Weds. July 27, 2016
Start - 6400
High pt 6400
Lo pt Warm River
End Elv 5900
Climbing 500?
Miles 45.3
Total time 7ish
Ride time 4:53
Day with BOB 10
Squirrel Creek Ranch is on the Ashton Flagg Ranch road.
What an enjoyable day. The route today followed the old rail line that went from Ashton to West Yellowstone, following the Warm River much of the way. This route was probably the main route into Yellowstone a century ago. Today it took our intrepid rider down river, through the flat island park caldera floor, until plunging with the Warm River over the edge of the caldera. It is a rails to trail trail, normally easy cruising, but half of this length is bogged down with soft lava rock sand. Fortunately, good forest service roads (FR150 &154) paralleled the worst middle section with some of the finest cruising forest road yet.
Along the first portion of the rail trail, just after crossing the Buffalo river, I entered a very large, thick meadow area, perhaps a mile in diameter. Half way across, I saw a herd of 20+ pronghorn make a sometimes tentative dash across the meadow to cross the rail trail, in one's and two's. I could not help but think this sort experience drew both myself and the travelers of century ago to this same spot.
When I regained the rail trail after the forest roads cruising, the trail was in great shape and raced with river to see who could descend fastest. The river quickly got ahead and twinkled at me from far below, but the trail would catch up.and bring it close enough to touch, with a short hike. Which I did, and soaked my feet of a bit while I embraced the scenery with my eyes and the comfortable and incredibly clear water with both eyes and toes. I rarely pedaled this stretch, wanting to not rush through this section. A large group of horse riders moving slower passed me heading downstream, which gave yet another excuse to tarry. I coasted much of these 7 miles, but the race between the trail and the river ended in a predictable tie at the Warm River CG, where many families were enjoying tubing down the river on a hot summer day.
After a respite in the shade under Old Man Willow next to the river, it was back on pavement for the modest climb out of the valley into the table lands of eastern Idaho, with the Tetons beckoning off in the distance. Yes indeed, I rode through many large potato fields, but also fields of barley and wheat, in lesser numbers.
The folks at Squirrel Creek are hospitable and friendly, with a nice piece of land to camp.
The ranch is hosting is a LARGE family reunion, with 70 people, however we were told that is only a third of them! just the siblings of the oldest generation and their direct families!
Tomorrow Glenda and I will explore a forgotten part of Yellowstone NP, the cascade corner and the SW, via the Becker entrance.
