June 26, 2012
Dubois to Hatchet campsite: Over the pass
I woke up to a nice morning - no sign of any impending thunderstorm. As I was slowly waking up, someone tried to come into the church multipurpose room where I had slept and where I had my belongings spread everywhere. It turned out to be someone from the church getting ready for the weekly Kiwanis Club meeting. She hadn't known I was there, and I hadn't known there was a morning meeting! The reason she was so early (I think it was 6:15) was because it was a breakfast meeting...and by the way I was welcome to join them for breakfast! I started packing up with a little more haste while she started the coffee brewing, and was able to move my loaded bike outside just as other club members started arriving. I joined them for some quiche and bacon and muffins, and heard a presentation from two students about the work the student organization was doing, which included applying the "Cowboy Ethic" to everyday life. It was really pretty interesting and impressive, but I thanked everyone and took my leave before the whole meeting was finished.
Today's ride was over Togwotee pass in a headwind, but first I visited the Tie Hacker Memorial. The name initially gave me pause, but it turns out it is a memorial to the men who carved the ties for the railroad and then floating them downstream in the river.
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The climb over the pass was a struggle in the headwind. It constituted the 3rd Continental Divide crossing of my trip, but the pass and the Continental Divide were unsigned, perhaps due to the road construction. The construction project has been going on for several years, and the section currently under construction was on the downhill side for me. Bikes are not permitted in the construction zone during working hours, but the crew happily provides a shuttle service that I happily used. I think they like the break and the conversation, and I also liked the break and the conversation!
The campsite where I stopped is a USFS site 8 miles east of Moran Junction. I shared a campsite with Noah, another cyclist. Noah had passed me going up Togwotee. He had a compact crank and a road cassette, and was standing up and "dancing on the pedals". A strong rider. There is a "resort" just down the road from the USFS campsite, with a small store and restaurant, and cabins for rent. It seemed quite expensive to me, and I was happy with the USFS campsite. There was a small group that had just 2 folks at the campsite and a few at the resort. They were from Escape Adventures, a company with which I had done the White Rim Trail near Moab several years ago. And furthermore, the guide was Merrick, who had been the guide on my trip! The bicycle touring community is definitely a small one!
There were a lot of mosquitoes, so Noah and I each headed into our tents early.
dist 44.74
odo 6248.9
Mx 33.1
Av 7.2
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 385 miles (620 km)
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