GDT - Day 11 Big Springs to Squirrel Creek Elk Ranch

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.

Day 10+ - Break Day

It feels soooo good to not sit on a bike seat today.  A chance to rest  my legs and pressure points and to refleect.

I am on track to my itinerary. I have traveled 406 miles  to date, right about on the target of  40+ miles per day. The riding elevations have been accommodating, being near Colorado Springs elevations, if not below. I am feeling a bit stronger than the start.

Climbing - The route has been kind to me as I estimate I have done 18000' of climbing in the first 10 days. I estimated I would be climbing 3000' per day, so the future hold some big days, me thinks. I will hopefully be in better shape for those.

Sag - Glenda sagging with the trailer is working out well. Glenda is getting more and more comfortable with the trailer towing and even set up. She is getting a chance to explore a bit as well. We have a morning routine where we often depart at the same time after jointly breaking camp. Of course, fresh food, showers, heater and cooling make the camp ritual more amenable. I will mostly certainly miss Glendas company and camping amenities when she heads back home in less than a week.

Other riders - I must have met and talked to a dozen other divide riders, many are doing it south to north. Some observations.
.
All other bikes were hard tails. Only a couple had front shocks, one fellow, Mike Shrek had a Surly touring bike with mountain tires; several did comment on my nice bike, envious of the front shock  methinks.
Only one other couple with a BOB
The predominate gear carrying method is a bikepacking setup followed by panniers. Suffice to say, I have a lot more gear than some of the leaner bike packers. I will probably triage my clothes down a bit.
More than one rider is using general delivery to get food drops, rotate gear, or replacement gear ( size 13 bike shoes)
Most start at Banff or the Mexico border, though one started at Canadian border and a couple from Pagosa Springs were doing  the route pieces over several seasons, working theirway north from WY this summer.
Two or 3 were my age or older, but I estimate not more than 5 years older.
There is about an even mix of solo riders and groups by headcount.
No one seems to be following the books itinerary like we.have been, all have been doing mo re miles. A couple of parties were mostly focusing on mileage.

Montana - on my 4th  and l longest visit to this state, I continue to be impressed. It IS  BIG SKY country. The valleys are long and wide, watered by substantial creeks and rivers. One see more of the Cabellas sort of outdoor recreation over REI type, which is different than Colorado. The mountains are lower and many are mellower, but are still familar, with aspen and lodgepole forests, but accented with more sage and parkland. The lodgepole.here appear to.have been hit hard by the beetle as well.
By mellower, I refer to the fact I can ride a loaded bike over a half dozen continental divide crossing and many other minor watershed divides. When I think of the continental divide in Colorado,  I don't think of gentle grades on gravel roads to mellow forested passes like I experienced here.
Populations here  are impressive;, I have seen a LOT of cattle, and not alot of people along the route, even in the forested  mountain areas. I think people recreate here, it just that there ia a lot of space in a sparsely populated state.

Looking forward - Uncertainty is heading our way.
Glenda and I have been on a scheduled itinersry, wirh reservations for many stips.aling the qay. Our last two nights of reservations will finish up Thursday.

Glenda needs to score a campsite in the very popular Tetons NP,  and the route after that has closures due to fire evacuations from the Lava Mountain fire, perhaps blocking one of 2 automobile routes south as well. I may well need to skip a few days of the route and jump to Pinedale, however that direct auto route closed to traffic this morning due to another, larger fire south of Jackon.  Getting  Glenda heading back to our kids, and getting my bike, BOB and myself to Pinedale  abd relaunched may be another seperate adventure in itself. On the plus side, may get to explore more of the WY-ID borderlands. Looks like they have mountains!

GDT Day 9 - Lima to Redrock Lakes Wildlife Refuge

Sun July 24, 2016

Start - 6250
High pt  approx 6650
Lo pt 6250
End Elv 6650
Climbing  ?700'

Miles 57.7
Total time  7:45
Ride time 5: 51
Day with BOB 8
No divide crossings

Today was cruising eastward upstream  though 50 miles of a 65 mile valley/park area, paralleling the continental divide that is also the border between Montana and Idaho. The divide runs along the Centennial Mountains, and I watched as the peaks grew taller and craggier as I persisted through the emptiness.

After the half mile start through Lima, I did not see a car until 27 miles into the ride today. I did however run into a cow jam on the road earlier. As I came around a turn, I met a phalanx of cows across the width of the road. They were wedged between a hilldide and a gence, and were lowing  loudly and discontentedly at my presence, stopping at this perceived threat. There was no way to pass them, nor did I want to try to force my way through them,  so I abandoned my bike in some sage in the ditch and walked up hill to stop intimidating them. From up on the hill I saw that this was a cattle drive, and the lead cowboy was wondering what had stopped his herd. He waved back at me and worked to get the herd moving again.
A man and a woman worked the back of the large herd ( 300 - 400) as well. I enjoyed watching this working of the west for over 20 minutes, all the while hoping no cow stepped on my rig. I did not, however, enjoy 'running the gauntlet'  of cow leftovers when I started riding again. Choosing good lines and precision steering were most definitely required! More so than traditional trail mountain biking, for sure.

During the endless miles, I saw many many falcons hunting, no doubt hunting the plentiful ground squirrels running across the road, at times parting like  water to the prow of my wheel.

Before getting to the lakes and wetlands of the refuge, I did pass by Lima reservoir  (5+ miles long) and saw my first pelican of the trip, plus a fair number of dark geese.

At the refuge, Glenda hiked during the afternoon, and saw about a dozen Trumpeter Swans, lots of geese  and ducks. We drove down to the lower lake campground at dusk, and saw many different birds species, including curlews, a first for me.

Some may find this land boring, but I enjoyed the day, and set a nre personal distance record for the BOB on this gentle route as well.

GDT Day 10 - Red Rock Refuge to Big Springs CG

Mon July 24th, 2016

Start - 6650'
High pt  7120'
Lo pt 6400'
End Elv 6400'
Climbing maybe 1000'

Miles 34.3
Total time 5:45
Ride time 4:30
Day with BOB 9

Finished my first state today as I rode out of Montana and into Idaho.

Highlights are the Centennial Mtns and the Island Park caldera

Eek gads, what is this, US HWY 20! Motor homes, ATVs, RVs, passing lanes, ATVs,semis, ATVs,  road construction - it is bit of a shock to the system after the better part of a week in remote backcountry, briefly touching a few lonely state roads along the way. However we do avail ourselves to some fresh food for our camp dinner, a pleasant side of the modern world.

The Centennial Mtns just get better and better as I ride the 13 miles to Red Rock pass and another Continental Divide crossing.  I pass a number of abandoned homesteads, with many structures imperceptably wilting forlornly in the wind as I push to the low pass at 7120'.
I am facing south in the pass picture below. Oddly enough, Idaho is to the east, and Montana to the west. Also, unusual is that the west side of the pass drains to the Atlantic and the east side to the Pacific. Such are the peculiar wandering of the divide  (and my tour) as it separates our continent from north to south.

We are now back in the Greater Yellowstone Area ecosystem, and the grizzled bear warnings are back as well. No bear sightings as of yet, though I remain aware of my path in front, and keep my singing voice active in places, accompanied by my bike bell.

The descent off the pass is fun, passing the large Henry's Lake, and entering into the Island Park caldera. It is a bit older than Yellowstones', but is caused by the same hot magma bubble below as the North American mantle slides over it.

To show not all of the route is gravel roads, I added a shot of a primitive, seldom used forest route I was on for a few miles today. I rather enjoyed that more than some of the loose gravel roads as it seems they purposely pick a size of rock that is particularly unhelpful when travelling under peddle power.

Once down in the caldera, it is forested and pretty flat jaunt over to Big Springs and the pleasant campground (shady, no mosquitos, and friendly host) next door.
The springs themselves is a cool place, with 100's millions of gallons released every day. Poised just above Big Springs is the amazing hand built cabin of Johnnie Sacks. His unique style incorporates both heart wood and cambrium of the bark into his home and furniture.

GDT Day 8 - Dads Creek Cabin to Lima

Sat. July 23, 2016

Start -  6800'
High pt  approx 7950'
Lo pt 6250'
End Elv 6250'
Climbing 1400'

Miles 47.3   biggest day yet
Total time 6 hrs
Ride time
Day with BOB 7
No divide crossings

Empty, empty country today

The guide books says this is some of the most remote sections of the Great Divide Route. I saw only about a half dozen vehicles in 40 miles today, a Saturday with great weather. For some, this empty country could fill a hole in your soul; For others, well, not so much ......... As for me, I was singing with Christie Moore and Luka Bloom once I submitted the Medicine Lodge Creek/Sheep Creek divide.

At the Medicine Lodge/Sheep Creek divide

Re Fueling stop

Pondering the Deep Questions
What am I going to eat when I get to the bustling burg of Lima?

After miles of empty park lands and mountains, the route headed down the Big Sheep Creek Canyon area for miles as well.

Gotta love seeing signs like this

The Road Goes Ever On and On

Entering the Big Sheep canyon

Prime camp spot on the way down

Lima Town - Camping in another  RV park not far off of I-15. Back to the backcountry for the next 5 nights.

GDT Day 7 - Bannack to Dads Creek Cabin

Fri July 23, 2016

Start - 5800'
High pt  6900'
Lo pt 5700'
End Elv 6900'
Climbing 1400'

Miles 35
Total time 5:45
Ride time 4:20
Days with BOB -6

Theme 1 for the day  - can you say head wind? What should have been a fairly mellow day turned into a grind when the tailwind changed to an  increasingly strong head wind as I started the 18 mile  climb to camp.

It was a pleasant morning with a very friendly climb over 5 miles to the Bannack.bench, following part of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

210 years ago, they traversed the sage studded plateau as well

Common Montana  gate made from lodgepole.

The other divide rider parties from Bannack (Jeff/Kyle, and Mike) left before I, and we all struggled with the wind today. I expect the steady wind was a steady 20+ mph wind at an angle with gusts up to 30, 35 or more. My typical pace on slow rising loose gravel slowed down from 4 or 5 mph to 3 mph and sometimes in the 2's. While the other two parties were ahead of me I did pass them both, but I also had an closer destination to motivate me. Mike, who had a 20+ mile longer day  planned, decided to rest and rejuvenate next to the creek and road for a couple of hours in the hope the winds would die down.
The gambit did not yield and he ended up camping with us.

Mikes setup sheltered by Dads Creek Cabin

My target was Dads Creek cabin on the Hansen livestock ranch. We had arranged to camp with the trailer there, with electric and water. It is a nice place with good views, and extremely quiet. Unfortunately our plan to relax, shower and rest was not to be.

As I saw the cabin and then pulled around the corner ( @ 2.4 mph) I could see that Glenda had not pulled the truck in the quarter mile to the cabin. Curious. I thought maybe she was uncomfortable the approach, maybe a creek crossing.  After arriving,  Glenda showed me the flat front truck tire, and told me she couldn't find the jack. She had been waiting in the hot sun and same wind I was fighting.  So off to the races. Extracting the jack for the depths of our gear, liberating the spare while the trailer was attached and changing the tire.
Back on track, we pull the trailer into the site, and after a bit of searching, no electric where described to be. Oh well, we just pull up next to the old log cabin and setup, and use that electric outlet
Once inside, out of the wind, with the cooler running, and cool drinks, we crack open a map to see where we could take the wheel. Fortunately,  we are only 50 miles from a decent sized town of Dillon MT, and rather than wait to deal with it on the morrow, we are off. We arrive a half hour before closing, and no, the tire  cannot be repaired, so we are in for a new set of front tires (KaChing). They have only one choice in stock and should be ready in a half hour.
We grab a quick Subway, and 30 minutes later we are told that no, the computer was wrong -  none are in stock. Are we staying in town? .......   Turns out that the Butte shop has them  and they can exchange them at a halfway town on I-15. Should take about 1.5.hours. DO IT!!
Got to borrow a shop truck to do our grocery shopping. They stay late on a Friday evening and get us ready to roll again, hats off to the crew at Les Schwab tires in Dillon! An hour back to camp and it is after 9 pm and over 13 hours since I started pedaling this morning. A long day, but Glenda and I both feel better with her having a wholesome truck for the morrow.

On the plus side, we did see 7 elk on the way back that we would have missed if our original plans had held.
I also saw more pronghorn during the enjoyable 1st half of the ride as well.

GDT Day 6 - Little Joe CG to Bannack State Park

Thurs July 21, 2016

Start - 6800'
High pt  7825'
Lo pt
End Elv 5800'
Climbing ~1300'

Miles 38.5
Total time 7:00 with 2 hour lunch
Ride time 4:18
Days with BOB 5

Hot day with beautiful Pioneer mountains to wake up to and to embrace on a glorious morning ride.

The day started with a stiff climb to start the 1000' ascent to teh local pass. It soon moderated and opened to several parks, with the Pioneer Mtns embracing the eastern view the whole way.

After summiting the pass, it was a ripping downhill into Polaris, passing Maverick Mountain ski area.

Today was all pavement, except for  1 to 2 miles on Old Canyon Road  that allowed me to forgo a moderate climb up the paved road. This led to a quaint row of homes along the creek. 

Made good time and Glenda and I had lunch together at the Grasshopper Inn and Saloon. Met Mike the divide biker  again, and overlapped lunch with him. Food was good, and so was the local IPA.

Off again, and arrived at Bannack State Park, a pretty well preserved ghost town. This gold rush town seems to have started the settlement of Montana, and was one the territorial capital ( for but a year). Very interesting, and the park allows patrons to walk through many of the old building, including, the Courthouse, Saloon, Methodist Church, Mason Hall, School, jail and lots of homes.

Back at the campground, there were riders doing the divide north to south, south to north, and also road riders doing the Trans Am trail two. Too many for the dedicated biker space, so we hosted 4 riders in our trailer spot. One again was Mike from WA, but also Lauren and Roger from Portland areas, and Verla( sp?) from Finland. got so good info Lauren, Roger, and Verla  as they were south to north riders. Also met Jeff and Kyle from Klamath Falls, riding north to south.

It was an enjoyable post dinner social hour