Author: Phil

As of this ‘writing,’ am sitting in the library in Basin, WY, approximately eight miles short of Manderson.  The library is air-conditioned while the outside temps are now in the nineties (F).  Melissa is coloring postcards that we picked up at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.  Cathy is catching up on some work while on the library’s Wi-Fi.

After breakfast at Peter’s Cafe (almost across the street from The Irma, Bill Cody’s original hotel named after his youngest), Melissa and I started biking out of Cody.  After a mile out of town until passing into Big Horn County, there was little to see other than a distant herd of pronghorns and the approaching/increasingly looming Bighorn Mountains.

We turned South and through Burlington, where we stopped briefly.  We met Bob and Chris from Ames, Iowa.  They will also be doing RAGBRAI, so we hope to meet them again (StokesonSpokes on Instagram).  In Burlington, we visited the local convenience/hardware/bar, owned by a young lady originally from New Hampshire!  (Bob and Chris caught us again in Basin, where they stopped at the Copper Corner Cafe for pie with ice cream, supposedly prepping for RAGBRAI!)

After we ‘finish’ at the library, we will have eight miles to ride into Manderson.

We stopped at the lodge for Pahaska Teepee, where Buffalo Bill Cody would host hunts, the latest in 1913 when he hosted the Prince of Monaco!  Linda gave us a wonderful ‘tour,’ and shared that Buffalo Bill is almost certainly not buried in Colorado.  (His wife actually scammed $10,000 sending a cadaver to be buried at Lookout Mountain that was not the body of Buffalo Bill!)

The ride down the Shoshone River Valley might have been the prettiest of our journey so far, and was certainly the best smelling as many of the flowers along the way were in bloom and sharing their fragrances.  The Absaroka and Washakie Wildernesses on to the North and South, respectively, of the descending road were absolutely beautiful, and framed the valley so well in the morning light!  I was able to get a quick glimpse of an otter on the South bank of the Shoshone, but he scooted away too quickly for Melissa to get a peek.

Going through the tunnel along side of the Buffalo Bill Dam was a real treat, particularly as our timing was without motorized vehicles in the tunnel with us.

Cathy was able to get an early check-in to the Moose Creek Lodge, so that we were able to get quick showers before heading to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.  We were able to visit three of the five museums within the complex, Buffalo Bill, Guns and Art of the West.  Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) was a promoter extraordinaire, becoming one of the most well known of celebrities WORLDWIDE of his time.  (My grandfather was born while the Buffalo Bill Combination show was touring Europe, though the show did not include a stop in what is now Slovakia.)

After visiting the complex, we stopped at t nearby Dairy Queen for blizzard, which were great especially in context of the seventy-plus degree temperatures, which were the first of really warm days of our journey.  Dinner at the Millstone Pizza and Brewery, plus a few IPAs and Huckleberry Sangrias topped off the evening!  

We are excited that we will be re-connecting with Daniel (from Sweden) later, as he will be joining our RAGBRAI team to cross Iowa.  Stay tuned for when he and we will be riding together again.  We are also enjoying the last few days having Melissa with us, as on Friday she will be picked up by friends meeting us in Buffalo, WY.  She will be able to head back home to be with her husband and ‘puppies,’ plus completing a few things to make their new residences HOME. 

Today’s departure from Wisdom involved coffee and ice cream breakfast at the Hook and Horn is Wisdom.  We continued down through the Big Hole River Valley, “Home to 10,000 Haystacks.”  Melissa and I stopped at Shephard’s Garage in Jackson, for a ‘nature break.’  (It seemed to be the only place open at the time.)

Darren passed us on his way to Dillon to attempt to find a couple of parts for the van.  Cathy met us near the summit of the second pass, giving us the opportunity to refresh our hydration and grab a bit of salty snacks.

Each of the passes had wickedly good downhills after the climbs.  We did stop for a few picks of the gates/fences, and the ‘hay slides,’ which seem to be peculiar to the Bing Hole Valley.

One in Dillon, and after showers, we visited the Beaverhead Brewing Company for some brewskis and viewing the first period of the Avs v Lightning Stanley Cup (Game 5).  Met a couple, who recently moved to Dillon, and her mother, from Anchorage.  Sarah and Ben, and Sarah’s mother Susan.  Later met Chris, part of a group that gathers weekly at the Beaverhead for ‘gossip.’  The group brings their snacks to go along with the local brews.

We moved on to Sharkey’s Garage for dinner, and continued viewing of the hockey match.  We did bring home some Key Lime pie for later.

All-in-all a marvelous day on our bikes, along with continued nursing of the van back to health!

We slept in then had blueberry pancakes with bacon this morning!  Met Denny and Susan, from NW WA near Canada, who suggested we stop at the Bib Hole Battleground Visitor Center.  While Melissa and I took on the climb to Chief Joseph Pass, Darren and Cathy continued the process to bring the ‘house side’ of the van to health.

The climb up to the pass was a bit of a challenge for me, but a piece of cake for Melissa.  We met at the turn off for Route 43 which would take us to Wisdom.  The downhill was enjoyable with smooth pavement.

Melissa and I stopped at the Big Hole Battleground Visitor Center.  Conner greeted us, with a question of whether we would stay for the video, which we did choose to view.  In addition to the museum quality displays, the video tells the story of the US Army’s pursuit of the Nez Pierce Indians, the treaty-manipulations of the US government, and the slaughter of women and children by the US Army along with volunteers.

Darren discovered that the van’s set of fuses were ‘cap-tut.’  With a few other machinations, the van is now connected effectively so that the ‘house side’ is performing while connected!

We have set a destination for the next day, as we need a couple of new fuses, likely in Dillon to get a key fuse.

We are also set to get to West Yellowstone to position Melissa and I for a one-day ‘sprint’ across the National Park.  Hopefully the damaged roads will not slow us down on the 80 miles across the Park!

We are playing Toppling Towers, a mini-Jinga game, on a wobbling table within Darren and Melissa’s van!  Listening to a great playlist, and prepped for some huckleberry ice cream before turning in for the evening!

Woke up a bit earlier this morning to wonderful biking weather!!  Sunshine and mid-50s to mid-60s for riding.  Just a bit of an increasing headwind as we progressed down the Valley.  

Cathy drove us from our wonderful ABNB to Lolo where Melissa and I had made the turn to Missoula a couple of days ago.  (On the drive, we again appreciated the Bitterroot Trail that we had ridden that runs past Route 93 (where the speed limit is 70 mph, and is a bit concerning if one is riding in the breakdown lane)!!  We headed South through Lolo, again on the Bitterroot Trail which took us through Hamilton.

In Hamilton, we were excited to join the B.O.W.s for a few miles through town.  [B.O.W. = Bike On Wednesday]  They reported the average age of the group is ~80, and they have been biking on Wednesdays for 15 years or so.  Once a rider in the group reaches 80, they may be authorized to utilize an e-bike.  (It seemed slightly more than half of their group today had e-bikes, and nearly all seemed to be carrying a lunch cooler, or a favorite beverage cooler along on the ride.)  Their plan for the day was to be ~38 miles, and when they were stopping Melissa and I had completed ~38 miles to that point.  It was great to see the group out enjoying the weather and the activity.  They also ski and hike when the weather might not be as inviting for biking.

We targeted the Montana Cafe in Darby for our lunch, where we met up with Cathy.  Melissa had received the ‘tip’ for the Cafe from a fellow biker at the ‘cyclists’ lounge’ at Adventure Cycling while we were waiting for our tour.  Pulling up to the Cafe, we came across a couple of fellow cyclists, Tom and Anna, who are doing the Transamerica Trail, as well.  They are targeting a similar diversion to RAGBRAI via the Parks, Peaks and Prairies Route, but maybe heading down to Nebraska to pick up a Rails-to-Trails route to Iowa.  Anna and Tom are from London, looking to finish in Yorktown (am not sure they know the historical significance of the location), and we expect to cross paths again!  At the Cafe, we also were introduced to young Cynthia (age ~9 months), who likely had never before met a man in Lycra.  After lunch, Cathy caught a great pic of Melissa and me riding side-by-side, with the Bitterroot Mountains in the background.

We finished our riding day at Sula Camp, where Darren (Melissa’s husband) has met us, with their dogs (Moose and Reggie).  Melissa is a very happy ‘camper’ being re-united with the three for a few days before Darren heads back to Colorado on Saturday.  Cathy’s been playing frisbee-fetch with Moose for some 45 minutes.  Cathy’s arm needs a break, before Moose chooses water over fetch!  All of us will sleep well tonight!  (Tomorrow’s climb will take us over the Continental Divide!)

After nearly 1,000 miles we are spending a second night in Missoula.  Spent time this morning working to find a bike shop with the ‘right’ size of tires for our Alchemy Atlas and Cannondale Synapse (28mm and 25mm, respectively.  Missoula Bicycle Works changed out the tires/tubes/slime expeditiously, while Melissa and I spent time browsing/shopping on Higgins Street.

The bikes are now ‘refreshed’ with new tires, after we have abused them not just with the 1,000 miles, but the 40+ miles on the freshly laid chip seal from before Richland to Oxbow, OR.

The weather today was sunny and pleasant, as we visited the Adventure Cycling Offices this afternoon.  While there we received an update on the status of roads through Yellowstone, and how to connect with the Parks, Peaks and Prairies Route that will take us into and through Wyoming.  We were taken on a  tour of the offices that include a multitude of photographs of early bike riding in the US and a ride going the length of North and South America (looked very messy)!  Also on display is a plethora of old/antique bicycles/tandems/bicycles-for-three+.  [Amy, Beth, Juliet and Geoff were very helpful, while Melissa enjoyed the Cyclist Lounge!]

While at Adventure Cycling, Lee, Al and Larry came into the offices, with somewhat long faces.  Lee could not get his troubling foot examined in Missoula.  Without a diagnosis, and not wanting to risk being on the road somewhere remote with limited options, the three are heading back to Indianapolis from Missoula.  Maybe we will see Al again at RAGBRA this year!!  Hopefully, we will connect again!

Cathy ran errands for provisions for the road, and other things to keep Melissa happy.   Cathy and Melissa advanced laundry to get us mostly caught up.  (We have had a few days with riding, and ending the day without a shower.  Clean kits after are not the best balance, but helps to tilt in the right direction!)

Melissa scheduled massages for her and me.  The healing touch helped to extricate lactic acid and rejuvenate our muscle sets.  After which caution was thrown to the wind as Phil was charged with ordering pizza!  Cathy and Melissa played Jackbox games via Zoom with folks from Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles and Topeka!

Awesome day today, and promise for a great day tomorrow!  We will relax for the rest of the evening, and prepare for a long ride tomorrow AND connecting with Darren, Moose and Reggie in Sulla!  

Up not-so-early today, as the  host/Geoff’s breakfast was not until 8:00A.  Melissa did a second dip into the Hot Springs before departure.  Saw Joe and Danielle, whom we met in the Hot Springs the day before, and they impressed by remembering the blog site!  Joe has a plumbing business, Straight Flush, in Great Falls, Montana, while Danielle is the finance manager for the business and has a primarily residential real estate practice.  She is also pursuing a RE valuation certification (Best Wishes!).

Cathy sent us off to again meet later at Adventure Cycling.  Saw elk and buffalo on the relatively  quick ride down Route 12, aided by a tail wind.  Just got a little damp on the ride, but managed to have dressed appropriately.  (Melissa continues on her Moose Spotting efforts, with no sightings yet though several on-road and road signs warning of moose crossings!)

We rode the Bitterroot Trail from Lolo to Missoula.  Great not to be on the shoulder of Route 93, as the speed limit on the highway is 70 mph.  Along the highway the Trail was grand, once inside of Missoula the Trail becomes a bit more urban with street crossings.  The wonderful, and pleasantly surprising, thing is that the drivers would stop at the trail crossings!

When arriving at the AC offices, despite it being a Monday, the offices were closed for Juneteenth.  (We will go back tomorrow/Wednesday for ice cream, virtual tour, some equipment shopping, and route discussions with the impact of the road closures/flooding that has occurred in Yellowstone National Park.  A bit anxious to have a viable path from the Transamerica Trail to the Parks, Peaks and Prairies Route to get us eventually to Fort Thompson, SD and the Missouri River.). [Arriving at the AC Offices completed Section 3 of the Transamerica Trail, another milestone of sorts.]

After the ‘monster day’ yesterday, we started from the campground on Pacific time, and arrived at Lolo Hot Springs, MT to move back to Mountain Time.

We continued uphill for the day.  We were happy to be riding up Route 12 on Saturday (yesterday) and Sunday (today), as the traffic was lighter, and safer than some had indicated.  The Clearwater River has had a fait o mount of rafting and kayak traffic, and today had a number of fisherfolks along the way.  The River became measurably narrower as we progressed up to Lolo Pass.

Melissa and I started in a light drizzle, with our fullest rain gear.  We were happy, as the water on the road surface kicked up quite a bit of moisture.  After about eight miles, the surface dried up enough to us to take off our rain paints.  Cathy met us at ~mile 44 for the day.  We were ready for lunch/second breakfast! We had wonderful chicken burritos, with chips (loved the salt!), and a chance to fill our hydration bottles.

We came upon many ‘fields’ of Indian Bear Grass, a beautiful flower.  Melissa had only seen the ‘favorite’ flower previously inside of Glacier National Park, so it was quite a treat.  We also passed by a multitude of little tots on small motorbikes, out for the day of dirt riding.

The last five miles up over the Pass were ‘Melissa Time,’ and we reconnected at the visitor center/state line.  My Garmin made the last mile and a half look like climbing a wall.

After enjoying the hot springs, we dined at the Bear Cave House Bar and Grill, and Melissa and I had the local bison burger.  We enjoyed their huckleberry ice cream, as well!  We ‘retired’ to the lodge lobby to plan out the next few nights of where to stay, adding to the playlist, putting a couple more links onto the blogsite, and planning for when Darren is able to join us (with Moose and Reggie)!

We left the Historic Hotel Prairie with a send-off from new friends we met at this biker-friendly hotel where we stayed in Prairie City, OR. We exchanged Cathy’s bike pedals with Melissa’s so Melissa could ride today. Daniel (new friend from Sweden) left a bit before us because he was afraid his touring bike wouldn’t allow him to keep up with our road bikes and we nearly caught him in the last mile as we road into Baker City, OR. Baker City boasts a museum all about the Oregon Trail and we found a mural in town labeled “The World’s Largest Map of the Oregon Trail”. Daniel & Veronica plan to recreate a larger map when they return to Sweden and then send a letter back to Baker City telling them they no longer have the world’s biggest version of the map (hahaha).

The first climb was up Dixie Pass where as we approached the summit it started to snow/hail/grapple and as we turned to the descent it turned to cold, hard, stinging rain. Though we hoped to stay dry for the day, we were totally soaked so we stopped on a porch in Austin Junction to warm up and reassure ourselves we weren’t suffering from hypothermia (not really, but it felt like it). We turned the corner onto Route 7 and were blessed by some sunshine which was quite a contrast to the weather on the descent. Climbed up Tipton Pass and again, as per usual, Melissa beat me to the top. The descent from Tipton was in a mix of sunshine and cloud as we cruised through spectacular valleys and gorgeous woods. The third climb of the day (Sumpter Pass) was somewhat less challenging, but still significant. The total elevation for the day was approximately 4500 ft. Melissa was happy to be riding (thanks to Cathy’s loaner bike) while she waits to get hers repaired. The final 10 miles into Baker City were along the Powder River into a fairly strong headwind. Distant mountains had visible snow and the river was flowing high.

We were happy to see that there was a Mexican Restaurant (Delicioso) open as we rolled into town. We stopped by the local bike shop, where we met Monique and Kevin from Helena, MT who are also traveling the TransAmerica trail self-supported from Oregon to Virginia. Although the bike shop Trailhead was unable to help Melissa with her bike repair, we thought it was a pretty cool shop because it featured a bar with a few local beer taps for patrons to enjoy while they awaited their bike repairs to be completed. 

We spent the evening at a MCM AirBnB and enjoyed the company of our new friends Veronica and Daniel from Sweden. We sat around the fire pit listening to music and sharing stories. It was a special evening. Tomorrow Daniel & Veronica head towards Ontario, OR while we cross into Idaho at the Brownlee Damn. We are a bit sad to part ways with our new friends, but we are pretty sure we’ll see them again, as I repeatedly invited ourselves to visit them in Sweden (hahaha).

Let’s hope tomorrow’s weather forecast of no rain holds true. I’ll be getting up early to prepare the blue corn pancakes from a mix we purchased at Tocabe (a Native American Eatery in Denver) to share with our Swedish friends before heading out for Day 10.