Gillette to Devils Tower July 09 2022

Gillette to Devils Tower

July 09 2022

The weather forecast for today was Hades Hot.  This wasn’t good news for a Canadian who thinks that over 80 F is too hot.  As a result I was keen to get down the road as soon as possible and as quick as possible.  Greg had warned the riders about flying down to Devils Tower too quickly as he had a lot of logistics to take care of so don’t arrive before 2:30 PM.   I wanted to get in before noon and then hide out in a café sucking iced tea.

The route was just over 69 miles with 2180 feet of climb; however the first 20 miles was a huge detour up into the hills. It was obvious that a person could shoot straight down the highway and shave 9 miles off.  I never believed in riding three sides of a square and this one fit squarely in that basket.  I spoke to a few of the other riders and wound up leading a parade of six other like-minded riders.  Out on the highway it quickly became obvious we had three really strong riders who were willing to pull the train.  I had to pedal like crazy just to stay in line.  Flying down the highway we got to picnic just as the picnic crew were unfolding and setting out the food. 

After picnic the group broke up and I rode out with Aussie Bob.  All of the climbs were after lunch, so it wasn’t long before we caught Ken T.   The last half of the ride into Devil’s Tower is the nicest with rolling hills, downhills through canyons, and long winding climbs.  By now it is around 92F and more on the pavement.  The three of us arrived just before noon so we pulled in for lunch. 

Tonight was the traditional margarita party.  Greg had mixed up a special batch so everyone had a good time.  Getting a chance to exchange war stories and celebrate the conclusion of the toughest three weeks on the tour with everyone was great.   

What a great day and what a great week.

Terry   

 

Buffalo to Gillette July 8, 2022

Buffalo to Gillette

July 8, 2022

After yesterday’s monster day, todays 72 miles and only 2680 feet of climb seemed like a rest day.  Today we rode down the interstate from Buffalo to Gillette.  In 2018 the interstate was closed to cyclists as there was construction along the route and all the traffic was diverted to the on side. This year however it was wide open and we sailed down the highway.  Great wide shoulders, with perfectly smooth pavement and very low gradients on all of the climbs. 

After leaving breakfast at 7:00 Am it was only 34 miles down to picnic.  I was at picnic by 8:30 am and this was after stopping at first water and taking a bunch of rider pictures.  The view looking back at first water was great as it was a huge panorama of our last look at the Big Horn Mountains and pretty much all of the mountains. 

Picnic was in a very pretty rest stop so I wound up hanging around and eating more than I needed to as it was only 1.5 hours since I had breakfast. 

After picnic it was only another 37 miles down the road.  However it was now starting to get hot. Maybe I hung around picnic too long.  The wind was also starting to come up and varied from a quartering head wind to a cross wind.  I looked down at my bike computer and I had 21 miles to go and as I was doing about 15 mph and I thought that’s ok I’ll be in camp in an hour and a half.  A bunch of long grades into the quartering head wind and it was 18 miles to camp and I was doing 12 mph.  Still an hour and a half.  

When I did get into camp it was only 12:20  so I decided to roll down town to have an ice cream cone. 

I guess that we will put this day down as an hour and a half kind of day. 

Tomorrow we ride to Devils Tower and completion of week three. 

Today is also Barry’s Birthday --- Happy Birthday  Isn’t this just the prefect way to spend your birthday?

Terry 

 

Worland to Buffalo July 7 2022

Worland to Buffalo

July 7 2022

The nervous energy amongst the riders was so strong you could feel it crackling off the walls at breakfast. This was the big one the ride which everyone had been dreading or anticipating or both ever since they signed up for the tour.  Today’s ride took us over the Powder River Pass. It is the highest point on the tour at 9666 feet.  It has the most elevation gain at 8890 feet and is 94 miles long.  In short the toughest day on the entire coast to Coast ride.  It is the last of the big three passes on the C2C and by far the most challenging.

From breakfast it is approximately 30 miles before you start the climb. Once at the base of the climb you enter this canyon which winds up the Big Horn mountains.  The views along the canyon are totally amazing with towering cliffs which are several hundreds of feet above your head.  The road through the canyon is primarily 6% grade and it continues for 20 of the 25 mile climb. It was a great day for this ride as it was quite cool in the morning and there was no wind.  There was even a little cloud cover to help keep the heat down.  Picnic was at the 48 mile mark and I was certainly glad to roll into lunch.  I was alos really glad to have the 34 small front ring coupled to the 34 large rear ring.  The 1:1 drive made to climb totally possible. 

After lunch is was about 8 miles to the summit but the grades were in the 2-6% range. You are now right at the tree level and there were wide open meadows filled with wild flowers.  When I got to the summit Barry was there and talking to a couple in a Mercedes van.  I rolled up and they had a Bouvier De Flanders who was in the door way. It was great to scratch the big woolly head of such a friendly dog.  She was an absolutely the same as Barry’s dog “Dolly”

Quick photos under the summit sign and on our was as the wind was howling. 

The decent from the summit was no piece of cake as there was a second summit 8 miles further and then 5 really steep descents followed by 5 really steep climbs. Each of the steep descents were in the order of 8% making them on the edge of scary.  In the meantime black thunder clouds are building over head and threatening.  Fortunately they held off and I only got about a hundred drops.

As I finally rolled into the Buffalo school I was totally exhausted.  The thunderheads were letting loose with the odd bolt of lightning so I hurriedly set my tent up. 

Longest, toughest and last of the big three passes (Stevens Pass, Jackson Pass and Powder River) done.

Terry 

 

 

Riverton to Worland July 6, 2022

Riverton to Worland

July 6, 2022

Last night the caterer never showed up so we all headed downtown to find our own supper.  Ken T had spotted a place called the Rust Truck which was part bar and part pizzeria.  It was excellent.  Being the caterer was a no show we knew breakfast would not be much and it wasn’t.

Ken T and I rolled out at 6:50 this morning.  Ken was really strong and we made great time. It was a 92 mile route today mostly downhill.  I think over the course of the day we lost 1300 feet. 

The highlight of the day was the ride through the canyon.  There is no indication of how you are going to cross this large range of very rugged hills, then you turn a corner and there is a canyon with a couple of tunnels. It is a 12 mile downhill through an amazing canyon. A really wild ride.  Unfortunately it is over all too soon. However there you are at picnic which is a chance to fill up on all kinds of wonderful treats.

Ken and I were rolling out of picnic at 11:00 and with just 41 miles to go.  By now it is getting really oppressively hot and we could see thunder heads building on the horizon so we were motivated to ride hard.  We got luck and found a short cut shaving 3 miles off the route and rolled into a cantina at 1:00 PM.  Not bad for a 89 mile day.  The beer and nachos were terrific. 

In camp I got my tent set and showered just in time before a wind storm hit.  I dived into my tent and had a little nap.

What a great day.

Terry  

 

Dubois to Riverton July 5, 2022

Dubois to Riverton

July 5, 2022

Today the forecast for Riverton was 91F.  Way too hot for this Canadian.  So I decided to blow breakfast off.  This gave me an hour and a half jump on the day.  It was a great decision.  I was on the road at 6:15 Am and there wasn’t a vehicle on the road.  It was only about 46F with a good tail wind out of the west.  I cruised down to breakfast at the 39 mile mark in no time.   In fact I was the first one into picnic and the staff was still setting up when I got there.  I gobbled down a sandwich and a few treats and was pulling out of picnic at 9:15 am, with only 43 miles to go. 

A point of interest just out of Dubois is the National Museum of Military Vehicles.  It looked really interesting as they had quite a few tanks on display outside in a covered pavilion and a really large modern facility.  I would love to stop in and visit it.  

The first half of the ride had been primarily downhill but the second half was long rollers.  The tail wind had dropped off and the day was getting hot.  The route took the tour off the highway and into the hills but then came back to the highway in town.  So I just stayed on the highway shaving 6 miles off.  I wound up with a 77 mile day and 1480 feet of climb.

I rolled into our destination with the fellow who rides a recumbent and is the fastest rider on a flat ride by a wide margin.  There was nobody here and the school was locked up.  As it was just noon, I decided that I needed to find lunch.  So I rode downtown and found a wonderful little family place. I had their bacon cheese burger on the special toasted bun.  They kept filling my ice tea glass and I kept empting it.  I must have drunk a gallon and a half of iced tea.  When I did wander out I saw a sign which gave the temperature as 88F.  It was sweltering. 

It should be a nice night in the tent as the forecast is mid 50’s. 

What a great day.

Terry  

PS:  remember to check todays YouTube video 
 

Jackson to Dubois July 4 2022

 Jackson to Dubois

July 4 2022

After a late (7:00 AM) breakfast I rolled out of the Science Center with Tom R. We were  headed for Teton National Park.   After cruising through the center of Jackson, which was getting ready for their 4^th July parade we headed north. We rode the path way to Teton National Park.  The Tetons are right there in your face. They are so beautiful it is no wonder that there were crowds of tourists everywhere. 

Tom and I stopped in a lot of places to take pictures and to take in the beauty of everything.  We had a perfect day with cooler temperatures and blue sky and a slight wind out of the west.   Before we knew it we were at picnic which was at the 53 mile mark. 

With the Teton Park well behind us, I headed for the climb of the day which was a 17 mile climb to 9600 feet and the Continental Divide.  By now the temperatures were in the 80’s and it was a long 17 miles to the climb.  I stopped at the half way lookout to look back over the climb.  This is something I have never done on any of my previous rides.  It was an absolutely stunning view of the valley and you see the Tetons in the far distance. 

I was really glad to reach the summit and to fill my water bottles at the water stop which had been placed there.  As I stopped my bike computer speed sensor fell off.  Both of the zip ties had failed. How does that happen.  Fortunately I had some zip ties in my bike bag and was able to fix it.

The down hill was a fast ride and the remaining 28 miles intp Dubois went quickly aided by what has now become a very good tail wind.  Never the less it was a long hard century and I was exhausted.  The official mileage was 98 miles and 4860 feet of climb.

Being the 4^th of July the fireworks were plentiful and all along the butte which runs along the north side of town had a tremendous fireworks display.  Even though I was totally beat I had to crawl out of my tent to watch the display.

Terry 

 

Rest Day in Jackson July 3, 2022

Rest Day in Jackson

July 3, 2022

Today is our rest day after week two of the coast to coast tour.  We are staying out at the Teton Science School.  It is about 8 miles out of town in a canyon.  It is really quite isolated from the town and all of the tourist craziness of Jackson on the July 4^th weekend.  There isn’t much here the nearest store is 3 miles away at the mouth of the canyon.  However there is a laundry to wash cloths and good internet.  So after an extraordinarily hard week it is good to have a total down day.  The Science Center is in quite a pretty setting and this morning as I was out for a walk I saw a large buck on the hill side. There are a lot wildflowers and butterflies.  

Barry rode down to the store this morning and got a few snacks to keep us alive until super time.  I spent the day doing laundry, washing my bike and editing my pictures. Unfortunately I have fallen behind on the editing photo task and now it is a big job. 

Patrick decided to pull the plug and flew home this morning.  I was quite sad to see him go.  Patrick is a lot of fun to ride with and always has a crazy story to tell.  However I understand if you are not feeling well dragging around the country sleeping in tents is no fun. 

I have added a new link to the blog.  It is to a series of YouTube videos produced by one of our riders.  He has a GoPro camera which he uses to shoot the video.  It is shot in little short segments then spliced together and set to music.  The series of videos is called Riding with Tomim0 Just click on the word “YouTube”   Here is a direct link https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tomim0  Check it out. It is a lot of fun.

Tomorrow is off to Dubois a fun 90 mile ride.

Terry

 

Ashton to Jackson July 02 2022

Ashton to Jackson

July 02 2022

Today was the second of the big passes on the coast to coast tour.  The Teton Pass into Jackson is the steepest of the three but also the shortest. The climb itself was only 13 miles and the ride was 70 miles.

The forecast was for very nice warn day with light winds out of the SE giving us a light head wind and possible thunder showers in the afternoon.  In the early morning the wind was certainly not a factor.  As I headed out from Ashton it was a beautiful day, riding though rolling hills through fields of mostly potatoes. Pollen lovers would love beautiful displays of wild flowers in all of the ditches.  I had left after most of the other riders so I could see a long column of riders ahead of me.

At about the 25 mile mark we turned on to a very busy road with almost no shoulder.  It was on the edge of scary.   I was certainly glad to turn off of it onto a bike path which paralleled the road, even though the path was in quite poor condition.  There were a lot of tree roots coming through the pavement and cross cracks which made for a bumpy ride. 

I could see the thunder storm clouds following along the Teton Mountains which were off to the left.  Then about the 40 mile mark the storm winds hit me and it was a real grind to get into lunch at the 50 mile mark.  

At lunch I was looking at the weather radar deciding on when to head for the pass.  I wound up waiting about 30 minutes and it looked like the rain was going to pass and I could see a couple of blue breaks.  The first 8 miles were all something around 5% grade so I was able to make pretty good time.  Then it was 8 % and now it is turning into a tough grind. At about 2 miles from the summit it went to 10% and now it is really tough.  I made it to within about 1.25 miles of the summit before I had to put a foot down.  It was too steep to get going so I had to walk about a 100 yards  to where there was a turn out and I could get going again. 

At the summit Ed W was there taking pictures of the riders and handing out congratulations. 

The ride down was 4 miles of 10% with a lot of traffic. It was downright scary. I was certainly glad to have the disc brakes.  In 2014 I had rim brakes with way less stopping power. 

Finally into Jackson and ending the second week.

I went into town with Aussie Bob, Barry and Ken T.  We had a nice meal and wandered the town.

Terry 

 

West Yellowstone to Ashton July1 2022

 

West Yellowstone to Ashton

July1 2022

Happy Birthday Canada! 

It was crisp this morning when I crawled out of the tent it had reached a low of 36F  last night or at least that’s what the weather forecast had called for. However the drops of dew on the outside of the tent were frozen and the condensation on the inside of the fly was frozen as well.  I had been nice and warm in my sleeping bag and the tent really retains the heat.   I had dressed with four layers so that I could peel them off as the day progressed to the high in Ashton which was 82F. 

When I was pumping my tires this morning I noticed that the back tire was only around 45 pounds which meant it had lost quite a bit of air over night. Not a good sign.  However I pumped the tire and headed off to breakfast which was in the Holiday Inn and I was keen to get a big feast of bacon.  After picnic I stopped to take a layer off and noticed the tire was low again.  As I only had 12 miles to go I thought I  would pump the tire.  Rarely does this “I’ll just pump the tire”  thing  work out and about 5 miles later I stopped to change the tube.  When I got in I set to work and put the new Gatorskins on I had brought. 

I wasn’t the only one with tire issues today Thomas who rides tubeless had a flat at about mile 15 this morning.  When I rolled up I could see that he had a torn a huge triangular gash in the side wall of his tire. It was probably 8 mm on a side.  As this was too big a hole to put a plug in we set about putting a tube into the tire.  I had a very nice thick piece of cardboard and coupled with a $1 bill fashioned a boot.  In about 40 minutes we had it fixed and he was able to ride in.

This was the first time I have ridden out of West Yellowstone when it was not pouring rain.  It was cold but not raining.  In fact it was an absolutely gorgeous day.  The first section of the ride down highway 20 was busy but for the most part had a good shoulder.  At mile 36 we turned off and rode down the Mesa Falls Scenic Parkway.  It has been chip sealed since I last rode it but as it is a very quiet road it was better than hwy 20.  It is primarily downhill all the way so picnic at mile 50 came up at 10:00 am.  I have never seen the Mesa falls which is right by picnic as it has been too rainy but to day I hung around and enjoyed the view.

At only 64.2 miles it seemed like a rest day.

Terry