July 21, 2006
Day 50: West Yellowstone, MT to Ennis, MT
71.11 Miles, 5:46:18 Ride Time, 12.49 Average Speed, 35.2 Maximum Speed
I was anxious to get out my tiny room (and out of West Yellowstone) and get on the road, so I ate some granola bars instead of stopping for a real breakfast.
I expected today's ride to be a lot easier than yesterday; it would be mostly downhill, along lakes and a river. I was glad to be leaving the busy tourist area of Yellowstone, with its heavy traffic. I already had a motel room reserved and waiting for me in Ennis, so that was one less thing to worry about today.
I rode North out of West Yellowstone for ten miles; the scenery was nothing special, but the traffic was light and there was a nice shoulder, so it was pleasant enough.
The ride for the next twenty or so miles was great - light traffic, and great views of Hebgen and Quake lakes, with mountains in the background. It was still mid-morning, so the inevitable wind hadn't become a problem yet. It was sunny, but not hot yet - the best part of the day for riding.
After riding around the lakes, I entered a thirty mile section that mostly had me riding along the Madison River. This was another great ride - mountains to my right, the river to my left. Fly fishing is obviously a big, big deal in this part of the country. I saw many, many people standing in the river fishing, and passed by several signs that indicated fishing access locations (for some reason, I found these signs, which consisted of a drawing of a fish getting ready to swallow a hook, amusing).
Around this time I met Greg and Jennifer, riding in the other direction. They were a fun couple, and I talked to them for a while. They had done the Transam (West to East) a few years before, and were doing a shorter trip this year - riding from somewhere in Canada to the Yellowstone area, I believe. Greg was carrying all their stuff on a trailer behind his bike, and Jennifer didn't have anything on hers. I jokingly asked her if she felt guilty about not carrying anything, and before she could answer Greg interjected "She should!" That was funny, but I suppose you had to be there...
Before we rode off in opposite directions, they told me I would likely run into another Eastbound cyclist they had been riding with, Dan, who was somewhere behind them, and asked if I would let him know where they were camping tonight. Jennifer started describing Dan's appearance, what he wore, etc, in enough detail that Greg commented, in a mock-jealous sort of way, that Jennifer was paying awfully close attention to Dan. Again, funnier than I'm describing it...
I stopped in the small community of Cameron for lunch, and when I walked out of the cafe, the wind had picked up, and it was hot (it had probably been hot for a while, and I just didn't notice it until I walked out of the air conditioned place...) The eleven miles to Ennis were the least enjoyable of the day. I had certainly seen worse wind and heat; the real irritation was the rumble strip that was now in the middle of the shoulder. WHY DO THEY DO THAT?!
I crossed the Madison river as I rode into Ennis (pop. 840), and immediately liked the looks of the town. The contrast between West Yellowstone and Ennis was similar to the difference between Breckenridge and Kremmling, back in Colorado; the former was bigger and busier, catering to families on vacation, while the latter was less pretentious (and less expensive), and seemed focused on hunters and fishermen.
I checked into my room at the Silvertip motel, a typical family-run place, which, while it didn't have an air conditioner, was nice and roomy, and a bargain compared to the lousy place I stayed at in West Yellowstone.
Before I got cleaned up, I unloaded my bike and rode around town. All the essentials were close by, including a Dairy Queen. I stopped there for a strawberry milkshake (good), rode around some more, then returned to my room and showered. The lady at the motel had told me they didn't have internet access, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was a strong, fast connection available - from the Subway next door! In fact, it was one of the fastest connnections I had found on the trip. I walked over to the Subway and got a sandwich, chips and a drink there (not mentioning that I was "stealing" their signal, of course...)
I stayed up too late playing around with the computer (and working on the journal). Not a lot had happened today, but it was one of the most enjoyable riding days I had had in a while.
Today's ride: 71 miles (114 km)
Total: 3,170 miles (5,102 km)
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