July 4, 2006
Jackson,MT - Darby, MT: A perfect day!
What a glorious riding day! Quiet, country roads and wide opens spaces.
I did find things a bit too quiet early in the morning. About 10 miles down the road, after my sleep deprived night, I found myself almost falling asleep while I bicycled. That was a new one for me. I stopped and did a few stretches to wake up.
The road was very fast, flat to downhill all the way to Wisdom. I had read much about the town of Wisdom. It seems most people overnight there on the TransAm. Everything was closed up tight when I went through. After Wisdom the road leveled off and started a slight uphill. I enjoyed watching the sunlight play on the water sprinkling in the fields. There were cows and horses abound. I arrived at Big Hole National Battlefield slightly before opening time. I was torn between spending time exploring and getting over the pass. Today was a higher mileage day. I do well climbing the passes, but I am a slower climber with my extra weight. I try and allow myself extra time so I can get to town before dark.
I decided to look the exhibit over and watch the movie, but not walk out to the actual battlefield. Chief Joseph and his tribe were attacked and decimated by soldiers when they were trying to escape into Canada rather than being forced on a reservation. A similar massacre occurred at Sand Creek in Colorado. The government has just purchased the Colorado land. I hope they do a similar display to Big Hole. It was very interesting and informative. I would have spent more time wandering around, but felt the need to get down the road. Out by the gate I ran into Oregon John. We had a snack together. I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the last time I would see Oregon John. His son was driving out from Missoula to pick him up for the holiday. The plan was that John would rejoin us after our rest day in Missoula. Instead John left a message on the hot line that he didn't like the confines of group touring or the time consuming cooking (eeks! I was his cooking partner!) and he was continuing on solo. Since his wife had given John a three week solo limit and we had three weeks left . . . . I was sad to see John go and felt bad I didn't get to say goodbye. He was always one of the first riders out in the morning and we frequently rode together.
Shortly after Big Hole the road took a steeper up. We entered a canyon. A deer and fawn crossed the road in front of me. Trail Creek cut through the canyon. I enjoyed watching the water bubble over fallen logs and rocks. There were plenty of pine trees. Many were rust colored. Are beetles killing the pine trees here as they are in Colorado?
Ryan caught up with me and we rode together for quite some time. We stopped to chat with a loaded rider passing the other direction. From the condition of his gear, this tourist had spent many hours on the road. He had Ernie from Sesame Street glued to his front fender. He said everyone needs someone to talk to out on the road. Ernie was the perfect companion because he never disagreed and always smiled.
We took photos at the top of Chief Joseph Pass 7,241 ft. We rode downhill to 'summit' Lost Trail Pass at 6,990 ft. The Idaho state line was very close to the top of the pass. We weren't actually entering Idaho at this point, but we stopped for a photo anyway. Not much further down the road was a big rest area. I stopped for the bathroom and Ryan continued on.
I finally gave in to the effects of my sleepless night and took an extended nap in the tall grass on the road side near Sula. I was still warm and drowsy as I headed on down the road to Darby.
Our campground was on the edge of town and I stopped right there, not going on into town. The bathrooms were inside of the 'bunkhouse'. We did not have access to the bed part. We did have access to the kitchen area. Smoker John and Peggy were the evenings cooks. We had hotdogs and potato salad with ice cream for dessert. A traditional Fourth of July meal. I was tired after the long day in the saddle and hoped the local kids wouldn't keep us up too long with fireworks. The campground owner said there were no town fireworks. That would have been fun to watch.
This was another excellent day. I enjoy the mountain terrain, even if I am a very slow climber. That just gives me more time to enjoy the scenery!
I was ready for our day off in Missoula.
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Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 369 miles (594 km)
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