August 28, 2024
Day 10: Forget Fall! How about winter?
If you had ‘sleeps in an outhouse’ on your Great Divide bingo card well done!
How about snow in August?! I guess anything is possible at 2000 m elevation.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
That’s what we woke up to when we emerged from the outhouses. Bonus!! We took that one in stride and chipped the snow and ice off our bikes and headed over to a sheltered area to make oatmeal. I topped off the oatmeal with cold mashed potatoes and chili in a ziplock bag.
While we were looking at our bikes and the mess a nice guy stopped by and offered to drop off some wood so we could warm up. It was a nice gesture but we were bundled up and okay. Then the warden stopped by and we had a nice chat with him. Surprisingly, we were still on our bikes before 8 AM with Basin as our next little town.
The morning riding was very cold as one would expect with snow on the ground. I’m now wearing gortex ski gloves that barely keep my fingers warm enough but provide enough dexterity that I can work the brakes and shifting.
We started with a brief climb to warm up and then we were into descending for about 300 or 400 m. The riding today was more technical with some really washed out dirt roads. There’s no way I could drive my car on these roads. You’d need a 4x4 with big clearance.
We both were in a good mood considering that we had minimal sleep and it was super cold.
We finished the downhill and we crossed a marshy area. The road crossed through it and then headed up hill. I was thinking that it was prime habitat for a moose. As I was looking up the hill I spotted something and gave Peter the stop sign. We stopped quickly and caught a glimpse of two male elks squaring off. Amazing!! We spooked their battle so they darted into the woods and we got to see them leave.
We carried on up the hill and started getting hot so we stoped briefly and as we were getting organized one of them came out of the woods and onto the trail about 20 feet from us. They are absolutely huge! We thought close to the size of a horse. He continued up the path 100 yards and headed into the woods. The woods were thick; I don’t understand how they get around with those huge antlers.
We then climbed another 500 m up some difficult terrain, stopping to hike our bikes on occasion. We finished climbing at 2250 m which is our highest elevation yet. Our destination was feeling like it might be in sight for lunch and spirits were very high with that prospect.
We rolled into Basin at noon. It seems like an old town without a lot of money pouring in. It was common to see 3 or 4 dead cars on lawns. We made a bee line to the restaurant, and were ecstatic when our waitress Jordan said we could have breakfast. We both ordered a skillet and pancake on the side for good measure.
The food was great and we listened in our various conversations. We lingered there and enjoyed several cups of coffee which certainly helped for the long afternoon ahead. Jordon was impressed that we slammed that much food but biking up huge hill takes a lot of calories and we were hungry!
We finally got going again about 2 and we faced massive headwinds for much of the 60 km making it feel a lot more like 70 or 80. It was very scenic riding and enjoyable all the same. We passed one rider from Hawaii so we exchanged stories and carried on. We are finding that everyone is doing this at a different pace and I think we are on the faster end of average. All the riders we met at the ranch were travelling much slower and a couple I didn’t think would be able to finish before winter arrives full blast in Colorado.
We arrived in Butte at 6 and went straight to Safeway for the next day and then on to a motel for the night. It’s going to be great to have a pillow, shower and comfortable bed. Not to mention not having to set up and take down the tent.
Highlights:
-Seeing the elk
-Restaurant meal and our first hotel
-Scenic afternoon riding
Distance - 101 km / 1637 m elevation gain
Today's ride: 101 km (63 miles)
Total: 1,128 km (700 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 6 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
Since you are at a motel today, save the little hand lotion they give you and put some on your hands, feet, and face the next really cold spell. It acts as a moisture barrier and helps keep you warm. Honest.
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago
1 month ago