August 22, 2013
Day 22: To Dillon
48F in the tent overnight. Last night I didn't get to sleep until after midnight when two guys smoking, drinking, and talking loudly outside a nearby cabin finally went inside.
I wanted to eat a big breakfast because there are no services for the next 48 miles. But my stomach didn't feel well and I couldn't eat much. I finally got on the road at 9:40. I stopped to look at the (now filled) hot spring swimming pool before leaving.
The ride started with an easy 11 mile 900 foot climb to 7360 foot Big Hole pass. The weather was sunny, the headwind was mild, and the temperature was warm. But I feel terrible today. The view of the surrounding mountains was a bit smoky.
I was surprised to see that the landscape is still sagebrush when above 7000 feet elevation. Still too arid for juniper trees. I saw blooming Rabbit Brush for the first time on this tour.
There was no outstanding view at Big Hole pass. I simply crossed from the Big Hole valley to the valley of Grasshopper creek.
The valleys are surrounded by mountains, some pretty big. But not much forest on the mountains, and Grasshopper creek valley has little or no irrigation.
Next is a 750 foot climb to unsigned 6760 foot Badger pass. On the way up I passed the turnoff for Bannock, a gold mining ghost town that was once the capital of the Montana territory. The temperature topped out at 85F before the building clouds caused it to drop slightly.
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The sky was smoky hazy sunny in the morning. But clouds steadily grew in the afternoon. By the time I descended from Badger pass I could see a wall of black clouds to my right, coming my way. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms are commonplace in this region.
I had a fast descent from Badger pass to the Beaverhead river. The headwind wasn't very strong today and I had a powerful tailwind for the last 5 miles after crossing I-15 and turning north towards Dillon. I pedaled 20+ mph on the flat roads, trying to outrace the storm to Dillon. Problem is, I don't know exactly where to go to find motels in Dillon. Heavy rain started just as I got into town. In the last few minutes the temperature dropped from 80F to 68F.
I arrived in Dillon at 3:30 PM. I rode past the Montana Western University campus going into town. Then through downtown to the north side which has several motels. I got a $51 room at Sundowner motel. I was only in the rain for 15 minutes, but was totally soaked. The lightning and heavy rain continued for an hour after I got in the motel room. I peeled off my wet clothes, plopped into bed and took a nap until the storm was over.
I felt weak all day today because of lack of sleep and fuel. I went out for a big dinner after the storm passed. I didn't have a real lunch because there were no services today.
One nice thing about today's route is that there was basically no traffic. It was quite serene.
Distance: 49.5 miles (79 km)
Climbing: 2032 feet (616 m)
Average Speed: 10.9 mph (17.4 km/h)
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,137 miles (1,830 km)
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