by the river & sat in the bank enjoying the moonlit ripples & distant snow. It was a lovely temperature & light breeze so I lingered until I nearly nodded into the water. It's seeming more & more like Hogan will meet me in Glacier on or around the 19th! Stoked! Yellowstone tomorrow! OMG! So excited! This terrain & my headspace are coming into alignment & I'm really digging my life!
June 11:
66 miles to Madison Junction CG, Yellowstone NP. 930-630. It was nice but threatening when I rolled out of the tent. Packing has become an efficient routine & I headed over to say bye to the boys as they were starting a fire for their rest day. Breakfast was pretty good, though pricey, & I was on the road to Yellowstone! The park entrance was just 4 miles along & I got to see a tourist herd disembark from buses to take the same park sign picture I'd just snapped. Roadside banks of snow 4-10 ft tall were present immediately & it became a familar barrier for 35 miles. It started raining at mile 10 & didn't let up til Grant Village at mile 25, but it was extremely & wildly scenic despite the wet. Snake River urgently roared through narrow canyons having come from broad, marshy flats. Lewis Lake was quite big & completely frozen! At times I was so swept with the beauty that I would crinkle my face just to shed tears. Evidence of the 1988 fire was widespread but not prevelant & it was satisfying to see a naturally burned forest recuperating so vigorously ( good job, Park Service!). When I crossed the 3rd Continental Divide pass of the day, the roadside snow was gone & it was only evident on the north slopes of hills. Old Faithful went off within 15 minutes of my arrival & with video rolling - big crowd ... Several folks noticed the sign, including a cute gal & her mom from Wisconsin & some dudes who'd done TransAm a few years ago. Intrigued by pools, geysers, & Firehole River, I stopped & walked all the pullouts, where I met an ex-pat French family living in the States & an adventure blogger, Chris, who is gonna link this to his site. Cool folks! Those pools are surreal, deep, transparent, & captivating! A carload of Tetons rangers who'd seen me in their park pulled over with food, questions, encouragement, & not soon after I spotted an osprey fishing! A couple from St. Augustine, FL, at a picturesque waterfall pullout were great fun to chat with. I saw bison on the distance so rode a dirt road for a ways to get a better look - huge! The 20 miles to the CG along the Firehole & Nrz Perc rivers was downhill, in partial sun, & immensely beautiful - meadows, lodgepole pines (old & young), elk, pools ... mmm, tasty. Mel & John from New Zealand were in the hiker-biker already. They left on a moutain bike tandem El Paso 6 weeks ago on the Continental Divide trail, heading for Banff, then Vancouver! Their best story was the one where they get lost, accept beta from hunter, & then have to carry the bike & panniers in stages for 12 hours through waist-high tree deadfall! OMG! With typical UK understatement, they described it hilariously & downplayed the difficulty. They're both in medicine so plenty of jobs await when they return in late July. Aaron & Erin rolled in as I was stretching. They met & married in Tanzania through Peace Corps & were celebrating their 8th anniversary riding from Rock Springs to Banff. He's a school teacher & she's after a PhD at Tulane. Dinner of rice, paneer, pepper, onion, garlic plus poptarts & a Milky Way were eaten in the amphitheatre where an impassioned young ranger talked knowledgably about forest fires & keeping extractive industries out of the park - I was not joined by anyone when I whooped my approval & clapped loudly. Wierd - why are you in a NP if you can't appreciate what it's not: a vast untapped resource for more comfort & convenience?! Aaron heard me rattling the bear box & popped out to pepper me with questions. Fun, thoughtful, funny, & a great laugh, so a very nice cap to a really special day. I'll sleep well.
34 miles to Alpine, WY. Some city workers woke me up around 730 - nicely - & told me about some other tourers from previous years, one doing all trails (crazy). Meditated then had a very liesurely breakfast before going over to Ace for a small file set (& chocolates) to attempt the anticipated hub repair. But it wasn't the same spoke, which now leads me to think I managed to overstress some spokes the day I left Medicine Bow with the out-of-round wheel. It might be best to re-lace with new spokes, which the Jackson bike shop should have. An older gal, Barb, spent some good chat time with me out front while I worked the wheel. She just loved Rae's independence, saying it reminded her of how she ignored the skeptics when she moved herself from Maine to Star Valley. I talked to Hogan about meeting in Glacier & it almost seems likely - yea! I finally left Afton around 11 & within 8 miles had 28-year-old Serena as a riding companion til mile 23 when I stopped for lunch. She was touring from Logan, heading to Glacier then on to Seattle, trying to raise money for a cool non-profit she recently started to get at-risk youth outdoors (go to www.yaanonprofit.org & donate, everybody!). Her dad intended to ride with her to Glacier (both supported by mom in a car, it sounded like) but he took a bad spill yesterday coming down from Lander Turnoff Pass. He hit a metal post, fractured 6 ribs, punctured a lung, & was in the Afton hospital. He's from Oakley, ID, near Burley & City Of Rocks - cool. So Serena was just out for a ride til he could be released tomorrow & she was certain they'd re-start in a month. I offered to have her join me to Glacier but she obviously had some sorting to do. I had a sandwich, beer, & ice cream sitting outside the Thayne market &, just like when I was re-lacing the wheel in front of the Ace earlier, lots of nice folks chatted me up. Star Valley is absolutely, stunningly beautiful: snow on the big north mountains in the distance, dandelions in all the fields, snow on the east & west hills, aspens, pine ... yummy eye & soul candy, especially as I rolled down the valley with a light breeze for a tailwind into Alpine. The local RV park offered me a $9 tentsite so I decided not to go on toward the more remote camps between Alpine & Hogback where mudslides earlier in the year had closed Hwy 26/89 (which is still under repair so tomorrow should be interesting if the gravel stretch is long). With a long afternoon & clouds rolling in, I repaired a tear in the tent bag, set up the tent, showered, did some laundry (in the shower), stretched, & had a beer looking at the valley & mountains. I know my mood is still too weather-dependent but I will take all this good weather the last 3 days into reserve, since there are thunderstorms forecast the remainder of the week. My expired passport won't arrive in Jackson til Wednesday mid-afternoon so I'll likely be there til Thursday morning before heading into Tetons NP, I think. Rae would've loved this touring day & I'm pleased that I'm not feeling schedule pressure so that I can enjoy a scenic, low mileage day now, too. This is good head space & I'm happy for all I have around me & in me.
June 7:
39 miles to Jackson. Awoke to rain pelting the tent in the same manner it was when I went down. I'll need to manage the tarp/footprint I put under the tent so as to avoid some water pooling in the tent, I guess. For 75 cents I dried the sleeping bag, yoga mat, & the jacket that got soaked in the dryer at the campground. The patriot theme at the restaurant across the street was overdone but it was good food. I left Alpine in light rain & had a spectacularly wild & scenic ride in that rain along the Snake River the 24 miles into Hoback. The river was full & roaring with debris, whirlpools, tacos, chutes, & a few rafters & kayakers. Beautiful country! A motorbiker in Hoback pointed out a flat trailer tire & after replacing it I checked the spokes to find ANOTHER broken one. I'm getting good at tearing of the tire, tube, rotor, & cassette, re-threading, & true-ing on the upturned bike - 30 minutes! 17 more scenic miles along a paved bike path, with snowstorms obscuring some of the peaks in the distance. I ran into Stan on his bike right away & he directed me to Hoff's - a recently opened small bike shop in Jackson - where I bought what turned out to be too short spokes & was assured I'd get rousted if I slept in a city park. The visitor center pointed out what I suspected: $50 tentsites & $100 rooms - so I went to the post office to see what time Wednesday the mail from Rae might arrive. The Snake River Brewery parking lot seemed like as good a place as any to attempt the wheel rebuild & proved to be so entertaining to locals & tourists alike that several brought me beers. It turns out that lacing a wheel with too-short spokes while drinking is not the best way to do it! Fitzgeralds Bike Shop was next door & Andy - their marketing guy had already come by at someone's behest to tell me he'd keep the shop open til I was done. Good thing, too, since he had the right length spokes & was way nicer & more helpful than the kid that answered their phone the other day. I popped into the brewery for dinner & more beers, then tried to lace the wheel at halftime of Game 4 (Dallas won so it's tied now 2-2). Too drunk & I came to the realization that not only had I not sorted out where I was staying the night but I also had no transportation ... Serendipity to the rescue! Jake offered a place to stay, though it was 3 miles away, then do did Paul & AJ. AJ also happened to basically have a bike shop in his garage & was just 9 blocks away. So I watched the end of the game with Andy & a Dutch couple, Arthur & Agatha, who'd bailed on a bike tour in this area due to the weather but were gonna rent a motorbike in Salt Lake & head to the desert for awhile. Andy's started a bike courier website (www.bikewire.org) that sounded cool & Arthur suggested I check out an extreme Dutch tourer's website (Frank van Ryn at www.werefielser.nl) for beta & routes posted by others. OK ... game over & drunk I wander out & precariously balance the half-laced wheel, bike, & panniers on top of the trailer & start hauling. I chuckle at the absurdity (I look homeless!) as I wander the dark streets looking for Paul's place, which I find after a few stops to reload the pile that keeps tipping of the trailer. But I'm not sure it's the right place when no one answers knocks on the back door. I leave the stuff in the backyard & wander in search of AJ's place - it's now 1130 & I can't find it so knock on a few doors that still have lights on. Thankfully, cool people answer but don't know AJ or the house # ... hmmm. But AJ finally answers his phone & walks down the alley to get me to his garage bike shop where I also find Paul. He insists we retrieve the wheel & build it out so we hop on 2 of AJ's many bikes & head out in the rain. We take several mutual attempts to lace the wheel but no one's sober & I did a poor job of separating the different spoke lengths (the difference is critical & only marginally visible in good light, which we didn't have) so it goes poorly & I lose steam at 1AM. Paul & his girl walk me back to his place & I sink into his roomate's bed (she & friends - all Exum guides - are returning from a summit & ski trip on Denali!). Crazy night!
June 8:
28 miles to Jenny Lake CG in Grand Tetons NP. It was up at 6 to walk to AJ's where I fix all the lacing mistakes we made last night & true the wheel on his stand by 8. Paul's up when I return & we chat while I re-pack everything. Breakfast at Lotus Cafe was organic but not filling & over-priced. My expired passport was waiting at the post office & I was able to get the pics & paperwork off through the local courthouse with only one minor hitch: they need a real mailing address for delivery so General Delivery to the West Glacier post office was out. I went to the coffee shop to start sorting it out & eventually called the Whitehorse, MT, Glacier Cycle & Nordic bike store & Tim agreed to let me have it sent to them. Yea! The rear wheel loosened considerably throughout the 7 back & forth miles of morning errands so I went to Hoff's bike shop again after getting restocked for groceries & they graciously let me use their stand to retighten & true it. Shout out to Tim at Hoff's! There was a nice bike path & tailwind on the easy 13 mile ride to the park & the partly cloudy sky didn't obscure The Grand. So dramatic with snow & granite sharing space on that formidable formation. Sarah from the Moose visitor center helped me pick on overnight backpacking route for tomorrow. Quite a few nice folks to chat with on the way in & out, & inside (did I already say I like the trailer sign?). Tetons entrance fee also pays for Yellowstone! Cool! & Ranger Rob pointed out the inner park connecting road so now I'll leave unneeded food in the bearbox at Jenny Lake CG ($8 hiker biker!) & pick it up on my way back north to Yellowstone. It rained for the 8 miles to the CG & while I set up the tent - working hard to keep things dry requires diligence but is so important. It let up after I'd changed & made the short walk to the JL visitor center & had some Hagen Das & coffee, so I went back to get the camera for a walk around the lake. The views across the lake to the briefly & sporadically sunlight, snow-covered peaks were stunning. A sign pointed to the Moose Pond Loop & I took it, soon seeing a moose running across a rock-strewn, bushy slope across the way past the 1st pond. It disappeared in trees then re-appeared at the pond to drink before making his way through shallow, reed-choked water to stand within 20 feet of me for 15 minutes! I just snapped pictures & sat contemplating the wonder of being in the Tetons, rolling on the high of starting an awesome backpacking phase of the adventure. Marmots appeared on tall rocks & ocassionally chirped loud warnings, though for what I've no idea. Aspens, evergreens, granite, snow fields feed creeks & waterfalls that tumble into the ponds. I could almost see them being filled & wait patiently but to no avail to see the beaver whose home is at the far bank. It is serene, fulfilling, & the brief glimpses of the peaks bring only fleeting disappointment that I won't be climbing either of the 2 climbs up The Grand that are in Fifty Classic Climbs. It's so beautiful even as the weather withholds some of it - remarkable. I'm so happy ... The female moose eventually moved again to feed, which she did by tearing at the young, green tips of tall bushes, so I enjoyed that quietly for awhile. Joel wandered down the trail & we chatted briefly until I decided he'd enjoy alone time with this creature just like I had. I continued on the pond loop, crossing short drifts of well-travelled snow until coming to the dirt road leading back to the lake & I made camp by 7 (I saw the center closing so knew the time). I got water, stretched in a misty drizzle, then invited Joel over for a beer while I made rice, peppers, onion, garlic, & Tasty Bite! He's 22, from Detroit & will meet up with friends for trips to Yellowstone & Glacier, in which he worked the last 2 summers. He may join my backpack around Phelps Lake tomorrow.
June 9:
Some blue sky pulled me out of the bag & tent around 7. Cold. I made hot grain cereal with soy milk, brown sugar, & raisins - not bad. With no threat of rain & a light but cold breeze it made sense to lay some things out to dry then haul them back in after meditating so I could get coffee at the JL store. Joel came along & we intermittently but mostly hung out together in the visitor center by the fire. One of the store clerks, Bert, was from Wasila, Alaska - the 2nd person on the trip! At the visitor center, I asked a ranger about a strange noise I'd heard several times on the hike & in camp. It's a simultaneously deep & muffled beating with an increasing tempo. I thought yesterday the first time I heard it that is was my heartbeat! Well, it's the sound a male Ruffed Grouse makes thumping it's chest in a display. Joel spotted one & said it went so still when a hawk was near that he couldn't see it. Anyway, I went back to camp for lunch & it was nice out, with long cloud breaks, so out came all the stuff to dry again & I got things organized for the backpack overnighter. Joel asked along so I left the bike, unnecessary gear, & extra food, filled the backpack, & we set out to hitchhike. Drew, a climbing ranger, picked us up & dropped us at Moose VC. Phil, another climbing ranger, hauled us the next 4 miles to the trailhead. Phelps Lake was visible within a mile & we hiked another 1-2 miles along this scenic alpine lake nestled in pines with a snowy granite backdrop. We were chatting with an older couple from New Hampshire when a small gray coyote loped up the trail right at us with two squirrels in her mouth! She went around us & hopped right back on the trail! Beautiful animal! We set up tents, put food in the bear box, & said goodbye before heading out on separate walks. Ocassional bursts of light rain & snow muffled birds briefly & I heard but never spotted a few Ruffed Grouse. The views across the lake with snowy, cloud-shrouded peaks of granite & couliours was picturesque. The folks from Campsite #1 were making dinner on the trail when I returned ... David & Laura are in their late 20s & honeymooning here from Bloomington, IN, where they work with & offer rooms in their house to homeless people. Fantastic young couple so we shared a bowl, which set them laughing cuz they've been offered it by backpackers so frequently. I got half a stretch in before rain shut me down. I made & ate dinner in it, though, & it made me feel hearty to do so. It stopped while I cleaned up & walked back to the tent to write & fall heavily asleep. Mmmm, Tetons ...
June 10:
40 miles to Frogg Ranch (between Grand Tetons & Yellowstone NPs). Mmmm, Tetons ... Awoke late (later than Joel) & meditated, then made hot cereal & tea while Joel & I chatted. Nice kid - not full of himself (despite heading to University of Michigan Dental School this summer), not too chatty, easygoing. The hike out was pleasant along Phelps Lake & we hitched the 1st car - & then it gets crazy. So, Gaston & Gesille Suarez pick us up & we figure out that he works at Intel in The Massachusetts plant as an ex-pat from the Costa Rica plant. He was hired with the SECC expansion that I was a part of! He knew Isaac, Bill, Jun, & was 2-in-a-box with Tim Salo, who worked for me! & he knows Brian Kirzanich (Rae's boyfriend before she met me)! Crazy! I made lunch, packed the bike, said bye to Joel, & started a spellbinding ride north along the Teton Range. Eye Candy! It was cloudy on & behind the peaks, but they'd ocassionally clear & be so brilliant with sunlit snow as to take your breathe away. I took pictures for a couple motorbiking from Ohio - nice filks. The fun & familiar happened as I bought postcards at Signal Mountain - a sweet family from Chicago asked about the trip & we chatted for 20 minutes. Fun! I got to chat with Rae finally & I know I love her more than ever - she is so happy that I'm having fun! How luck am I? The views continued to unfold with lakes mirroring the peaks & clouds, immense couliours, & brilliant granite. The smell of pine so fragrant that you noticed anew with every breath. One climb & a long, smooth, fast descent & I arrived at the Frogg Ranch CG but $38 was too steep so the really nice kid, Jeff, working the counter pointed me 1.5 miles down Grassy Meadows road & ... BINGO! The best campspot yet: snow-covered peaks in the distance, a young but full Snake River 10 ft from the tent, swans, geese, ducks, picnic tables, bear boxes, & free! I set up camp, stretched, & rode back to the lodge for a very expensive burger & beers. As I was leaving I see three riders heading down my road & it's Noah, Chip, & Phillip, 3 really young (think high school) brothers riding from Medford, OR, to the southeast coast . Out for ten days already, they have a lot of the drill down & these home-schooled kids seem really confident, happy, & fun. Clearly religious as they had their bibles out when I wandered over to chat again after they'd set up camp. They've been riding late into the evening every day, then knocking on doors & sleeping in barns, yards, & even a greenhouse. Their goal is to ride 8800 miles in 130 days ... I decided not to suggest they slow down ... youth. They mentioned another tourer heading to Alaska but he's already well ahead & I'm busy slowing down, as I intend to fully enjoy The Rockies. I returned to camp by the river & sat in the bank enjoying the moonlit ripples & distant snow. It was a lovely temperature & light breeze so I lingered until I nearly nodded into the water. It's seeming more & more like Hogan will meet me in Glacier on or around the 19th! Stoked! Yellowstone tomorrow! OMG! So excited! This terrain & my headspace are coming into alignment & I'm really digging my life!
June 11:
66 miles to Madison Junction CG, Yellowstone NP. 930-630. It was nice but threatening when I rolled out of the tent. Packing has become an efficient routine & I headed over to say bye to the boys as they were starting a fire for their rest day. Breakfast was pretty good, though pricey, & I was on the road to Yellowstone! The park entrance was just 4 miles along & I got to see a tourist herd disembark from buses to take the same park sign picture I'd just snapped. Roadside banks of snow 4-10 ft tall were present immediately & it became a familar barrier for 35 miles. It started raining at mile 10 & didn't let up til Grant Village at mile 25, but it was extremely & wildly scenic despite the wet. Snake River urgently roared through narrow canyons having come from broad, marshy flats. Lewis Lake was quite big & completely frozen! At times I was so swept with the beauty that I would crinkle my face just to shed tears. Evidence of the 1988 fire was widespread but not prevelant & it was satisfying to see a naturally burned forest recuperating so vigorously ( good job, Park Service!). When I crossed the 3rd Continental Divide pass of the day, the roadside snow was gone & it was only evident on the north slopes of hills. Old Faithful went off within 15 minutes of my arrival & with video rolling - big crowd ... Several folks noticed the sign, including a cute gal & her mom from Wisconsin & some dudes who'd done TransAm a few years ago. Intrigued by pools, geysers, & Firehole River, I stopped & walked all the pullouts, where I met an ex-pat French family living in the States & an adventure blogger, Chris, who is gonna link this to his site. Cool folks! Those pools are surreal, deep, transparent, & captivating! A carload of Tetons rangers who'd seen me in their park pulled over with food, questions, encouragement, & not soon after I spotted an osprey fishing! A couple from St. Augustine, FL, at a picturesque waterfall pullout were great fun to chat with. I saw bison on the distance so rode a dirt road for a ways to get a better look - huge! The 20 miles to the CG along the Firehole & Nrz Perc rivers was downhill, in partial sun, & immensely beautiful - meadows, lodgepole pines (old & young), elk, pools ... mmm, tasty. Mel & John from New Zealand were in the hiker-biker already. They left on a moutain bike tandem El Paso 6 weeks ago on the Continental Divide trail, heading for Banff, then Vancouver! Their best story was the one where they get lost, accept beta from hunter, & then have to carry the bike & panniers in stages for 12 hours through waist-high tree deadfall! OMG! With typical UK understatement, they described it hilariously & downplayed the difficulty. They're both in medicine so plenty of jobs await when they return in late July. Aaron & Erin rolled in as I was stretching. They met & married in Tanzania through Peace Corps & were celebrating their 8th anniversary riding from Rock Springs to Banff. He's a school teacher & she's after a PhD at Tulane. Dinner of rice, paneer, pepper, onion, garlic plus poptarts & a Milky Way were eaten in the amphitheatre where an impassioned young ranger talked knowledgably about forest fires & keeping extractive industries out of the park - I was not joined by anyone when I whooped my approval & clapped loudly. Wierd - why are you in a NP if you can't appreciate what it's not: a vast untapped resource for more comfort & convenience?! Aaron heard me rattling the bear box & popped out to pepper me with questions. Fun, thoughtful, funny, & a great laugh, so a very nice cap to a really special day. I'll sleep well.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Four
Last April, Wesley and I traveled to Colombia. The only unfortunate part of the entire trip was the weather. We jam packed our bags to the weight limit, rounded up the appropriate climbing and backcountry gear, only to travel the entire month without opening both of our largest packs....the ones full of gear. We had hoped to put up some new climbing routes in the Colombian Andes. I never did see the snow capped peaks. April weather was nice, just hazy and bit rainy/snowy in the highlands. Photo to the right is a climbing crag near the mountains I hoped to see. The lady at the hostel in Mesa de los Santos informed us that on clear days you can see the snow capped peaks from the cliffs. We never had one of those, sadly.
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| Photo Copyright; http://elcocuy.info/pages_nevado/cocuy_galeria_nevado9_JPG.htm |
Those snow covered peaks we longed to see, are the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy. They are located within Colombia's eastern Cordillera.
Littered with 5000 meter granite peaks, this range is in a surreal and remote part of the country. A ride on the local milk truck is the best and closest way to arrive at the trailhead. As far as we understood, from talking with local guides and fellow climbers, there was still plenty of room for growth. Ah, we will have to return.
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| Tayrona National Park |
This past month, Giovanni and his wife Christine traveled back to Colorado from Colombia. Christine just graduated from a Ph.D program at Colorado State University. Wes and I were able visite them over a nice dinner here in Estes. We chatted about the Cirque trip and mentioned to Giovanni that he should consider joining us, as he was looking for a great way to spend his 3 week vacation.
A few logistical emails and weeks later, Giovanni has decided to join us. Yeah. We have a FOURTH!!!!!
I look forward to his amazing spirit and attitude. It will be nice to have him around camp, as well as a climbing partner in this amazing place~~~
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| Suesca climbing area |
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| G's Casa Bonita! |
Monday, June 6, 2011
FLASK May 28 - June 5
May 28:
Down day in Medicine Bow with 35 mph headwinds too tough to ride in. Relaced the rear wheel - two spokes threaded wrong. Cleaned chain & cassette. Adjusted rear disc brake. Laundry in the sink dried on lampshade next to room heater. Patched pocket in pants, hole in rain pants, & attached velcro on rain pants & jacket. Meditated twice. Stretched. Cheeseburger, fries, & maybe the best homemade coconut cream pie ever. Forecast is for rain & a change in wind direction. I'll take it. Nice folks in Medicine Bow but I need to get moving. Rae heads this way tomorrow morning!
May 29:
101 miles to Wamsutter, WY. Folks at The Virginian were nice again at their good breakfast buffet. East wind made the ride out of Medicine Bow so much more pleasant & the vistas with a little sunshine were serene & inspiring - made me weepy to be in this landscape. Pronghorns everywhere, too - they're such elegant, athletic creatures. I saw a kid touring the other way on I-80 so walked over to chat. Chris was riding from Eugene, OR, to Denver, CO, & nice. Quite a few nice conversations going on at 2nd lunch in Sinclair (named for the Sinclair oil refinery that IS the town), at the truck plaza where Rod (from Rock River) insisted I stop for a smothered green chili chicken burrito. He's right - it was awesome! Some motorbikers heading to Salt Lake, a gal trucker from Kansas, some locals & the waitress chatted weather, terrain, & food for an hour. 8 more easy miles to Rawlins & I decided to keep rolling, thinking that if the E wind kept up then the ominous clouds & forecasted rain wouldn't make the 42 miles to Wamsutter too bad. Unfortunately, when I crossed the Continental Divide (7000 ft) the wind came roaring cold from the N. Then a few miles later it started to rain ... awesome. When I stopped to put on raingear I left one of the drybags & walked back a few hundred yards laughing at myself. From there it was 23 wet, windy, continuous miles & I'm so, so glad I was able to keep pedaling with a smile on most of time, even though I contemplated sticking my thumb out every so often. It took some grrrr & I finally had some! Yea! Too many interstate miles, though - not cool The hotel is real shit but the heater & hot water worked. The old lady running it wanted me to agree that she's got friends waiting in heaven, too. Nervous laughter ... kook. Rae's gonna make it to Steve & Julie's in Ogden, then it's just another 3 hours for her to Rock Springs so it's likely she'll just keep rolling I-80 east to get me as I roll west. Stoked!
May 30:
21 miles on I80 toward Rock springs. Happy Memorial Day! Snow on the ground & snowing this AM. Good chorizo breakfast burrito at truck stop mexican place & I headed out under a brief blue sky. On I80 the headwind was cold but managable for about 9 miles but picked up suddenly & considerably when the rain started. I already had on raingear but it was too hard to control the bike & it was too cold to keep pedaling. Walking the bike was somehow warmer & I pushed it up & over my 2nd Continental Divide crossing (too horrid to consider stopping for pictures). For awhile I tried to walk the bike with my thumb out but got knocked over twice by gusts & anandoned that idea. I've gotten over the bitterness that welled inside at all the pick-up trucks & trailers that could easily have acommodated the bike & trailer. I just don't understand the lack of empathy that allows people to drive by a person pushing a bike in 30F into a 35 mph snowstorm. I kept thinking, "F%#@ you, Wyoming travellers!," but, like I said, I'm over it. It was frustrating to have to repeatedly stop to pull off a glove & pull out the phone in those freezing conditions to exchange texts or talk to Rae but very comforting to know she was speeding toward me. We were gonna meet at Rock Springs & head to the Tetons but I needed to be rescued. So after 9 miles & 3.5 hours of pushing & intermittent stretches of riding, Rae found me. As we got close to the Hwy 191 turnoff for Tetons I realized I'd rather have a more substantial rest & we stayed on I80E rocketing back to Ogden, UT, where Rae had spent the previous night with best friends, Steve & Julie. Their two beautiful daughters screeched & jumped into my arms, calling me "the silliest!," - oh, joy! Rae, my love, made dinner & I had quite a few Roosters beers (brewed by Steve) & enjoyed everyone's company. All the walking coupled with not getting to stretch the night before (the motel was so filthy I was unwilling to put my mat on the floor, which, for those of you who know I have no real aversion to dirt, is really saying something) has reintroduced me to the familar hip pain. It'll work itself out, I'm sure, since it's been getting better & better during the trip. Snuggling with Rae ... mmm.
May 31-June 3:
Rae's rescue was more than just getting me out of a Wyoming snowstorm - she saved the tour with her deep & soulful love for me. What a remarkable woman. We stayed at Steve & Julie's 2 days, playing with Erin & Lily, drinking, watching the NBA Finals Game 1 (Heat), & lunch at Roosters. I was still feeling anxious as we packed up &, after the beautiful drive to Flaming Gorge Canyon Rim CG, at the campsite with that wind still going. But Rae was so reassuring, gentle, & positive that I started feeling better. We had a wonderful, intimate, deep evening of conversation at the campfire that crystallized for me why I love her so. The next day we hiked in pines, meadows, & snow along overfull creeks toward Tepee Lake but got shut down after postholing briefly. The Geology Tour road was very scenic. Mike & his son, Matt, were on a backpacking tour from Minnesota. A UPS guy who put his kids through graduate school & liked bargain hunting as he drove around, he was super chatty but likeable. Rae & I had dinner by the fire before crawling into bed early. I discovered the next morning that I'd lost my passport so we drove into Evanston to start sorting that out. The RV place we set up at had hot showers & we went to see Hangover 2 before clambering into the tent, but it was pretty loud all night & we slept poorly.
June 4:
56 miles, Evanston, WY, to Bear Lake, UT. 1200-530. Very, very emotional day. Rae & I slept in then found breakfast burritos in Evanston & liesurely looked through pictures from the trip that I'd uploaded to her PC. I finished reloading the bike while she broke down the bed & tent, then it was time to say goodbye. I'd already been crying in the days previous & found it quite hard to keep from outright blubbering as we hugged. Four months ... I'm heartbroken. I cried for the first hour on & off, then noticed it was a calm, beautiful Wyoming day - rare, indeed. There was some drag racing going on outside town so I watched a few from the side of the road with some Mexican dudes. Rolling hills, blue skies, lingering snow in the mountains, sage, prairie dogs ... pleasant. I stopped at the Randolph visitor center & Carol suggested that the extra 14 miles through Bear Lake was worth it. Kim & Leanne from DC whistled me over as I remounted the bike. He'd toured before in WY-UT & was showing Leanne his old stomping grounds. The climb up into Bear Lake's valley was an easy 4-5 miles, though the descent was steeper. Bear Lake is beautifully ringed by snowcapped mountains & ridges, & the state park CG was only $16 with showers. I lost the same spoke on the last mile (lucky again) so pulled it apart, filed down the burr I found at the hub's spoke hole, & re-tuned the wheel in good time. Tim came over & invited me to come over for crackers, cheese, & beer. He did a cross-country tour years ago, worked in DC doing investment research, & was married to Kathryn, who worked in the USDA land acquisition group. Cary & Jackie were cycling in the valley with friends, saw the sign, & invited me over to meet Dana & Joe. We chatted by their fire til late & I called Rae on my walk back to camp. Crying again ...
June 5:
90 miles to Afton, WT. 830-530. Let's call this Free Day ... I awoke early to a cacophony of birds. Lovely but got out to pee then crawled back into the tent for another hour of shuteye. Packing is easier now that I've developed a system with the dry bags & since I sent Rae back with her back rack pack. The two rear panniers are a nice change. I'd put the tent up over a mole or vole burrow so had to deal with some intermittent scratching through the night. I meditated (do this every morning before you go, Craig) & said goodbye to Tim & Kathryn - sweet people. It was a beautiful 8 miles til I saw a "Breakfast Buffet $10" banner & popped into a lovely lodge owned & operated by Carol & Greg. Check out what I ate: sausage omelette, yogurt, tapiaco, waffle, eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, & 2 cups of coffee. Full ... burp. I was writing notes about yesterday & started crying again ...it's right under the surface, man, & it was all day. Carol told me keep my $20 when I tried to pay because she thought what I was doing was so awesome & I took some warm hugs, promising to bring Rae back to stay some time. The ride along Bear Lake was just so scenic & pleasant with a light breeze & lots of sunshine. John, at the Paris, ID, convenience store said the lake was expected to rise 13 feet, 6 higher than normal & the highest expected ever. Crazy spring! The climb out of Montpelier Canyon was pretty, with creeks raging on both sides & sage covered hills, & gradual until the last 2 miles over Geneva Pass (6939 ft). The climb over Lander Turnoff was gradual, too, until the last 4 & the last 2 were done standing up in the smallest front chain ring. Whew! Astounding views! The descent into & ride through Star Valley was amazing - snow covered peaks, flooded pastures, horses, green hills ... stunning. I felt that fucking rear spoke go AGAIN 5 miles outside Afton (will attack that in the morning after a visit to Ace Hardware for a round file) ... grrr. I rode all the way through town looking for camping (2 miles up into a canyon was an option but ...) then circled back to a bar on Main St. & asked if they'd put on Game 3 of The Finals (Heat in a close one). Ben, Claudia, Jim, & Mickey are RVing from Florida to Montana & latched me quickly for beers & dinner, which they very graciously picked up. Drunk but super sweet & friendly, it was great to have bouisterous company. Cali was tending bar & she comp'd me the 2 beers I had watching the end of the game. Sweet kid. See what I mean by Free Day?! The city park with covered tables was just 2 blocks away & I talked to Rae, stretched quickly, & tucked in. Nice day.
Down day in Medicine Bow with 35 mph headwinds too tough to ride in. Relaced the rear wheel - two spokes threaded wrong. Cleaned chain & cassette. Adjusted rear disc brake. Laundry in the sink dried on lampshade next to room heater. Patched pocket in pants, hole in rain pants, & attached velcro on rain pants & jacket. Meditated twice. Stretched. Cheeseburger, fries, & maybe the best homemade coconut cream pie ever. Forecast is for rain & a change in wind direction. I'll take it. Nice folks in Medicine Bow but I need to get moving. Rae heads this way tomorrow morning!
May 29:
101 miles to Wamsutter, WY. Folks at The Virginian were nice again at their good breakfast buffet. East wind made the ride out of Medicine Bow so much more pleasant & the vistas with a little sunshine were serene & inspiring - made me weepy to be in this landscape. Pronghorns everywhere, too - they're such elegant, athletic creatures. I saw a kid touring the other way on I-80 so walked over to chat. Chris was riding from Eugene, OR, to Denver, CO, & nice. Quite a few nice conversations going on at 2nd lunch in Sinclair (named for the Sinclair oil refinery that IS the town), at the truck plaza where Rod (from Rock River) insisted I stop for a smothered green chili chicken burrito. He's right - it was awesome! Some motorbikers heading to Salt Lake, a gal trucker from Kansas, some locals & the waitress chatted weather, terrain, & food for an hour. 8 more easy miles to Rawlins & I decided to keep rolling, thinking that if the E wind kept up then the ominous clouds & forecasted rain wouldn't make the 42 miles to Wamsutter too bad. Unfortunately, when I crossed the Continental Divide (7000 ft) the wind came roaring cold from the N. Then a few miles later it started to rain ... awesome. When I stopped to put on raingear I left one of the drybags & walked back a few hundred yards laughing at myself. From there it was 23 wet, windy, continuous miles & I'm so, so glad I was able to keep pedaling with a smile on most of time, even though I contemplated sticking my thumb out every so often. It took some grrrr & I finally had some! Yea! Too many interstate miles, though - not cool The hotel is real shit but the heater & hot water worked. The old lady running it wanted me to agree that she's got friends waiting in heaven, too. Nervous laughter ... kook. Rae's gonna make it to Steve & Julie's in Ogden, then it's just another 3 hours for her to Rock Springs so it's likely she'll just keep rolling I-80 east to get me as I roll west. Stoked!
May 30:
21 miles on I80 toward Rock springs. Happy Memorial Day! Snow on the ground & snowing this AM. Good chorizo breakfast burrito at truck stop mexican place & I headed out under a brief blue sky. On I80 the headwind was cold but managable for about 9 miles but picked up suddenly & considerably when the rain started. I already had on raingear but it was too hard to control the bike & it was too cold to keep pedaling. Walking the bike was somehow warmer & I pushed it up & over my 2nd Continental Divide crossing (too horrid to consider stopping for pictures). For awhile I tried to walk the bike with my thumb out but got knocked over twice by gusts & anandoned that idea. I've gotten over the bitterness that welled inside at all the pick-up trucks & trailers that could easily have acommodated the bike & trailer. I just don't understand the lack of empathy that allows people to drive by a person pushing a bike in 30F into a 35 mph snowstorm. I kept thinking, "F%#@ you, Wyoming travellers!," but, like I said, I'm over it. It was frustrating to have to repeatedly stop to pull off a glove & pull out the phone in those freezing conditions to exchange texts or talk to Rae but very comforting to know she was speeding toward me. We were gonna meet at Rock Springs & head to the Tetons but I needed to be rescued. So after 9 miles & 3.5 hours of pushing & intermittent stretches of riding, Rae found me. As we got close to the Hwy 191 turnoff for Tetons I realized I'd rather have a more substantial rest & we stayed on I80E rocketing back to Ogden, UT, where Rae had spent the previous night with best friends, Steve & Julie. Their two beautiful daughters screeched & jumped into my arms, calling me "the silliest!," - oh, joy! Rae, my love, made dinner & I had quite a few Roosters beers (brewed by Steve) & enjoyed everyone's company. All the walking coupled with not getting to stretch the night before (the motel was so filthy I was unwilling to put my mat on the floor, which, for those of you who know I have no real aversion to dirt, is really saying something) has reintroduced me to the familar hip pain. It'll work itself out, I'm sure, since it's been getting better & better during the trip. Snuggling with Rae ... mmm.
May 31-June 3:
Rae's rescue was more than just getting me out of a Wyoming snowstorm - she saved the tour with her deep & soulful love for me. What a remarkable woman. We stayed at Steve & Julie's 2 days, playing with Erin & Lily, drinking, watching the NBA Finals Game 1 (Heat), & lunch at Roosters. I was still feeling anxious as we packed up &, after the beautiful drive to Flaming Gorge Canyon Rim CG, at the campsite with that wind still going. But Rae was so reassuring, gentle, & positive that I started feeling better. We had a wonderful, intimate, deep evening of conversation at the campfire that crystallized for me why I love her so. The next day we hiked in pines, meadows, & snow along overfull creeks toward Tepee Lake but got shut down after postholing briefly. The Geology Tour road was very scenic. Mike & his son, Matt, were on a backpacking tour from Minnesota. A UPS guy who put his kids through graduate school & liked bargain hunting as he drove around, he was super chatty but likeable. Rae & I had dinner by the fire before crawling into bed early. I discovered the next morning that I'd lost my passport so we drove into Evanston to start sorting that out. The RV place we set up at had hot showers & we went to see Hangover 2 before clambering into the tent, but it was pretty loud all night & we slept poorly.
June 4:
56 miles, Evanston, WY, to Bear Lake, UT. 1200-530. Very, very emotional day. Rae & I slept in then found breakfast burritos in Evanston & liesurely looked through pictures from the trip that I'd uploaded to her PC. I finished reloading the bike while she broke down the bed & tent, then it was time to say goodbye. I'd already been crying in the days previous & found it quite hard to keep from outright blubbering as we hugged. Four months ... I'm heartbroken. I cried for the first hour on & off, then noticed it was a calm, beautiful Wyoming day - rare, indeed. There was some drag racing going on outside town so I watched a few from the side of the road with some Mexican dudes. Rolling hills, blue skies, lingering snow in the mountains, sage, prairie dogs ... pleasant. I stopped at the Randolph visitor center & Carol suggested that the extra 14 miles through Bear Lake was worth it. Kim & Leanne from DC whistled me over as I remounted the bike. He'd toured before in WY-UT & was showing Leanne his old stomping grounds. The climb up into Bear Lake's valley was an easy 4-5 miles, though the descent was steeper. Bear Lake is beautifully ringed by snowcapped mountains & ridges, & the state park CG was only $16 with showers. I lost the same spoke on the last mile (lucky again) so pulled it apart, filed down the burr I found at the hub's spoke hole, & re-tuned the wheel in good time. Tim came over & invited me to come over for crackers, cheese, & beer. He did a cross-country tour years ago, worked in DC doing investment research, & was married to Kathryn, who worked in the USDA land acquisition group. Cary & Jackie were cycling in the valley with friends, saw the sign, & invited me over to meet Dana & Joe. We chatted by their fire til late & I called Rae on my walk back to camp. Crying again ...
June 5:
90 miles to Afton, WT. 830-530. Let's call this Free Day ... I awoke early to a cacophony of birds. Lovely but got out to pee then crawled back into the tent for another hour of shuteye. Packing is easier now that I've developed a system with the dry bags & since I sent Rae back with her back rack pack. The two rear panniers are a nice change. I'd put the tent up over a mole or vole burrow so had to deal with some intermittent scratching through the night. I meditated (do this every morning before you go, Craig) & said goodbye to Tim & Kathryn - sweet people. It was a beautiful 8 miles til I saw a "Breakfast Buffet $10" banner & popped into a lovely lodge owned & operated by Carol & Greg. Check out what I ate: sausage omelette, yogurt, tapiaco, waffle, eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, & 2 cups of coffee. Full ... burp. I was writing notes about yesterday & started crying again ...it's right under the surface, man, & it was all day. Carol told me keep my $20 when I tried to pay because she thought what I was doing was so awesome & I took some warm hugs, promising to bring Rae back to stay some time. The ride along Bear Lake was just so scenic & pleasant with a light breeze & lots of sunshine. John, at the Paris, ID, convenience store said the lake was expected to rise 13 feet, 6 higher than normal & the highest expected ever. Crazy spring! The climb out of Montpelier Canyon was pretty, with creeks raging on both sides & sage covered hills, & gradual until the last 2 miles over Geneva Pass (6939 ft). The climb over Lander Turnoff was gradual, too, until the last 4 & the last 2 were done standing up in the smallest front chain ring. Whew! Astounding views! The descent into & ride through Star Valley was amazing - snow covered peaks, flooded pastures, horses, green hills ... stunning. I felt that fucking rear spoke go AGAIN 5 miles outside Afton (will attack that in the morning after a visit to Ace Hardware for a round file) ... grrr. I rode all the way through town looking for camping (2 miles up into a canyon was an option but ...) then circled back to a bar on Main St. & asked if they'd put on Game 3 of The Finals (Heat in a close one). Ben, Claudia, Jim, & Mickey are RVing from Florida to Montana & latched me quickly for beers & dinner, which they very graciously picked up. Drunk but super sweet & friendly, it was great to have bouisterous company. Cali was tending bar & she comp'd me the 2 beers I had watching the end of the game. Sweet kid. See what I mean by Free Day?! The city park with covered tables was just 2 blocks away & I talked to Rae, stretched quickly, & tucked in. Nice day.
Friday, May 27, 2011
FLASK: May 10-27
Home May 10-18:
So, so, so nice to be with Rae again. There was plenty to do: finish master bathroom wall, fix irrigation leaks in sideyard & under driveway, clean backyard & windows for Rae's party, hang mirrors, rebuild rear wheel (twice!), install new tires, chain & chain ring, clean bike drivetrain, & watch grandkids! Rae got into Antioch's PhD program! We have to pay & there's no teaching or research positions so we hope to hear good news from Gonzaga but it is so great that she's been accepted! I'm so proud of her MBA, now this! Very exciting! I left reluctantly & as late as possible so I could maximize Rae time. She did a really nice job of reassuring me & loving me - just what was needed! Rain & wind in AZ & NM became lots of soft, slippery snow in CO. I bought some $3 thrift store shoes to keep my feet warn - the flipflops were not so useful when trying to put chains on the van's tires!
I arrived in Estes May 19 at 5, met Bronson (tore off her foot, broke her collarbone, & has been brought back from death twice - & she's cute, friendly, & a strong climber), scrambled to Radio Shack to get A/V cables, had dinner with Quinn & Bronson, then sorted slides for the 8pm show. It went well, I think. I rambled about me, my recent life change, my awesome wife & family, & tried to tell amusing, self-depracating, & insightful-from-the-saddle stories. 40 people! They were all super nice after, including the rock shop gal who gave me a crystal, & Lisa (super stud athlete & mother of a 2 year-old who goes on all the adventures). We went late night bowling & the folks who saw the show kept chatting me up while all kinds of drunken debauchery was had: dancing on tables, handstands, bowling through a tunnel of legs, singing, dancing, ... Estes is CRAZY! Quinn & I snuck out around 2AM. The weather there sucked so, while we tried a little wet bouldering, I mostly hung out at the library & Karla & Justin's house. They own Ed's Cantina where Quinn works & are super nice. A few folks who missed the slideshow cornered me at Ed's the next night - including the town cougar (not surprisingly, I escaped without being hit on) - & were very nice. We went to dinner at Rock Inn where a fantastic guitarist /keyboard duo went at it. It was rounding into another late night of drunkenness when Quinn & I escaped with Dustin, one of Wes's good friends. (Wes, by the way, had high tension tower work in Omaha so I didn't get to hang with him ... Bummer.) Dustin & I worked up a plan to return his dad's car to Conifer, get me to La Junta, & have him return with the van. Unfortunately, a full day of work for him meant we didn't leave til 930pm. I got 2 hours sleep between 1030-1230, finished the driving to arrive in La Junta at 230am, & quickly unloaded gear before sending Dustin back to Estes.
May 22:
101 miles to Limon, CO. 730-6. Up at dawn (6am) to attach trailer & start a long day. No one recognized me at Copper Kitchen where I had breakfast before catching the train back on May 10 - no facial hair maybe or is my ego too big? Ego. Loaded up poptarts, propane, & fig cookies then headed east on 50 for 14 miles, then onto 71 north forEVER. It was a light swirling crosswind through mile 65 then it became a distinct headwind, & the climbing, though gradual, was mind-numbingly persistent - every horizon had another one beyond & above it. My legs became very tight, especially the left inner hamstring, & I struggled to go 3-4 miles at a time the last 20 miles or so. My head was in a bad space & I broke down twice sobbing that I just wanted to go home. Rae was decent consolation when I described it after I got into Limon but ... well, not rallying. What I think I need to hear is first sympathy then an enouraging rallying cry. Intimidated by the approaching storm clouds & desparate for a long night's sleep, I checked into the Knight's Inn. Powerade & a hot bath didn't ease the aching & I kept cramping when I tried to stretch. Weed, hot Chinese take-out, a goodnight call to Rae & I fell into bed at 9 totally exhausted. Tomorrow's more of the same - another 73 mile blank stretch - with the added bonus of thunderstorms. Yeaa!
May 23:
86 miles to Ft. Morgan, CO. 930-430. Thank goodness: wind & road were aligned & in phase so I sailed in 5 mile intervals all day. Those tired, tight legs nearly had the day off. I slept in til 830, thinking that the little sleep I got the previous night hadn't helped my mental or physical stamina performance - errr, I mean their crumbling - yesterday. The Knight's Inn Continental breakfast sucked but free made it taste better. Same terrain as yesterday, without the gradual climb, & same weather - just a South wind instead of North. I'd pulled over at a nice picnic area in Last Chance (homes but nothing else) fir leftover Chinese from last night to find a cookout some wide load (wind turbine blades! Yes!) truckers & the pilot car drivers were having. They immediately invited me over for hot links in corn tortillas & a Bud Light. Fun, funny, & super nice, they wished me well as I pedaled off: "Be safe, you crazy fucker!" I pulled over 20 miles later - after unsuccessfully trying to intice some horses to come to the fence for the apples I pilfered from breakfast - to see if the car on the side of the road needed a hand. Paul & I quickly found the coolant leak (I've got a lot of experience with that, unfortunately) & used one of the hose clamps I carry to fix it (seriously, these things are awesome for lashing weird shit on or to the bike or trailer). A fellow biker, he was stoked I pulled over because (well, I always do) he had a bike on top. Haha! I rode the 73 open miles into Brush feeling very good, considering how I felt last night. Getting the 9 miles into Ft. Morgan before the lightening, black clouds, & heavy rain rolled in was gratifying. Another motel night - I'm still too soft. A hot, hot bath loosened the legs & I had a great stretch. OKC let Nowitzki tear them a new asshole to come back from 13 down to tie it in the last 4 minutes of regulation. Then they lose in OT. Doh! How 'bout this?! I found out today that Phil Hardiman put the FLASK story in the May 21st Scottsdale Republic (thanks to fellow referee & Republic business writer, Peter Corbett) & I also got a request for more information from PBS Stories. Cool! Lots of rain forecast for tomorrow - hmmm ...
May 24:
76 miles to Loveland, CO. 9-730. Jeff & Marty were in the next booth at breakfast & were talking biking so I ended up sitting with them for awhile & getting helpful frontage road beta for getting out of Ft. Morgan. One front & one trailer flat this morning - thankfully before the rain started. It was a steady, light rain from mile 15 all the way to Kersey at mile 50, on & off into Loveland. No wind, though, so perfectly tolerable. I chatted with a lovely young woman at the Kersey Cafe where I drank a bucket of coffee & ate a cheeseburger. I noticed bruising on her arm & asked about it ... then suggested that she could definitely find a better boyfriend than that. Poor thing. Justin & Jason at the Loveland Trek bike store were awesome! Since I ended up having to stop several times to empty water from my Gortex over-mittens, I'd stopped in to find something better & they sold me top-of-the-line waterproof gloves at 50% off. Then they looked up & called a few cheap hotels, gave me two tubes & AAA batteries free, & talked touring until the shop closed at 7. I got pissed at the old Chinese ladies at two motels when they wouldn't drop their rates for cash & ended up calling the Jade Inn. JD was so excited about what I was doing that he said I was destined to stay there & gave me a huge cash discount ("I never go under $60 but let's do $40"), asking in return that I rinse & wipe my filthy bike & trailer before pulling them into the room ("I just cleaned the carpets, bro."). I'd felt a worsening bike wobble the last few miles & it went real bad just as I pulled into his parking lot in the increasing intensity rain & discovered that I'd broken a spoke on the rear wheel I'd rebuilt in Phoenix. So instead of a hot bath & stretching, I replaced the spoke (Yea! I brought spares!) & re-tuned the wheel. Whew! I'd love to go through Estes again & ride through RMNP but don't know yet if the road's clear - Quinn's gonna check & call in the morning. An old high school friend living in Denver, Mike Melonis, has been following the trip & gave me a call tonight. It was great to catch up but I confused him by citing the wrong dates in a recent message & he won't be able to ride with me tomorrow. Bummer but it was funny to discover that we'd overlapped residence in Phoenix in the early 90s & probably were on the same trails pretty often! Kissing Rae in a week is something to look forward to! Bummed that the SD400 camera's no longer turning on ... I don't want to get another camera but the smartphone one's just not that good. Mmmm, thoughts of Rae soothe me once again ...
May 25: 52 miles to Virgiana Dale, CO. 1030-7. Wierd day. I slept in again, hoping to delay making a decision about my route until I got beta on RMNP road conditions from Quinn. I was finishing breakfast at Perkins (chains suck, the food's awful) when she texted that while the road was clear, the workers weren't letting anyone through. I'd been agonizing over this since arriving in Estes Park last week. I really, really want RMNP on the FLASK ticklist of National Parks & really wanted to see peaks laden with snow & avalanches roaring & 30 foot snowbank cuts. The fact that it would be colder, harder, longer, & nearly devoid of people was giving me pause but last night after piecing the rim back together, I'd resolved that I really wanted to be in that wonderland. Bummed it didn't happen ... but it's still a fantastic adventure ahead! I was a little demotivated, though, from the news & had a hard time making progress today. The camera stopped working a few days ago & I decided I needed a functioning, high performance camera for the Rockies. I found a good one (similar to my old one & looks like it'll take not only the SIM card but also the battery!) on craigslist & met James in Ft. Collins around 1130. Nice kid. Then I went to a fabric store to get snaps to close the gap between my rain top & pants when I'm bent over riding. Damn things didn't work & I tore a small hole in the pants. So at Albertsons I found some velcro & I'll use my sewing kit to patch the hole & attach the velcro. Then to a smoke shop to find a functioning windproof lighter (mine works < 10% of the time), which they didn't have but the stoner behind the counter gave me his spare. Too f'in cool! I then stopped at McDonalds (free wifi) to re-check the weather & pick off the Dollar Menu (I know, I know). Rosemary introduced herself & her husband, James, as they were leaving with the now familiar, "Are you the one going to Alaska?" (I really dig the bigger sign on the trailer - it gets seen even on the road.) They were driving around the country celebrating their 50th year together. Absolutely adorable couple: sweet, good listeners, affectionate (she was stroking his hair with this dreamy look on her face!), willing to share, & energetic. They wanted the blog address & to take a picture of me in front of my bike. They were nice enough to pose for me under their umbrella - that's right! Rain! Yea! So now it's 2pm & I've done 17 of the 83 miles I'd planned to Laramie, WY. I've been so soft this week that I just resolved to strike out, have fun, & plan on remote camping. The rain quit soon & there was a very helpful S wind for the first set of real climbs on the trip. Nothing like Mt. Evans, Berthoud, Rabbit Ears, or RMNP so I consider it a gentle introduction. The front tire flatted as intermittent periods of sunshine finally made breaks in the clouds & I put in a tube-in-of-repair first -"Dangit, Noni!," as my grandson, Phin, would say. Virginia Dale exists on the map & has a sign but ... not even a cluster of houses. There is a dirt road - maybe they're all off thataway. Beautiful country, though, with spectacular views of the snowy peaks of RMNP, antelope, red bluffs, trees, & sculpted hills. I found a great spot right off the road & down a little so it's nicely isolated & not trashed. I set up the tent because I was already cold. Fantastic stretch as the sun bent through trees to make it's way to the horizon. Dinner was peppers (that I brought from our garden!), garlic, onion, rice, & foil salmon - very decent meal. Turns out that whole grain Fig Newtons make you fart as much as the regular ones do but they don't taste nearly as good. Quinn & Wes will join me tomorrow! They are likely to catch me before I make the 30 miles to Laramie. Their company is so nice & in these circumstances, where it's obvious I'm still apprehensive about how hard some of these days have been, what's ahead, & this wierd weather, well ... I am really gonna enjoy it! Brandon, a buddy of Steve's at Roosters (official sponsor with a $150 donation! Woohoo!), has kinfolk in Jackson Hole so Rae & I may(!) get to stay in a nice guesthouse for a night or two! Fingers crossed! I'm SO looking forward to seeing her a week from now! Excited! Glad the day ended so beautifully after such a tepid, sluggish start.
May 26:
69 miles to Rock River, WY. 830-630. Repacking after last night's campout with the trailer set-up instead of the familiar panniers was confusing. I still don't know where I want everything & the dry bags are unwieldy. There was a rest area only 2 miles from where I camped - haha! The ride to the pass was shrouded in fog but pretty easy grade & not too long & I entered the vast open space of Wyoming with a fast downhill. It was mostly tailwind into Laramie, which has a super cool old downtown where Quinn & Wes met me for a very tasty vegetarian lunch that was recommended by the local bikeshop guys. Slate grey skies & a crosswind for 10 fun miles of Wes' company, then the same plus a little rain for 10 with Quinn, who, as usual, did some great clowning: donning a skirt & lifting her bike over her head & laying with her bike in front of the Cheyenne Massacre Trail sign! The tail of the storm system passed by as we parted company & I was unnecessarily optimistic that the wind woukd cease. Man, was it great to have some company on the road for a few hours! Almost as soon as they left the wind shifted & I struggled with hills & a chilly headwind for the last 20 miles into Rock River, a tiny, windswept town of 200. The bar was open so I plopped myself down with a Bud (take what you can get, right?) next to Forest, Daryl, & Rod, with Kristi serving. They worked fences & as ranchhands when the weather let them (Rod worked for his little brother, who was also Kristi's husband) & warmed to me enough to invite me to shoot darts, which is just one more game of skill with which I struggle. The bar - the only restaurant-type deal in town - offered Tombstone frozen pizza so I wolfed one down while inquiring about where to set up my tent. The wind had already picked up considerably & rain was forecast for later so they tried to talk me into the $50 local motel but I resisted. A few beers later, Rod offered up his couch for the evening & I gladly accepted the invitation. Joe, who'd seen me ride by & waved as he was driving a paving roller just outside of town, came in after he did the 36 mile roundtrip drive to the Medicine Bow ATM. Rock River's an ATM-less town that only accepts cash - go figure! He, Daryl, & I shot pool with a roughneck, Chad, & I demonstrated no prowess at this game, either. I'd made Kristi put the Bulls-Heat game on TV so got to see the Bulls give the game away in the last 4 minutes. Daryl's mom, Stacey, showed up & we chatted about her work at the K-12 school & Daryl's teenage hockey prowess til late. I went down the town's alley to Rod's house - a small narrow affair where the only interior walls surrounded the bathroom - & we chatted & got high before I fell asleep on the couch with him watching TV. He had a freezer full of elk, deer, & rabbit he'd shot & processed himself & 1/2 side of beef, which allowed him to get by on $500 a month. His house had cost onky $7500! Forest had made some breakfast burritos & his son brought them over late, & Rod made sure I knew I was welcome to some. How is it that toothless folks with so little are always so generous?
May 27:
Rod woke up around 4am but I pulled a pillow over my head til 6. He'd made some coffee & was nice enough to pour some for me when I finally stretched awake with the noise of howling wind. I thanked him again when he left for work but he came back not 5 minutes later to tell me I should stay the day because there was cold snow blowing. I left him some kind bud & $5 for his next beer, though, & packed everything up. I soon discovered that my Smith Optics sunglasses were gone! I searched my gear twice, walked the allcey back to the bar, & triple-checked outside Rod's house - no luck. Drag! I really dug those glasses from one of our few sponsors ... The first 2 miles turned out to be the best & fastest of the day because I was riding into only a cross/headwind. Top speed: around 10 mph. Then the road turned directly into the 35 mph W wind & I immediately had to drop into the smallest chainring. It was quite cold, too, so I put on more clothes: long underwear, riding tights, thermal top, riding jersey, puffy jacket, balaclava, heavy gloves, riding socks, wool socks, & toe covers. I made the 18 miles to Medicine Bow in 4 hours & had to walk about 2 of those. The bike was very hard to manage when gusts up to 50 mph often pushed me off the road. I had an omellette & lots of coffee to thaw out, called Rae to bolster my flagging spirits, then set off again. 2 miles took 1 1/2 hours & I became totally disheartened. I stuck out my thumb to see if I could get a ride to Rawlins where there was more than one hotel but turned back after 30 minutes with no takers (maybe you're expected to be completely self sufficient in Wyoming cuz no one even looked). Without pedaling (honest), wind pushed me back to Medicine Bow at 17 mph up a slight grade. Fierce, fierce wind here, which the locals say they like because it "keeps folks away." I've checked in to the Virginian for two nights because the wind forecast is the same or worse for the next few days. Rae gave me some great news to lift my spirits, though: she'll be leaving 2 days sooner to join me & seemed happy with the idea of rescuing me from the winds, since I definitely won't make the Tetons by the time she arrives. I'll sort out where to re-start after our visit. I am desparately longing for her company & the excitement of seeing her in just a few days has displaced a bit of the depression & anxiety the sense of failure from this taxing day created.
So, so, so nice to be with Rae again. There was plenty to do: finish master bathroom wall, fix irrigation leaks in sideyard & under driveway, clean backyard & windows for Rae's party, hang mirrors, rebuild rear wheel (twice!), install new tires, chain & chain ring, clean bike drivetrain, & watch grandkids! Rae got into Antioch's PhD program! We have to pay & there's no teaching or research positions so we hope to hear good news from Gonzaga but it is so great that she's been accepted! I'm so proud of her MBA, now this! Very exciting! I left reluctantly & as late as possible so I could maximize Rae time. She did a really nice job of reassuring me & loving me - just what was needed! Rain & wind in AZ & NM became lots of soft, slippery snow in CO. I bought some $3 thrift store shoes to keep my feet warn - the flipflops were not so useful when trying to put chains on the van's tires!
May 22:
101 miles to Limon, CO. 730-6. Up at dawn (6am) to attach trailer & start a long day. No one recognized me at Copper Kitchen where I had breakfast before catching the train back on May 10 - no facial hair maybe or is my ego too big? Ego. Loaded up poptarts, propane, & fig cookies then headed east on 50 for 14 miles, then onto 71 north forEVER. It was a light swirling crosswind through mile 65 then it became a distinct headwind, & the climbing, though gradual, was mind-numbingly persistent - every horizon had another one beyond & above it. My legs became very tight, especially the left inner hamstring, & I struggled to go 3-4 miles at a time the last 20 miles or so. My head was in a bad space & I broke down twice sobbing that I just wanted to go home. Rae was decent consolation when I described it after I got into Limon but ... well, not rallying. What I think I need to hear is first sympathy then an enouraging rallying cry. Intimidated by the approaching storm clouds & desparate for a long night's sleep, I checked into the Knight's Inn. Powerade & a hot bath didn't ease the aching & I kept cramping when I tried to stretch. Weed, hot Chinese take-out, a goodnight call to Rae & I fell into bed at 9 totally exhausted. Tomorrow's more of the same - another 73 mile blank stretch - with the added bonus of thunderstorms. Yeaa!
May 23:
86 miles to Ft. Morgan, CO. 930-430. Thank goodness: wind & road were aligned & in phase so I sailed in 5 mile intervals all day. Those tired, tight legs nearly had the day off. I slept in til 830, thinking that the little sleep I got the previous night hadn't helped my mental or physical stamina performance - errr, I mean their crumbling - yesterday. The Knight's Inn Continental breakfast sucked but free made it taste better. Same terrain as yesterday, without the gradual climb, & same weather - just a South wind instead of North. I'd pulled over at a nice picnic area in Last Chance (homes but nothing else) fir leftover Chinese from last night to find a cookout some wide load (wind turbine blades! Yes!) truckers & the pilot car drivers were having. They immediately invited me over for hot links in corn tortillas & a Bud Light. Fun, funny, & super nice, they wished me well as I pedaled off: "Be safe, you crazy fucker!" I pulled over 20 miles later - after unsuccessfully trying to intice some horses to come to the fence for the apples I pilfered from breakfast - to see if the car on the side of the road needed a hand. Paul & I quickly found the coolant leak (I've got a lot of experience with that, unfortunately) & used one of the hose clamps I carry to fix it (seriously, these things are awesome for lashing weird shit on or to the bike or trailer). A fellow biker, he was stoked I pulled over because (well, I always do) he had a bike on top. Haha! I rode the 73 open miles into Brush feeling very good, considering how I felt last night. Getting the 9 miles into Ft. Morgan before the lightening, black clouds, & heavy rain rolled in was gratifying. Another motel night - I'm still too soft. A hot, hot bath loosened the legs & I had a great stretch. OKC let Nowitzki tear them a new asshole to come back from 13 down to tie it in the last 4 minutes of regulation. Then they lose in OT. Doh! How 'bout this?! I found out today that Phil Hardiman put the FLASK story in the May 21st Scottsdale Republic (thanks to fellow referee & Republic business writer, Peter Corbett) & I also got a request for more information from PBS Stories. Cool! Lots of rain forecast for tomorrow - hmmm ...
May 24:
76 miles to Loveland, CO. 9-730. Jeff & Marty were in the next booth at breakfast & were talking biking so I ended up sitting with them for awhile & getting helpful frontage road beta for getting out of Ft. Morgan. One front & one trailer flat this morning - thankfully before the rain started. It was a steady, light rain from mile 15 all the way to Kersey at mile 50, on & off into Loveland. No wind, though, so perfectly tolerable. I chatted with a lovely young woman at the Kersey Cafe where I drank a bucket of coffee & ate a cheeseburger. I noticed bruising on her arm & asked about it ... then suggested that she could definitely find a better boyfriend than that. Poor thing. Justin & Jason at the Loveland Trek bike store were awesome! Since I ended up having to stop several times to empty water from my Gortex over-mittens, I'd stopped in to find something better & they sold me top-of-the-line waterproof gloves at 50% off. Then they looked up & called a few cheap hotels, gave me two tubes & AAA batteries free, & talked touring until the shop closed at 7. I got pissed at the old Chinese ladies at two motels when they wouldn't drop their rates for cash & ended up calling the Jade Inn. JD was so excited about what I was doing that he said I was destined to stay there & gave me a huge cash discount ("I never go under $60 but let's do $40"), asking in return that I rinse & wipe my filthy bike & trailer before pulling them into the room ("I just cleaned the carpets, bro."). I'd felt a worsening bike wobble the last few miles & it went real bad just as I pulled into his parking lot in the increasing intensity rain & discovered that I'd broken a spoke on the rear wheel I'd rebuilt in Phoenix. So instead of a hot bath & stretching, I replaced the spoke (Yea! I brought spares!) & re-tuned the wheel. Whew! I'd love to go through Estes again & ride through RMNP but don't know yet if the road's clear - Quinn's gonna check & call in the morning. An old high school friend living in Denver, Mike Melonis, has been following the trip & gave me a call tonight. It was great to catch up but I confused him by citing the wrong dates in a recent message & he won't be able to ride with me tomorrow. Bummer but it was funny to discover that we'd overlapped residence in Phoenix in the early 90s & probably were on the same trails pretty often! Kissing Rae in a week is something to look forward to! Bummed that the SD400 camera's no longer turning on ... I don't want to get another camera but the smartphone one's just not that good. Mmmm, thoughts of Rae soothe me once again ...
May 25: 52 miles to Virgiana Dale, CO. 1030-7. Wierd day. I slept in again, hoping to delay making a decision about my route until I got beta on RMNP road conditions from Quinn. I was finishing breakfast at Perkins (chains suck, the food's awful) when she texted that while the road was clear, the workers weren't letting anyone through. I'd been agonizing over this since arriving in Estes Park last week. I really, really want RMNP on the FLASK ticklist of National Parks & really wanted to see peaks laden with snow & avalanches roaring & 30 foot snowbank cuts. The fact that it would be colder, harder, longer, & nearly devoid of people was giving me pause but last night after piecing the rim back together, I'd resolved that I really wanted to be in that wonderland. Bummed it didn't happen ... but it's still a fantastic adventure ahead! I was a little demotivated, though, from the news & had a hard time making progress today. The camera stopped working a few days ago & I decided I needed a functioning, high performance camera for the Rockies. I found a good one (similar to my old one & looks like it'll take not only the SIM card but also the battery!) on craigslist & met James in Ft. Collins around 1130. Nice kid. Then I went to a fabric store to get snaps to close the gap between my rain top & pants when I'm bent over riding. Damn things didn't work & I tore a small hole in the pants. So at Albertsons I found some velcro & I'll use my sewing kit to patch the hole & attach the velcro. Then to a smoke shop to find a functioning windproof lighter (mine works < 10% of the time), which they didn't have but the stoner behind the counter gave me his spare. Too f'in cool! I then stopped at McDonalds (free wifi) to re-check the weather & pick off the Dollar Menu (I know, I know). Rosemary introduced herself & her husband, James, as they were leaving with the now familiar, "Are you the one going to Alaska?" (I really dig the bigger sign on the trailer - it gets seen even on the road.) They were driving around the country celebrating their 50th year together. Absolutely adorable couple: sweet, good listeners, affectionate (she was stroking his hair with this dreamy look on her face!), willing to share, & energetic. They wanted the blog address & to take a picture of me in front of my bike. They were nice enough to pose for me under their umbrella - that's right! Rain! Yea! So now it's 2pm & I've done 17 of the 83 miles I'd planned to Laramie, WY. I've been so soft this week that I just resolved to strike out, have fun, & plan on remote camping. The rain quit soon & there was a very helpful S wind for the first set of real climbs on the trip. Nothing like Mt. Evans, Berthoud, Rabbit Ears, or RMNP so I consider it a gentle introduction. The front tire flatted as intermittent periods of sunshine finally made breaks in the clouds & I put in a tube-in-of-repair first -"Dangit, Noni!," as my grandson, Phin, would say. Virginia Dale exists on the map & has a sign but ... not even a cluster of houses. There is a dirt road - maybe they're all off thataway. Beautiful country, though, with spectacular views of the snowy peaks of RMNP, antelope, red bluffs, trees, & sculpted hills. I found a great spot right off the road & down a little so it's nicely isolated & not trashed. I set up the tent because I was already cold. Fantastic stretch as the sun bent through trees to make it's way to the horizon. Dinner was peppers (that I brought from our garden!), garlic, onion, rice, & foil salmon - very decent meal. Turns out that whole grain Fig Newtons make you fart as much as the regular ones do but they don't taste nearly as good. Quinn & Wes will join me tomorrow! They are likely to catch me before I make the 30 miles to Laramie. Their company is so nice & in these circumstances, where it's obvious I'm still apprehensive about how hard some of these days have been, what's ahead, & this wierd weather, well ... I am really gonna enjoy it! Brandon, a buddy of Steve's at Roosters (official sponsor with a $150 donation! Woohoo!), has kinfolk in Jackson Hole so Rae & I may(!) get to stay in a nice guesthouse for a night or two! Fingers crossed! I'm SO looking forward to seeing her a week from now! Excited! Glad the day ended so beautifully after such a tepid, sluggish start.
May 26:
69 miles to Rock River, WY. 830-630. Repacking after last night's campout with the trailer set-up instead of the familiar panniers was confusing. I still don't know where I want everything & the dry bags are unwieldy. There was a rest area only 2 miles from where I camped - haha! The ride to the pass was shrouded in fog but pretty easy grade & not too long & I entered the vast open space of Wyoming with a fast downhill. It was mostly tailwind into Laramie, which has a super cool old downtown where Quinn & Wes met me for a very tasty vegetarian lunch that was recommended by the local bikeshop guys. Slate grey skies & a crosswind for 10 fun miles of Wes' company, then the same plus a little rain for 10 with Quinn, who, as usual, did some great clowning: donning a skirt & lifting her bike over her head & laying with her bike in front of the Cheyenne Massacre Trail sign! The tail of the storm system passed by as we parted company & I was unnecessarily optimistic that the wind woukd cease. Man, was it great to have some company on the road for a few hours! Almost as soon as they left the wind shifted & I struggled with hills & a chilly headwind for the last 20 miles into Rock River, a tiny, windswept town of 200. The bar was open so I plopped myself down with a Bud (take what you can get, right?) next to Forest, Daryl, & Rod, with Kristi serving. They worked fences & as ranchhands when the weather let them (Rod worked for his little brother, who was also Kristi's husband) & warmed to me enough to invite me to shoot darts, which is just one more game of skill with which I struggle. The bar - the only restaurant-type deal in town - offered Tombstone frozen pizza so I wolfed one down while inquiring about where to set up my tent. The wind had already picked up considerably & rain was forecast for later so they tried to talk me into the $50 local motel but I resisted. A few beers later, Rod offered up his couch for the evening & I gladly accepted the invitation. Joe, who'd seen me ride by & waved as he was driving a paving roller just outside of town, came in after he did the 36 mile roundtrip drive to the Medicine Bow ATM. Rock River's an ATM-less town that only accepts cash - go figure! He, Daryl, & I shot pool with a roughneck, Chad, & I demonstrated no prowess at this game, either. I'd made Kristi put the Bulls-Heat game on TV so got to see the Bulls give the game away in the last 4 minutes. Daryl's mom, Stacey, showed up & we chatted about her work at the K-12 school & Daryl's teenage hockey prowess til late. I went down the town's alley to Rod's house - a small narrow affair where the only interior walls surrounded the bathroom - & we chatted & got high before I fell asleep on the couch with him watching TV. He had a freezer full of elk, deer, & rabbit he'd shot & processed himself & 1/2 side of beef, which allowed him to get by on $500 a month. His house had cost onky $7500! Forest had made some breakfast burritos & his son brought them over late, & Rod made sure I knew I was welcome to some. How is it that toothless folks with so little are always so generous?
May 27:
Rod woke up around 4am but I pulled a pillow over my head til 6. He'd made some coffee & was nice enough to pour some for me when I finally stretched awake with the noise of howling wind. I thanked him again when he left for work but he came back not 5 minutes later to tell me I should stay the day because there was cold snow blowing. I left him some kind bud & $5 for his next beer, though, & packed everything up. I soon discovered that my Smith Optics sunglasses were gone! I searched my gear twice, walked the allcey back to the bar, & triple-checked outside Rod's house - no luck. Drag! I really dug those glasses from one of our few sponsors ... The first 2 miles turned out to be the best & fastest of the day because I was riding into only a cross/headwind. Top speed: around 10 mph. Then the road turned directly into the 35 mph W wind & I immediately had to drop into the smallest chainring. It was quite cold, too, so I put on more clothes: long underwear, riding tights, thermal top, riding jersey, puffy jacket, balaclava, heavy gloves, riding socks, wool socks, & toe covers. I made the 18 miles to Medicine Bow in 4 hours & had to walk about 2 of those. The bike was very hard to manage when gusts up to 50 mph often pushed me off the road. I had an omellette & lots of coffee to thaw out, called Rae to bolster my flagging spirits, then set off again. 2 miles took 1 1/2 hours & I became totally disheartened. I stuck out my thumb to see if I could get a ride to Rawlins where there was more than one hotel but turned back after 30 minutes with no takers (maybe you're expected to be completely self sufficient in Wyoming cuz no one even looked). Without pedaling (honest), wind pushed me back to Medicine Bow at 17 mph up a slight grade. Fierce, fierce wind here, which the locals say they like because it "keeps folks away." I've checked in to the Virginian for two nights because the wind forecast is the same or worse for the next few days. Rae gave me some great news to lift my spirits, though: she'll be leaving 2 days sooner to join me & seemed happy with the idea of rescuing me from the winds, since I definitely won't make the Tetons by the time she arrives. I'll sort out where to re-start after our visit. I am desparately longing for her company & the excitement of seeing her in just a few days has displaced a bit of the depression & anxiety the sense of failure from this taxing day created.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Slideshow and Rallying for bike entertainment!
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| The Petit in dreamy July Conditions! |
He will arrive in Estes Park, Colorado sometime late Wed. or early Thurs. and give a slideshow about his journey at Ed's Cantina in Estes Park!
I am excited to show Craig around town and hopefully have an adventure in the mountains (although they are still quite buried in snow this year). Climbing the Diamond is most certainly out, but I was hoping the Petit or something south facing would be ready....that still might be a stretch!!!
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| Diamond June-ish |
Colorado Springs people would be Tuesday-ish (24th), Denver area Tuesday/Wednesday
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday for Fort Collins area --- give or take. (He seems to average 65-100 depending on winds)
I am pretty sure he will be on roads 285/87/287
I will find out more details on his route, post and rally again! Keep it in mind if you are in the front range and want to join him for a few miles....or 50 (nudge ...Harry).
I am sure a warm bed along the route would be an added bonus if anyone is willing!
Ah, SUMMER needs to arrive!!!!
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