Day 21: To Jackson Hot Springs

August 21, 2013

The temperature got down to 43F overnight. I should have put on the rainfly to keep warmer. I got up at 7:45 after the sun started shining on the tent, and got on the road at 9.

Today the smoke from Idaho is visible in the distance, but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday.

The day's riding started with 1.1 miles uphill to get back onto US 93. Then I turned right, south, and continued climbing at 4-6% grade to Lost Trail pass, elevation 7022 feet. I arrived at about noon. Less than 10 miles from where I started, but it was all steep uphill. I saw two westbound touring cyclists zoom downhill while I was crawling uphill.

Climbing past a ski area to Lost Trail Pass.

Lost Trail Pass has a National Forest Visitor Center. It's also the Montana/Idaho state line. I took a long stop at the visitor center and met a German cyclist named Tilman who is pedaling from Banff to Jackson Hole. We're about the same age. But he's much more of a morning person. He starts at 6 AM and stops at 1 PM and sits in a motel to escape the heat. I thought that was kind of strange because it's not very hot now that the elevation is so high.

7022 foot Lost Trail pass. Continuing straight would take me back into Idaho. I will turn left and stay in Montana.

At Lost Trail Pass I turned left onto MT 43 which goes downhill for a short distance, then climbs to 7241-foot Chief Joseph pass.

Now the water flows towards the far-away Atlantic ocean.

I rode with Tilman from Lost Trail pass to Chief Joseph pass. I pushed my bike up to the sign and set up my tripod to take a picture while he impatiently waited. A few minutes later he was ahead of me when I stopped to take another picture. We're on the same route to West Yellowstone, but I only saw him briefly a couple times afterwards.

Descending from Chief Joseph Pass through a diseased forest.

Chief Joseph pass is forested but the forest fades rapidly on the east side. The elevation is still incredibly high, above 5000 feet, but the vegetation is just sagebrush and bunch grass. I'm no longer in the Pacific Northwest. Now I'm in the Rocky Mountain west, where the climate is no longer influenced by the Pacific Ocean. To compound the transition, I crossed the Continental Divide and now all water flows east towards the Atlantic ocean.

Sudden change of scenery. Still very high elevation. German cyclist ahead.

From Chief Joseph Pass I had a fast 5 mile descent followed by 22 downstream miles along the Big Hole river to the little town of Wisdom.

Sagebrush in areas that aren't converted to pastures.

In the Big Hole valley I passed Big Hole Battlefield National Monument. I considered stopping to see it, but decided to press on. I got the brochure earlier at the Lost Trail Pass visitor center. The brochure has some good information about Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce Indians which had a skirmish here with the U.S. Army which had pursued them from northeast Oregon. Below is a map of the route the Nez Perce Indians took while fleeing from the cavalry. More than half of them died before they surrendered not far from the border with Canada. A western version of the 1837-1839 Trail of Tears.

Route of the 1877 flight of Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce Indians.

The Big Hole river is not very big. The hole (valley) is big.

I arrived in Wisdom (population 114) at 2:30 PM and had an excellent lunch at the bar and grille. I got groceries and left town at 3:30 PM. Peak heat of the day, but the temperature was only 85F. No shade, but it was fairly comfortable.

Hay fields and whimsical clouds in the Big Hole valley.

In Wisdom I turned right onto highway 278. This area is far less populated than the Bitteroot Valley. Very few houses. Miles of hay fields, but few are irrigated. Very little traffic on the road.

I arrived at Jackson Hot Springs at 5:20. It's Wednesday and they just drained the pool for its weekly cleaning. The pool will reopen at 8 AM tomorrow. They have many cabins for rent, but I paid $30 to camp on irrigated grass with a shower but no table or chair at the site. It felt strange to be the only person camping on a lawn surrounded by cabins. The temperature dropped rapidly as the sun went down. The elevation is 6470 feet!

I arrived when the hot pool was drained for its weekly cleaning.

I was surprised to have Verizon wireless service for most of the day. I was happy to have a more tolerable amount of smoke in the air, and cooler afternoon temperatures thanks to the high elevation.

Today had a lot of climbing and that will be the norm for the remainder of the tour. A mountain pass nearly every day.

Distance: 54.2 miles (87 km)
Climbing: 2908 feet (881 m)
Average Speed: 9.7 mph (15.5 km/h)

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 1,087 miles (1,749 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0