Day 11: Hello Wyoming!

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
83.11 miles	16.0 mph	2272 ft	05:11:03	5425 cal

Idaho Fires:

I've been meaning to write about this since Sula but kept forgetting. At the moment there are many wild fires scattered throughout Idaho. The smoke from the northern most fires has been carried into much of Montana due to the southerly winds. It was pretty thick through most of my stretch from Sula to Ennis. So much so that I was a bit concerned about breathing it in. The craziest was in Dillion when it looked like a giant storm cloud was approaching. When I say giant I mean it filled the sky and eventually caused an earlier than normal dusk when it blocked the sun's rays! Even the campground host was a bit concerned.

Route options:

I checked the weather forecast last night and a cold front was expected to move into Montana during the early am hours. This would bring gusty northerly winds, a 50% chance of precipitation and a 20 degree temperature drop for most of my morning ride.

Westfork campground was only 32 slightly uphill miles from Ennis. If the wind was at my back I should be able to push forward beyond Westfork as I'm getting tired of the Montana plains scenery and would like to get closer to Yellowstone. I plotted two options:

Option 1: Push to Bakers Hole campground which is 36 additional miles and only 4 miles from the West Yellowstone entrance. Puts me nice and close to the park and the campground is in the forest.

Option 2: Forget Bakers Hole and go just 18 miles further from Bakers to Madison Campground inside Yellowstone. This is 50 miles more than the base plan. This option is best as Swati will be coming to spend some time with me in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons and this option allows me to spend two nights at Grant which is logistically closer to her lodge.

As usual I would access my physical condition as I reach a location to determine what the next course of action should be.

Sound Sleep:

For once my phone's alarm clock beat me to the punch! It was 7:30am and I wanted to be on the road by 8:30am so I sprung from bed and immediately ate a breakfast of cereal, OJ and coffee. I opened the door to bring my bike outside and OMG was it ever gloomy and cold outside. It had to be like 40 degrees with a colder wind chill. What a temperature swing from yesterday! I immediately went back in and threw on my cycling tights and smart wool. After loading the bike I was shivering so I then broke out the Showers Pass rain coat. I usually sweat my butt off when wearing it so it should do the trick. I hopped on and headed south.

Ride to Westfork:

I can only describe the next 32 miles as "frigid hell". I've been warmer while biking to my office during the Chicago winters! After 5 miles of pedaling I started to warm up and sweat due to the Shower Pass rain jacket. Even stopping to take it off was painful! At this point I decided to get rid of the tights too because I don't want to stop again due to sweat and feel the cold wind gusts. Besides, I'd rather be dry and cold than wet and cold. As long as I keep generating heat by pedaling I should be okay. Even worse was the wind from the downhills. I couldn't wait to reach the bottom so I could start pedaling again! To make matters worse I would start to feel sporadic rain drops. Had it rained I would have been done for as there wasn't any shelter in the vast plains of Montana. Argh it was awful. I decided no breaks until I get to Westfork.

Around 10:30am I eventually came to and passed Westfork. The weather was still the same as when I left Ennis so the decision to push on was made. I delayed my break long enough and when a rest area approached at mile 33 I entered. The only shelter was the men's restroom. I grabbed my water bottle and some trail mix and hung out in the loo. Guys would come in and almost all say "pretty cold and windy eh?" I would reply "that's why I am loitering around in here!". A chuckle later and they were on their way. While it was cozy in there I wasn't making any progress so it was time to depart. Besides, I didn't want to be the creepy guy hanging out in the bathroom. :)

Ride to Bakers Hole:

The road curved to the east and I entered a mountainous region. As I entered the region around mile 45 the weather started to break. The sun punctured through just enough to provide some much needed warmth. I broke for lunch right around noon which happened to also be mile 50. I had just peaked a 5% grade climb and the setting was perfect. Mountain directly to my left and a river to my right. Just gorgeous. Cherry pop tarts were just what the doctor ordered! I removed my smart wool and continued on. Highway 287 or Hebgen lake road consisted of incremental steps in elevation. Certainty nothing as extreme as the passes I've done already but just enough to keep you honest. It runs along the northern edge of Hebgen lake which is quite scenic and you almost forget you are actually riding a bike.

Hebgen lake road eventually junctions with Gallatin road which is where I turn and head south towards Bakers Hole campground. At around 1:30PM I passed the entrance to Bakers Hole. I was only 4 miles from the Yellowstone entrance. I can't stop now! Besides it was still way early in the day!

Ride to Madison:

I arrived in west Yellowstone around 1:45pm. Madison campground was 14 miles into the park so I craved some calories for the last leg. Conveniently there was a McDonalds so I stopped in washed down an apple pie with an iced coffee. I briefly took advantage of the wifi and caught up on some email.

I made my way to the Yellowstone entrance. The sweet lady asked how may miles I did today. She was shocked when I said 71. Come to think of it, considering the crappy morning weather, I was too. I felt like I could easily continue for another 30. She then asked which campground I was heading too. Madison was full but she said "don't worry we take care of you cycling guys" . "They will set you up at the hiker biker section" . I smiled and she handed me a map and she said "only 14 more miles to go. Yay!".

By this time the clouds had completely dissipated and the blue sky was filled with sunshine! I had the biggest grin on my face as I pedalled the winding roadway towards my destination. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. I was hoping to see some bison but instead saw what I think was a baby moose. I'll take that I thought. As I continued I couldn't help but think pushing on was definitely the correct decision. I then audibly thanked my legs for their outstanding effort today. I really put them through hell and back and they didn't complain one bit. :)

Campground:

I reached the campground and registered at the front office. A nice young man named "joe" took me to my camp area which happened to be behind the registration office. He said pick any open spot! He also said they provide free coffee to hikers and bikers and to just knock at the back door. He also said they would charge my portable devices as well as microwave anything if I needed it. Wow! They really do take care of us!

There was only one other tenter/hiker in the hiker biker section so I had free reign! I selected a spot and before setting up camp sat down and snacked on some tortilla chips. I always setup camp before eating so I must have been really hungry! :) After a few blissful minutes I setup camp, changed clothes and headed out to explore a bit.

Exploration:

I didn't have the energy levels to do any sort of serious hiking so I decided to first check out the amphitheater to see what time the presentation is. Tonight's presentation is on Yellowstone's geology is at 9pm. The amphitheater is situated a few hundred yards from the Madison river so I decide to take a nice stroll along its banks. While it is technically a river it was only knee high in most places so I decided to to take off my tevas and socks and walk in the river itself. Oh how refreshing! I then sat on the bank and enjoyed some peanut butter crackers while gaping at all the natural beauty surrounding me. Just awesome!

Dinner:

After my exploration I decided it was time to prepare dinner. Tonight's dinner was freeze dried mac and cheese. Yum! For dessert I had oreos and a hot cup of tea. I then quietly sat at the picnic table cranking out this post until it was time for the presentation at the amphitheater. Perfect timing... Perfect day!