Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - Long day in the saddle!

Ennis, MT to West Yellowstone, MT (75 Miles)

Today started again at 6:00am as I hit the road. The morning brought a number of wild animals sightings. There were some antelope looking creatures and “what I believe” to be a herd of elk. The ride was a gradual uphill ride with a 3,086 feet elevation gain. Nothing real tough, but there was a slight headwind all day which adds to the effort level required.  The ride brought some welcomed meetings of other cyclists. I have learned it is cyclist etiquette that when you spot another touring cyclist approaching, you should slow down and one or the other will cross to the road to introduce yourself.

First, I met Jason from San Francisco who started in Bozeman, MT when to Yellowstone and is headed for Missoula. The next exciting meeting was Dale Young, who’s blog I have been following since before I left. Not only does his blog reflect his being a good guy, but he is a great guy in person too.  If you want to read about his adventure his blog site is (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Threeisacharm)

Next, I met Richard who retired earlier this year and left for a huge tour of the USA. He had just passed through Yellowstone and plans to head towards the Pacific, then toward the Great Lakes before returning to home. He plans to be home sometime in October!  Lastly, I met a fellow from France, who I had a tough time understanding his name. He finally said it is French for Stephan.  He was on the TransAm trail started in April and was heading West.

Today was my first flat tire. Yes, the rear tire I just had replaced in Missoula picked up a little wire that went right into the sidewall. That is just Great! I pulled out the wire and Ssshhhh went the air. I was 5 miles from the campsite, so I found some shade and changed the tire. It really only took me a short time.

I rolled into the campground at 4:00pm. I cleaned up and we jumped in the Durango and headed into Yellowstone to see some sights. There were some very beautiful vistas, to include sightings of Bison, Elk, and a Fox.

Tomorrow we are moving camp to Grant Village in Yellowstone and taking an extra day to explore.

 Herd of Elk?

 Jason from San Fran.

 I know our dalmation would never patiently wait beside me in the river while I fished.

 The famous Dale Young...May you always have Tailwinds my friend.

 Richard touring the Entire country...just about. How much do you think all his tuff weighs?

 A very pleasant Frenchman approaching nearing the completion of the Transam Ride

 A herd of Bison in Yellowstone.

Geysers and bubbling culdrins of sulphur smelling stuff.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - Extreme Winds!

Dillon, MT to Ennis, MT (75 Miles)

In order to beat the heat and especially the wind, I was on the bike by 5:50am. Within the first 30 miles there was no wind, but I did meet a westbound cyclist. Max had started on the east coast in April, visited the Outer Banks and was now headed for the Pacific Ocean.  After making it to Florence, OR he plans to ride south to San Francisco to visit friends before heading home to England (yes, the country). After I turned out of Twin Bridges and heading South East (at the 30 mile mark), the head wind started to blow. I had to struggle to get 6-8 MPH riding into the wind. Farmers continued to irrigate their fields, but with the wind the water also irrigated passing motorists and cyclist. At about 45 miles I decided it was time to stop at the Sheridan IGA and get a cold Starbucks Double Shot and have a Cliff Bar. A local asked if I had seen any forest fires or smoke. He said a new fire had started yesterday and was raging just to the north. But, by my South East route, I should be OK. After leaving Sheridan, I met another westbounder who had started in Vancouver road to Yellowstone and was now headed for Calgary. Then Roel was flying back to Holland (yes, the country)! The wind was still relentless as I passed through a Nevada City and Virginia City, which are both old restored mining towns. All though touristy, they were neat. If I wasn’t already feeling so whipped from the wind and knowing I still had a pass to climb I might have spent more time visiting. So, the climb of the pass started but the wind did not stop. At one turn you were being pushed up the hill by the wind, but as the road turned the wind would try to push you back. It was a tough climb! As I crested the summit, the downhill is always the best…except today. One minute you were really flying, then as the road curved the cross wind would nearly knock you off your bike. I am glad there were no cars that came up behind me n the descent, as I used my entire lane to try and stay upright. The rest of the way down, I hung on for dear life. It was a very harrowing experience. Once at the camp a group of scared family members were very glad to see me. I found on the radio said the winds were 25-30 MPH with gusts of 40 mph.  The camper was even rocking around and Kim kept it hooked to the Durango to prevent it from blowing over.  Looking back on my ride today, especially the final descent from the pass, I am convinced my safe arrival was nothing short of a miracle. Thanks be to God!

The Ennis RV Park was found to be the overnight stay for two other touring cyclists. Patrice from New Jersey and McKinley from Tennessee were also on the TransAm cross country trek. They had met each other after a week or so into the ride. Now they were traveling together and we enjoyed getting acquainted with them.  All of us were trying to get out of the high winds by hanging out in the campground clubhouse.     

Thankfully the winds are suppose to be much better tomorrow as we arrive in West Yellowstone.

 Beaver Rock..does this look like a Beaver to you?

 Max from England

 Roel from Holland...why don't these Europeans wear helmets?

Patrice and McKinley are great people!

Monday, June 25, 2012 - Day Off in Montana

Day off in Dillon, MT (0 Miles)

A day off begins with a big breakfast cooked outside on the campstove. Family devotions followed breakfast. Then, we just took it easy the rest of the day to include a trip to town. We found a park and enjoyed the day. Kim prepared a wonderful pork roast dinner to include some yummy mashed potatoes. As it was another hot and very windy day, I plan another early start tomorrow to get ahead of the wind and heat. The local news is predicting 40 MPH winds on Tuesday. There is another climb on the route tomorrow, of which, Kim is nervous about pulling the camper. May God grant us all a safe travel day to Ennis, MT. We are two days away from arrival to Yellowstone National Park.

 Camping at the KOA

 Relaxing at a park in Dillon

Downtown Dillon

Sunday, June 24, 2012 - Tough Windy Ride

Wisdom, MT to Dillon, MT (68 Miles)

Knowing how the day ended on Saturday, that is hot and windy, I decided to start early today. Up and on the road before 6:30am, I was about 20 miles down the road before the wind started to pick up. The day was filled with wind gusts that would force you to really lean into it. At times it hit you from the side, next the road would turn right into the wind. To add stress to the wind, there were two passes that needed climbing. They really were not as bad as some previous climbs but when you add a very strong head wind, the climb was very strenuous.

The good things that happened include the sighting of some neat wildlife. The ride still included ranch after ranch of either horse or cattle (mainly black angus), but in one field there was an animal I had read about on a roadside info board, a pronghorn. It is an antelope kind of animal and it had two young with her. A little further down the road I saw what I believe to be a coyote cutting across an open range. I snapped a picture from about 50 yards, but he wanted not part of me and headed in the opposite direction. The next animals of interest were a string of cyclists. After topping the final pass, I encountered two Westbounders who did not have a interest in stopping to chat. I guess they were in a hurry. But, the next three Westbounders were willing to share their story. First I met a fellow wearing an Ireland bike jersey and sure enough, John O'leary was from Ireland. He was cycling coast to coast and plans to visit some friends in California after reaching the Pacific. Then he will fly home. I would have liked to spend more time talking to him, but we both wanted to get out of the sun and wind, plus he had much further to go than I. About one mile further and I met Mike cycling with a full load on his bike. He was from Medina, Ohio and was doing a short tour of Montana with plans to meet up with his wife, as she will fly out and meet in Glacier National Park. The next young man was from Virginia Beach, Virginia and Alex had started in Yorktown and was closing in on the end of his adventure.

The Dillon KOA was just an OK campground with nothing exciting. We did some laundry and decided to have a treat an go into Dillon for dinner out at the local Papa T's Family Dining establishment. It was very good food and enjoyed by all.

Kim, Walt and Vera went off the trail enroute to Dillon to see a Ghost Town in Bannack State Park (http://www.bannack.org/). They enjoyed looking at the old buildings and reading of the history of the former gold mining town.

There were a number of cyclists that spent the night in the KOA campground. Two cyclists, Lauren and Pete, had also stayed across the way from us in Wisdom, MT. As they arrived in Wisdom's mosquito infested evening, we did not get a chance to talk on Saturday. So, in Dillon we enjoyed hearing more about their story. They are making a run for the Atlantic Ocean also, but have a limited time line as they plan to return to college in Boston early in August. They were extremely pleasant people and we enjoyed visiting with them. Their blog site is http://shiftinggearstour.wordpress.com/
They plan to take a day off in Yellowstone as Pete wants to try fly fishing....God's Blessings to both of you!

 It was the funniest thing, this entire herd of cattle came charging over the the fence when I came close. I told them I was hungry for a big juicy steak, but they failed to see the humor.

 This guy was following me all morning, but I kept up with him pretty well!

 Coyote?  ...no it is not a dog!

 John O'Leary from Ireland

 Mike from Medina, OH

 Alex from Virginia Beach.

Kim & Vera visiting the ghost town hotel

 There is a new Sheriff in town taking care of the jail.

 Lauren and Pete were very nice people

Saturday, June 23, 2012 - Over the Continental Divide

Hamilton, MT to Wisdom, MT (72 miles) Total to date= 1,142

As the sun was up with very few clouds, the morning ride was nice for the first 35 miles. After passing through the very quaint little town of Darby, the elevation started to increase. After another 8 miles of gradual increase, the road really started to rise to include a number of switchbacks. Thankfully there was a wide berm, but the sun was really starting to bake the cyclist. So, I started to sing hymns in my head and pray for a breeze or a cloud of shade. As has happened on other climbs, I received both blessings, that is, an occasional breeze and an occasional cloud of shade. I spent the next 2 hours climbing 9 miles to Chief Joseph Pass at 7,241 feet which was also the Continental Divide. Although I did stop a couple times, there was no walking of the bike. As you climb, one can entertain themselves by waiving at cars, campers, and motorcycles as they speed down the mountain. The best waive back percentage goes to the motorcycle riders. Next would be campers, and last are cars. I kind of gave up on waiver at cars. I did get a couple thumbs up today from a motorcycle and a camper, which is encouraging as you climb. The reward for getting to the top, other than a picture of the Continental Divide sign, is the downhill run. It is so refreshing and exhilarating to cruise down the mountain that you just climbed, especially when there was no traffic to speak of on the descent. I try to keep it below 30 MPH but it might have crept above that today. There were a lot of evergreen trees today and I love the smell of pine! Before arriving at the destination for the day, I stopped at the Big Hole Battlefield National Monument and took in the displays. I spoke to Park Ranger Besse Blackeagle about the history of the battle. She was very educated on the battle and she showed me a picture on the wall of her Great Great Grandmother who was actually present at the battle at Big Hole. She was fascinating! I have believed for a long time and still believe the Native American Indians got a bum rap all the way around.

The last 10 miles to Wisdom, Montana (population 114) included an extremely strong cross wind.  The elevation is 6,100 feet and flat for miles, so the wind can really whip through the area. By the time I made it to the camper, I was spent!

So, there is only one RV park in Wisdom, MT, which is run by Carl. He is a good ole boy who is very friendly and likes to talk. The sites are in the dead brown grass and it backs up to a field of abandoned fenced in vehicles, which one old truck has a tree growing where the engine is suppose to be. We are not complaining, as it has a nice restroom to include showers. Plus there is electric, water, and sewer at each spot. One last note about the area, the farmers literally flood their fields with water to get the hay to grow for their cattle. In flooding the fields, there is an enormous quantity of mosquitoes. They are so bad we could not sit outside very long. Carl says their seasons includes 10 months of winter and 2 months of mosquitoes. Not my idea of an ideal place to live. Glad we are moving on tomorrow morning to Dillon, MT (population 3,752).

Some additional notes include the fact that Kim continues to gain confidence in pulling, backing and unhooking the camper. She has become a pro at pulling the camper up and down these big mountains. I am very proud of her!

 This fellow was fly fishing and he caught a fish while I was watching him...cool!

 I stopped in Sula at the only store in town for a refreshing beverage...not a beer, but an iced coffee.

 Now if there was snow we could be skiing.

 We crossed the Continental Divide for the first time...with more to come in the future.

 Neat meadows with mountain background. The State must have put up this split rail fence as it went on for miles and miles.

Park Ranger Besse Blackeagle at the Big Hole National Monument and she was very informative about the Nez Perce Indians. 

Here is the neat "playground" behind out campsite in Wisdom, MT

Friday, June 22, 2012 - Flat ride today

Missoula, MT to Hamilton, MT (55 Miles)

Today started in the mid 50’s temperature. It was mostly a flat ride, with much of the way along a bike path that paralleled the highway. It was good because the road was very busy. I am glad I started out earlier in the morning and was finished by about 12:30PM, as it finally turned hot today. It was 89 degrees by 3 PM.

We had burgers on the grill. Then, we went in to Hamilton to explore. We stopped at the Valley Bike shop in town and I talked to the fellows in there about the upcoming ride that one of them was helping to organize with Adventure Cycling which was a week long loop around Montana for 90 riders. Sounds like a big undertaking.  I purchased a new skull cap with a brim that I can wear under my helmet. It helps with the glare from the sun. My current one is starting to look rather tattered.

The campground was nice, after we moved from the first spots they sent us to in the blazing sun to the shady spot by the Bitterroot River. We played some cards in the evening then called it a day. Tomorrow is a big Climb to 7,200 feet with an overnight in Wisdom, MT. Probably no Internet there.

 Although no skiing now, this is a ski resort hill.

 We are not on the Indian reservations right now, but there are still these little casino places. Must be legal in MT.

 These two look like they walked out of 1800's. Maybe Mennonite?

 Some good guys at the Valley Bicycle shop in Hamilton, MT

This fellow was not very talkative.

Thursday, June 21, 2012 - Adventure Cycling HQ Visit

Powell, ID to Missoula, MT (59 miles)

Much anticipation began the day, with the destination being Missoula, home of the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). The maps I purchased from them ride on my handlebars and ACA has been a great resource in preparing for my adventure. There was a 6 mile climb in the morning, which took me a couple hours. I did see a young deer, then stopped at the visitor center at the summit of Lolo Pass, including free coffee. The next exciting thing was not only the downhill ride, but enter another state. Montana welcomes you! It was a great downhill with very little traffic. The landscape leveled off and followed Lolo stream to the town of Lolo, MT, where we turned north and travelled about 13 miles to go into Missoula, MT. Missoula is a pretty large city of 57,000. I mean after all they have two Walmart stores in. It is the first Walmart we have saw in many miles and that was back in Oregon.  So, Vera was able to fill prescriptions, we got the oil changes in the Durango and Walt’s camper, plus picked up some more groceries.

But, the first stop in town for me was the headquarters of Adventure Cycling. Kim, Walt and Vera joined me for the visit. We me some of the staff, including John, who gave us a tour and brief history. Plus we met Greg Siple Greg, co-founded Bikecentennial in 1973 and ACA. Greg was intriqued by our being from Lima as he use to live in Columbus, Ohio. He brought out his camera and took my picture in front of the new addition to the building. He said it will be on the ACA website, but I have not saw it yet. We were allowed to use the Cyclist lounge which included use of the internet, free ice cream and sodas. It was fun! 

After ACA, I had to take my black stallion to Open Road Cyclery for a repair. My back tire was nearly tredless and my front fender was broke. So, they worked me in, put on a new tire and new fender. I had sent an email to Civia Cycles about my fender breaking and the situation. They were good enough to work with Open Road Cyclery to replace my fender for free. Kudos to Civia Bikes, and thanks Chuck Sween! 

We had a late lunch out and spent the night at the Missoula KOA. It was a busy, but fun day!

Bike used by one of the 1976 organizers of the BikeCentennila cross country ride.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - No Services Next 66 Miles

Lowell, ID to Powell, ID (76 miles)

As for the Three Rivers Resort, in Lowell, it was nice… if you would have visited it in the 1960‘s. They have an older one story motel, a greasy spoon restaurant, a little gift shot, some cabins, rafting trips, with shuttle buses (that I would not ride in), a not so nice bathroom and showers. Mind you the temperature was in the 50’s and the showers are pretty open air. So, it was pretty chilly dressing and undressing to shower. In the evening, some hippies, who were camping down the way a bit, stopped to talk to us and wanted to look at our camper, which they thought was cool! They had been there for a few days attending the area Fiddler's Festival (which was fitting). They looked, dressed, and acted like they still lived in the 60’s…if you know what I mean. So, we endured the overnight and were glad to move on to Powell.

If there was any question, I would like to clear it up. So, I offer the following…on Tuesday (yesterday), I was very close to the campsite in Lowell, when I had to turn around and ride back to help the stranded SAG team (i.e. the Berning Camper). Once the camper was repaired and we were finally heading back to the planned route and campground for the evening, it was late in the day. So, we all rode in the vehicles to the campsite in Lowell, Three Rivers Resort. Therefore, there was some mileage that I did not ride on Tuesday due to the circumstances. So, long story short, I started the day on Wednesday by backtracking to make up the mileage I missed on Tuesday, which was 8 miles. What can I say, I am an honest accountant and I don't want someone to say that I missed the cross country ride by 8 miles. So, the 8 miles plus the required Lowell to Powell leg of 68 miles gives today's total of 76 miles.

Today's ride was a gradual climb, for the entire day, with very little downhill.  It was a 2,400 elevation gain that was spread over the entire day. But, it was a very pretty ride along the rushing river. The road did not have much of a berm most of the way, but thankfully the traffic was light and the traffic was courteous to move over. In some spots, you had to really stay focused, that you did not ride too close and ride right into the icy cold rushing water on your right, or miss seeing the truck coming behind you to end the day at that point. Thankfully, I made it safely to the destination. Hallelujah! I was really exhausted at the end of the day!

We were not sure about the Powell campground run by the US Forest Service. But it turned out to be very nice campgrounds. Sadly, there were no showers. So, we had to settle for a spit bath that night. At the campsite, there were large ground squirrels which were very friendly. They were the look of a regular Ohio squirrel but had a shorter tail and they would run into their burrows in the ground. If you would not shoo them away, they would almost walk right up to your feet.  Creepy little buggers!

We had chicken on the charcoal grill, then we had our first campfire of the trip. Neat! The park left wood lying around for campers to use. The sites were all paved and we were a stone's throw away from the river.

The sign kind of give you a flavor for what to expect at the Three Rivers "Resort". But it was the only gig in the area.

 The river that the road followed most of the day.

 Hey who is the old man who left his bike by Old Man Creek? (Oh, that is mine.) Hey, that bird is going to poo on my bike...shoo bird!

 There were these foot bridges ever so often that you could pack into the Wilderness on the other side of the river. I mean real Wilderness...not me!

 Speaking of nut cases in the wilderness, here is one of two kayaks I saw on the rapids.

 I stopped at a historic Ranger Station, where they had the multiple buildings set up like it was in the late 1800's. Maryalice was the host at the station and she was the sweetest old woman!

 More crazy fools on a raft in the river.

 BBQ Chicken at the Powell campground---Yum!

Tuesday, June 19 2012 - Breakdown Blues & Amazing Blessings

Grangeville, ID to Lowell, ID (50 miles)

With the elevation at Grangeville at 3,765 and the Lowell, ID elevation was 1,538 feet, the day was expected to be great, with mostly downhill roads and a rather short ride. The ride was short because we were approaching an 80 mile stretch of road after Lowell, with no services to speak of. So, we had to pace our “attack”. The morning ride was in the 45 degree range and I had to bundle up with the cold weather gear and did not take it off all day. The ride was through more scenic hill/mountain areas with some descents to the Clearwater River.  I had to stop for a road construction in the hills and talked to the young man who was holding the Stop sign as the road crew flagger. He had just returned from 2 weeks in the National Guard Reserves and was happy to be back to work and not in the desert (I did not ask where he was). He was intrigued by my adventure, but then it was time to move on…Slow!

As I passed into the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, then on to the town of Kooskia, I decided to stop at the National Forest Service Ranger Station to ask about the Powell Campground along the 80 mile stretch of near nothingness. Both Coleen and Ed were very eager to help. They called another tanger station to confirm that the NFS Powell Campground was one of the few in that area NFS with electric sites. Although there are 12 electric spots, there were no showers and vault toilets. Coleen also explained that the 80 mile stretch of road was rather narrow, not much berm, and plenty of logging trucks. So, she said be very careful. They invited me to use the restroom, get some water and I went on my way.  I was about 8 miles from the campground stop and had not saw the troops pass me, when the cell phone rang. It rarely rings and I usually do not hear it. I stopped to answer and found a frantic Vera on the phone, but the signal was weak and the voice was breaking up. I decided to turn around and go back a short ways and try to call them again. As it turned out, the brakes had locked up on the front left side of Walt and Vera’s camper van. Kim was trying to keep everyone calm and she asked me to come back to help. I rode back to Kooskia and acted as the intermediary between the Bernings and AAA. It turned out Walt was 9 miles back from Kooskia where there was no cell reception and Kim and Vera had drove into Kooskia to call me. Upon arriving in Kooskia, I called AAA, we unhooked the trailer from the Durango. Kim and Vera drove back to Walt to tell him what was happening with AAA, while I stayed in Kooskia to talk to AAA. Well, Fred the tow truck driver, who was a very nice fellow, loaded up the camper, and stopped at three different places to help find a place who would be able to work on the camper van today. We ended up in Orofino, Idaho which was about 30 miles from Kooskia. Kim and I had hooked up the camper again and followed them to Orofino. The repair facility was very accomdating and said they would repair the brakes before the end of the day even if they had to stay over late. The camper’s brake caliper pistons had frozen and caused the brake shoes to heat up so much it melted to the rotor. So, we roamed around town, had some ice cream and visited a really nice all organic food store. Andy at Orofino Country Store had moved to Orofino from Thornton, CO and he had lived in the area of 120^th Ave, which is near my brother Kurt. Small world!  He asked that I publish his website on my blog in case someone might want to visit. (http://orofinocountrystore.com/)

After a rather large unexpected repair bill, we were heading out of Orofino before 5PM. We made it to the Three Rivers campground, ate dinner and went to bed. Although it was a busy and trying day, God blessed us in many ways. It is amazing how He works through other people to help us through trying times. God is Good!

 Ed & Coleen at the Ranger Station

 Pretty Views coming out of Grangeville

 Poor little camper...it will be OK

Fred the Tow Truck Driver was a great guy!

We finally Made it.