Day 23: To Nevada City

August 23, 2013

I got up at 7:30 feeling pretty well rested. I think yesterday's afternoon nap helped. On the road at 8:30. Today promises to be an interesting day.

I headed northeast out of Dillon, downstream in the Beaverhead river valley. The river is fairly small but the irrigated area is huge. I wonder if they pump ground water. Traffic was heavy and the shoulder isn't very good.

The Beaverhead Valley has a lot of irrigation considering how small the river is.

Sacajawea told Lewis and Clark that she had seen this rock before, and that it's called Beaverhead rock.

I had a brisk tailwind and the road was nearly level, so it didn't take long to get to the next town, Twin Bridges.

Coming into the town of Twin Bridges I stopped to look at the town's riverside park which has a hiker/biker campground. It includes a shower, bike repair stand, and an indoor lounge/table area. I've never seen such a well-equipped cyclist campsite.

I took a quick lunch stop at the grocery store in Twin Bridges. I saw Tilman again. He took a more remote unpaved route to get here. He explained that he usually rides from 6 AM to 1 PM. I'm just getting started today, but his riding day is nearly done.

At Twin Bridges I turned southeast onto highway 41. Back into the wind and gently uphill, but much less traffic. Just past the village of Alder I stopped to look around the "Robber's Roost". Here's what one web site has to say:

Pete Daly built a log roadhouse at this site in 1863. Unlike most roadhouses of the time, which provided meals, companionship, and a place to stay for the weary travelers, Daly's was allegedly a hangout for Montana's most notorious criminal gang - the "innocents". It was reputedly run by Henry Plummer, the sheriff of Bannack and Virginia City. His deputies were supposedly members of the gang.
According to legend, the innocents watched travelers stopping here on the Virginia City and Bannack road. If they looked like easy targets to the crooks, there were plenty of places to rob them in the wilderness between the two mining camps. Although not a member of the innocents, Daly was well aware of their activities. Most of the members of the gang, including Plummer, were killed by vigilantes in early 1864.
This log building traditionally known as Robbers Roost was constructed several years after Plummer's gang met its grisly end. Unlike its predecessor this building functioned more as a traditional stage stop.

As is typical in this part of the country, clouds began building in the afternoon. In the village of Sheridan I considered stopping at the little motel there. But that would be a really short day. So I continued on. The thunderstorm started at about 2 PM. I was in an open area with no shelter, but I spied a little trailer parked on mine tailings near the road. Nobody was there and I took refuge under the canvas tarp for about an hour. Lightning, horizontal rain. I had to bundle up to stay warm.

My shelter from a 45 minute thunderstorm. Squatter's trailer in mine tailings.

After the thunderstorm I continued the mountain climb towards Nevada City and Virginia City. Along the creek to my right was continuous evidence of past hydraulic mining. Miles of gravel berms created by giant water cannons.

I stopped for a few minutes in the village of Nevada City. It resembles a movie set. It's basically a museum, not a town. The collection of buildings were moved from various sites in the area. It has a hotel, but no restaurant and no store. I don't want to stay here. Fortunately the real town of Virginia City is 4 miles up the hill.

Tourist excursion train through the lovely mine tailings.

I arrived in Virginia City at 4:15. Plenty of time to look around the interesting town. It must be Montana's best-preserved frontier mining town. I'm amazed at how well curated the town is. Later I found that more than half the buildings in town are owned by the state of Montana. It's a big tourist attraction but they apparently have extremely strict rules to prevent modern stuff like gas stations and motels from being built nearby.

I got a room at the the only lodging in town, Fairweather Inn. It's in the middle of town. $82 for an 8x8 foot room with a twin bed and sink. Shared toilet and shower down the hall. A charming place, but it isn't air conditioned. My room is upstairs on the sunny west-facing side of the building. And the prevailing wind pushes cool air in the opposite side of the building and hot air out my side of the building. Hottest room in the building. I left the fan on all night, but it was nearly impossible to suck in the much cooler air outside my window. At night I could see flashes of lightning in the distance to the west.

Many buildings in Virginia City have exhibits inside. You could spend a long time exploring. The surrounding gold mines made Virginia City one of Montana's most prosperous towns during the territorial years (before statehood).

My room was very uncomfortable but I really enjoyed seeing Virginia City. I had never heard of it. The landscape is kind of boring in this area but the historic attractions make it an interesting route.

Today I saw a total of 5 westbound touring cyclists. One was pulling a trailer with a big dog inside.

Today had a high of only 80F before the storm came in. The temperature was about 70F after the storm. That's one advantage of being at high elevation. Today's lowest point was 4626 feet elevation at Twin Bridges. Virginia City is partway up a mountain at 5760 feet elevation.

Distance: 60.8 miles (97 km)
Climbing: 1593 feet (483 m)
Average Speed: 12.1 mph (19.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 1,198 miles (1,928 km)

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