June 17, 2023
š¼ It’s a small world after all.…š¼
Quote of the day:
“The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them” – Amelia E. Barr.
Yes, today was a short short day. Started in Virginia City (VC as the locals say) and ended across the mountain in yet another unbelievable valley and the town of Ennis. Of course, I walked a good way up the west side of the pass as usual. I guess I’m getting stronger but gravity and this 110 lb bike/gear is not making it easy. Joshua was with me and he rode most of the climb. Not sure which way is more noble since we made it to the top at the same time. Coming down was a blast. Topped out at 38 mph. Josh has narrower more road worthy tires and passed me at about 45 mph. Course I couldn’t see much of him as my eyes were tearing from the rush of cold wind.
It was cool again, cloudy, gloomy. So no real great pictures. Every time I go over one of these passes and get a glimpse of the valley below with the next mountain range on the other side, I am totally blown away. Today we flew down into Madison Valley with views of the Madison River and lake. Galliton Peak and Sphinx Mountain stand in the distance with snow covered peaks. The town of Ennis caters to the fly fishing crowd with several outfitters and guides in town. Float boats are common on the river and on trailers behind pick ups. The buildings are right out of the old west and there are plenty of saloons and restaurants to wet a whistle or fill a belly.
I’m not sure I told you about WarmShowers so…..this is an online organization that is for folks interested in touring by bike whereby those signed up can host riders or request to be hosted. Needing another zero day (I know 3 in 17 days is too many) I contacted Kevin and Lisa yesterday to see if they could tolerate me for two nights. The answer was yes. Joshua had said he needed to move on as he needs to be in Denver in just a couple of weeks. After riding together for three days it is hard to part and go solo and Josh postponed making a decision to continue until it was a bit too late in the day. He did not want me to ask my new hosts if he could stay also and ended up paying for an expensive motel room. I am sorry he made that decision as I have landed in Shangri-la.
I texted Kevin after grabbing a warm bowel of soup in town and a huckleberry ice cream to wash it down and asked if it would be ok to come to his house. Again the answer was yes with a “I’ll come pick you up”. Well my pride said that was not called for as I had a bike! What was this guy thinking? The answer was “the house is two miles up a gravel road”. Ok, so? And I proceeded to the address. Now on the hillside overlooking Ennis sit a number of very nice homes with very nice views. Little did I know that Kevin’s home sat waaaaasy waaaaaay above all those other homes, up a gravel road with an 8-9% grade, past a security fence with no trespassing signs, and surrounded by a jagged cliff right out of s Wild West movie. So again walking was in order. Heck, only took me about a half hour to go that two miles! When I arrived Kevin congratulated me as I was the first and only of 17 riders hosted this year to make the trip unescorted by him and his pickup.
On the way up prong horn antelope crossed my path several times!!! And this log home is absolutely amazing as is the view. Only to be outdone by Kevin and Lisa’s welcoming generosity. In addition to myself they had welcomed Mark and Chase, as well as K9 Luna.
Turns out Kevin and Lisa are originally from Virginia. He from Richmond, she from Martinsville. Wait I said. Do you know any Prillamans or Sheltons? Again the answer was yes. Karen Prillaman? I think so said Lisa. Upon checking with her brother George, Lisa learned that George once had a crush on Karen and had asked her to the prom only to be rejected. For those of you not in the loop, Karen is the wife (then girlfriend) of my college roommate Doug Shelton. George knew Karen, Doug,and cousin MC!!!! See, told you…….small world. I assured Lisa, who reassured brother George, that Doug and Karen had been together since childhood and his rejection should not be taken personally.
Mark is traveling cross country east to west and currently lives in Chesapeake Virginia. He has been pedaling for 61 days. Chase and Luna started in Pueblo Colorado and should finish in Astoria Oregon. We three cyclists were well fed with Lisa’s world famous spaghetti and salad followed by ice cream as the three dogs played and chased each other. Told ya…..Shangri-la.
Tomorrow —rain, and rest to prepare for the grizzly bears in Yellow Stone.
Did you sing the title to todays journal entry? Bet you did!
You just went back and read the title again didn’t you? Sang it too?
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the home
The view
Three crazy cyclists at the best WarmShowers EVER.
Today's ride: 16 miles (26 km)
Total: 792 miles (1,275 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 4 |
the view ... 6 stars out of 5 ... wow ! (echoing Randy)
judging by the attire it appears that the weather is still a tad chilly for JUNE !!!
It really is a SMALL world .... what a great story :-)
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