Day 8: Climb baby climb!

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
38.80 miles	11.6 mph	2816 ft	03:20:04	2814 cal

Refreshed:

I woke up at 7:15am wrapped in blankets as the morning air was quite brisk. The bed was quite comfortable and I slept well. I was eager for breakfast so I headed into the campground restaurant for some eggs, bacon, hash browns and coffee. I knew I would need this fuel for this mornings 13 mile climb up 93 to 43. I wrapped up and headed back to my cabin to load up and head out.

The 13 mile climb:

I turned onto 93 feeling strong and confident. The first 4 miles were a nice 2 percent grade warm up. I stopped to take off my morning Smart Wool jacket and could see the sharp rise of road just ahead of me. I won't be needing this as I will be generate plenty of heat on the climb. On the right was a sign "chain up area on right". That's a good indicator that this will be a wee bit steep. I put the bike on my granny ring and settled in for the long haul. Immediately the Garmin indicated 6% grade and will not deviate much for the next 8 miles. My goal was to keep my cadence at around 90 rpm. I was pushing a speedy 6.5 mph! I told myself to go 3 miles and take a break. No matter what! After 3 miles I pulled off at one of the lookout areas for my break. My legs felt fine but I must stick to my plan! The over look was quite impressive. After 10 minutes I was back to it. I rode another 3.5 miles and decided to take my second break. Time for the last 1.5 mile push to the top! A short time later I reached the summit and junction 43! Just passed the turn for 43 on highway 93 I could see the welcome to Idaho sign. I rode just beyond it so I can officially say "I was in Idaho". :)

Highway 43

Before making the turn onto 43 I checked my Garmin and it reported an elevation of 6870ft. This was shy of the expected 7254ft reported by Google. Hmmm. I turned onto 43 and quickly discovered where the remaining 300 feet were. Fortunately for me it was only 5%. I finally reached the "final" summit and enjoyed the several mile 5% down hill to around 6100ft. After 12 miles of winding scenic travel the road opened up to a huge flat valley of nothingness. I mean nothing but straight road surrounded by void. On either side you could see mountains far off in the distance. I mean far. I felt so miniscule. Like an ant. I now understand why there aren't any campgrounds around here. There are no trees as far as the eye can see. I really dislike long straight roads because I never feel like I am making progress. Nothing to do but pedal...

Wisdom:

Shortly before 1pm and after 10 miles I reached the small town of Wisdom. There is a junction of two roads here, 43 and 278. Is this the reason this town exists? I suppose people need to buy fuel so I guess so. Anyway, I pulled into Pioneer Mountain Lodge and the owner met me outside. She didn't expect me so soon so the room wasn't ready yet. No problem. I asked if there was anywhere to eat while she finishes up. There was a cafe up the road so I rode there and headed inside.

The place was packed! Where are all these people from? Ahhhh, locals mixed with people passing through. I sat down and ordered a steak sandwich with fries and a salad. I switched off airplane mode on my phone and was shocked that the restaurant had wifi. I uploaded yesterday's post and enjoyed my meal. From the window I could see people checking out my bike and Bob. One lady approached me to say they past me twice today with their RV. Once during the climb and again on 43. She was impressed how fast I got here! :) Then another gentleman stopped over to chat. He did the Trans American with his wife 10 years ago. Pretty sweet how friendly most people are. I finished up with some peach cobbler and headed to small grocer for dinner supplies.

Outside the grocery store I saw another touring cyclists sitting with the two backpackers. I went inside and picked up some hot pockets and a Pepsi. I then sat outside and chatted with them. The cyclist was pretty young, maybe early 20th and was wearing typical roadie spandex. He just arrived from Dillon and was heading to Missoula for a week before continuing on to Glacier. He was very nice and friendly. The backpacker couple started in May with their dog and were also heading through Glacier and maybe into Canada. It was funny hearing about how much dog would eat in the day. Even funnier were the doggie panniers which held his food and dish. So everyone is pulling their weight on this trip. They try to average 15 miles a day and typically stick to trails whenever possible. I asked where they allows were staying for the night. I guess the cyclist just met the backpackers at the gas station as both were asking about camping. Because there aren't any the owner reluctantly allowed them to use his property to camp. How cool! The cyclist said I should join him but I already reserved my room. Besides, I never got permission but I'm guessing it would have been okay. Would have been cool though.

Pioneer Mountain Lodge:

My room is more like an apartment. I have a full kitchen, living room and bedroom. They are supposed to have free wifi but the access point isn't working properly and the owner doesn't have a clue. That's okay as Shark week starts tonight!

Tomorrow's 64 mile ride will be quite remote. I will pass through a tiny town of Jackson and then 48 miles of nothing til Dillon. There are two sizeable climbs so I may bring extra water. Talk to you again from Dillon!