Biking the Great Divide

Albuquerque - the End - August

2007-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Albuquerque is a huge city with lots of everything. Including lots to do! The airport served us well. Many different airlines fly in & out here - but we used only Southwest and Northwest to get people into and out of here. Before driving home I had the car fully serviced, including my brakes changed as the experience in the Gila National Forest sort of did them in! I drove almost exactly 14,000 miles RT over the 3 months I was gone from home. Beth was done a few days ahead of her flight out of Albuquerque, so we did several things in the area - including bike the nice trail along the Rio Grande River, visited the nature center adjacent to the river trail, went to the Aquarium, Reptile Museum and Botanical Gardens, hiked through the Petroglyph National Monument - all very worthwhile!!

Even with the price of gas, this was definitely an adventure of a lifetime that I highly recommend. It is certainly nice for the support vehicle to have 2 drivers and for the rider to have a biking companion. Unfortunately we couldn't always have that, but we did OK. I can't imagine a biker doing this trip without a 4-wheel drive support vehicle, but I know its done.

We learned many things from this adventure.
#1 - We live in an amazingly beautiful country and we saw sights that most people will never experience.
#2 - We survived "roughing it" without refrigeration and did just fine. Although if I never eat another MRE, that will be OK!
We lived without a daily shower often and wore clothes more than once (or 3 or 5 times)and it was just fine!! Its OK to be dirty in the wilds!
#3 - Montana and New Mexico virtually tied for our favorite State - although we had an extraordinary amount of unexpected rain in both. Luckily we were never rerouted by fire - it came to areas after we were through them.
#4 - Be flexible and keep a sense of humor!!
#5 - Have a method other than a phone for communicating with one another. Notes on Stop signs worked well for us.
#6 - Although the ride is divided into over 70 days by Adventure Cycling, Beth actually rode only 52 days of the 67 days she spent along the trail. She averaged 48 miles a day and pulled a 70 lb, BOB most of the time. Days off really need to be figured into the equation for both mental and physical health!! So much to see & do along the way!!
#7 - Be well educated on the trip before you go. We planned & planned for over a year, and brought along a lot of gear, but I can't think of anything we didn't use! Some of the things that people may not bring that we used a lot - a hammer with tines (for tent stakes and good for mud clearing), a garden trowel (for all those primative free camping sites), 2 extra bikes, laptop computer and car charger for it - the charger also charged our batteries for the cameras, lots of dry foods (fruits, jerky, nuts, etc.), laundry soap, a plastic dish pan, & a clothesline, the State Gazetteers that were invaluable, lots & lots of plastic bags (we collected rocks, bones, used them for wet gear, etc.) of all sizes!
#8 - You will eat more than you usually do and still lose weight! Outside and active burns a lot of calories.

Antelope Wells, NM -The Mexican Border

2007-11-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Antelope Wells has absolutely no services - only the border patrol building and a few houses the men live in. Be sure you have enough gas to come & go from here and don't count on getting any in Hachita!
BETH writes - Last night was anything but full of sleep. Between the border patrol sneaking up on us to check out that we were Americans, the illegals or drug smugglers that went across the road just down from our tent with their flash lights at 1 am, the full moon, the coyotes, and the wind I got very little sleep. I think I was also excited and axious for today. 35 miles to the border! The ride was rolling and very easy and there was three adventures to the day. The habitat was still Yucca desert and then just before the border the land became more grassy and pasture like. The first excitement was I finally got to see my Rattle Snake!!! He was a about 3 ft long and a little thick in the middle like he had just eaten. The snake was crossing the road and easy to see against the pavement, so no one was in danger. The second excitement or pain for the day was I have ridden almost 2500 miles without a flat tire so don't you know today would be the day. They had just mowed the sides of the road sending Mosquite thorns into the road. I did not get a flat, but did have a slow leak so I had to stop every 8-10 miles to put more air in my soft tire. With six miles left my Mom rode with me to the border. Around 12:15 I crossed the border of the US into Mexico. I had done it!! I had ridden 52 days and almost 2500 miles from Canada to Mexico. I am not sure how I feel. I am definitely proud to say that I have accomplished such a feat, but the end was kind of anti-climatic. Here I have seen a lot of the west by bike, met wonderful people, eaten lots of food, had many good and bad adventures and it feels like maybe I should just keep riding. Instead I packed up my stuff and we drove 4 hours to Carlsbad Caverns. The border is just a line and a sign, but now I know the adventures will have to continue!! I loved the trip in so many ways that riding the Divide will not be the end of the adventure!!! Thank you to everyone who rode with me, to all the people I met along the way, to my Dad for holding down the fort at home and supporting me throughout the trip and to my Mom -- Mom I never in a million years pictured us doing this together and I am soooooo lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive and willing to do anything Mother! Thank you for all your help, carrying all the "good" food, dealing with my grumpy days, and taking 3 months out of your life to come with me for this adventure of a life time!!
JAN writes - None of us slept much last night due to terrible wind and lightening (but it never rained), the border patrol lights shinning on our tent, and flashlights we could see moving through the desert in the distance. We aren't sure who was sneaking through the cactus in the night! We got going in good time in the morning to try to avoid the heat. I rode the last 6 miles with Beth, while Fran drove the Jeep, and we crossed the border at 12:15PM. Amazing! The only other vehicle we have seen all morning was a border patrol. You could lie down on this highway and take a nap and never get hit!!! Now we return Beth to the insane asylum from where she must have come to ride a mountain bike 2,500 miles! Since she has finished way ahead of schedule, we decided to go to Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern NM. We drove over 6 hours and arrived after dark. We set up the tent by headlight and after going to bed the wind started to howl and it poured. We are in the desert!

Hachita, New Mexico

2007-11-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hachita is an intersection on the way to the border. There is a small cafe next to the rodeo arena. The published camp grounds is not for tenters - no water, no facilities, gravel yard that is totally out in the open in town. The biting flies were terrible. There is a small general store with a gas pump that was not open. We were told the owner opens it when he is in the mood!
BETH writes - Today was an easy 60 miles through the desert. The first part of the day was spent on the last of the dirt roads I would see in this grand adventure. I saw a Rood Runner, huge Millipedes, cool enormous wasps, three Pronghorns and several Black Hawks today. The desert goes from Mesquite bushes to grassy/ Yucca areas over the course of a few miles and then back again. It was fascinating to watch. At mile 43, I came across the last Continental Divide crossing at 4500 ft. and it was flat as can be! I stood there on the line not sure if I should turn around, just stay there or keep going. I was excited to finish my journey a few days ago, but now the bitter sweetness of the end makes me want to slow down and make last forever. Of course the pain in my rear sends my mind back to the idea of finishing the 2500 miles I have come. I arrived around 2:30 in Hachita to where I thought we would camp for the night to find Mom and Fran ready to keep going. The "RV Park" we were supposed to stay at had no working bathroom, no bushes to hide to pee in, and had horrible flies. The town, which is not much of a town, had a small cafe which we stopped and had hamburgers. As we left town a Border Patrol officer stopped my Mom and Fran and told them to camp further down the road because there had been a huge drug bust in Hachita this morning. Oh, Boy!! I rode 11 miles down the road to find Mom and Fran pulled off the highway on a side road and we set up camp. The scarey part is that my map says to camp carefully on this highway because it is used by drug trafficers and illegals at night. We could be in for an interesting night. The road we were along had several cars go down it while we were lounging this evening. I get the biggest kick out of the fact that in NH the idea of people pulled off the road camping would be weird, but here people just wave like you are normal and not out of place. One day left to the border at 35 miles, I just hope for a quite safe night so I can finish my grand adventure.
JAN writes - It was over 80 degrees at 9AM when we set out. Luckily the clouds moved in and it never got above 86 degrees. Fran and I drove ahead of Beth and would wait for her. We explored the desert along the sandy road. We saw lots of quail, road runners, interesting insects, and lots of cactus. We got to the tiny town of Hachita and found that the advertised campground didn't exist. The teenager working at the cafe said we could pitch a tent next to the cafe, but it was also next to the rodeo arena. There was no water or bathroom (or bushes) and the flies were terrible. Then the customs men arrived and we learned there had been a big drug bust and we were warned not to pitch a tent near town as the guys were on foot in the area. Beth got back on her bike and rode another 11 miles to a dirt road where I could pull off and not be driving on cactus. We are now camped next to the road leading to the border. The customs men told us it is patrolled all night and we'll be safer here then further off the road where the illegals sneak through. Not much comfort there and no cell service, so we are armed with 2 canisters of bear spray and a hammer in the tent. Small rattlesnake in pic was warming himself on the road.

South of Silver City, NM

2007-11-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Rode 5 miles to Silver City to the bike shop, where they repaired my bike. With a shifting bike and a good breakfast at a local cafe inside me, I was off to the desert, the Chocoen Desert, one of the largest in the country. To my surprise and pleasure this desert was drastically different than Wyoming's Great Basin. After 15 miles on the highway I entered a Yucca forest with small prickly pears and Rabbit bush (like sage brush, but soft with green color and yellow flowers - its an invasive which indicated over grazing) I rolled on a low grade up and down along the Continental Divide for thirty miles. I found a nice flat spot in which to camp and Mom and Fran were along shortly. We played cards, read, and enjoyed the cool breeze and clouds as the sun set behind us in the clouds.

JAN writes - Beth took her bike to a bike shop and was able to get it working properly. She headed out of Silver City in the late morning, but Fran and I did some museum hopping and hit a few shops. We met up with Beth in the middle of the desert. She found a place where we could pull off the road and set up the tent without being on a cactus. The scenery has taken a drastic change. We are still over 1 mile high and right on the continental divide itself. It was still hot when we made camp and there was no shade, and no facilities or buildings in sight, but we set up a dry tent with no threat of rain. We played cards and watched the sunset before getting a good night's sleep. Picture is of cactus with bird next near camp site.

Silver City, New Mexico

2007-11-17T08:09:00.000-08:00

Silver City is a very cool place. It is a very artsy and colorful town. There is a bike shop, several motels and restaurants, grocery store, and gas stations. The KOA is outside of town and is by far the nicest KOA we've ever seen, anywhere!!! William Bonney (Billy the Kid) hails from Silver City. He sure gained a lot of fame for the short 4 years he lived as a criminal in the 1800's! There are a couple of small museums here, too.
BETH writes - Today was a new day and that is how you have to look at things after a day like yesterday. I proved to myself today that I could fix my bike better than I thought. After somewhat rinsing my bike off in the nearby stream, I was able to fix my deraileur (of course the hanger was bent so I had to replace that too) and my bike was rideable, but still would not shift. It is definitely the cable and housing clogged with mud, but on the trail with a dirty bike is not the place to change them. My biking buddies have been trying to convince me to try to ride a single speed bike, but after 54 miles with two gears and tons of hills I will keep my shifting 27 geared bike. Thankfully, the sun came out today and the roads were drier because I spent the day climbing and descending steeply. I spent most of the day in the Ponderosa Forest and then dropped to a semi arid country where there were many cool cacti and huge Yucca plants. I still can not believe how diverse New Mexico is. I enjoyed my last day in the forest because tomorrow, and the last three days to Mexico, will be spent in the desert. At the end of the day I passed a huge pit mine called the Santa Rose Mine. This is the longest continually mined area in the world. People have been mining for copper here since late B.C. and this mine was started as a pit mine in 1842. This mine is three or four times the size of the one in Butte, MT. I rode along it for over 8 miles. It is mind boggling and disturbing the amount of earth we are capable of moving. Tonight we are staying in the Silver City KOA and have showers and are able to do laundry, which is a treat at this point in this adventure.
JAN writes - Luckily Beth was able to get her bike going in the morning. She washed it off in the stream below our tent. She only had two gears out of 27 that worked, but at least she could ride. The road was absolutely terrible - so slippery I couldn't go over 10MPH and the mud was over 1 inch thick sticking to my tires. I had no traction at all. About noon we came to a paved road. Fran and I decided to go to the Gila Cliff Dwellers National Monument and Beth set off toward Silver City. We'd had enough of slippery mud roads! Fran and I stopped for lunch Grey Feathers Cafe and were treated to at least 100 hummingbirds - 7 different species- at over a dozen hummingbird feeders. We'd never seen anything so amazing before! I was able to get lots of pics through the window. We met Beth at the Silver City KOA where she'd gotten a cabin. Of course with a roof over our heads, it didn't rain a drop!!!

Gila National Forest

2007-11-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - I have ridden 2300 miles with little bike trouble and had hoped the last five days would remain that way. I learned today that in all great adventures there are always tests and today I had another test! The first 30 miles were easy today even though it started to rain about 2 hours into the ride. I wish I could say the same about the last 17. At mile 30 wet and muddy, my bike stopped shifting in the rear so I had 2 of my 27 gears that were useable. The rain continued and I began to climb for the first time in many days. The roads went from hard pack to .5 inch of sticky clay mud that stuck and clogged in every thing. The rain continued and the going got worse. I was climbing the mountains in the Gila National Forest which climb and descend between 7,000 and 8,000 ft many times over. My Mom and Fran had gone ahead to set up camp and it was beginning to get late. About 10 minutes after Mom and Fran had left me, I rode through a huge mud hole and my deraileur got so clogged that it got shot into my spokes. UGGGGH! Since dark was setting in, it was pouring and my bike and myself were covered in mud, I was not going to repair my bike on the spot. I removed my deraileur tucked it around my seat post and I was walking. As dark set in I saw four Elk and three Deer and began to get worried I was never going to reach the campground. My mom had taken my BOB trailer for the day to give me a break, so I could not set up camp early or get warm clothes. I just had to keep walking. Fortunately, mother's tuition set in and my Mother had gotten worried so she came back with the warm car and we put my bike on the back and went down the mountain 4 miles to the campground. After a late dinner and a wet tent I was warm and in my sleeping bag.
JAN writes - After breakfast we drove about 1 1/2 hours to where Beth quit riding yesterday. On the way we stopped at a very strange site we spotted yesterday. In the middle of nowhere were huge satellite dishes - we learned there were 29. Each was 83 feet in diameter. It is called VLA (stands for very large array). Theses dishes are sending signals into outer space. Amazing what our government spends money on! Fran lives in Florida and was very impressed with the Gila National Forest. She found it hard to believe she was in New Mexico. It looked like we were in Virginia Mountains! Over the course of the day we saw a road runner, pronghorns, elk, a black bear, numerous hummingbirds, and deer. Beth got a late start to riding today and unfortunately the rains began about 2PM and didn't stop until after dark. The dirt roads turned to a slimmy mixture (like a mixture of Elmer's Glue and peanut butter) and the glop stuck to the tires and made for very slow going. Beth's bike and her body were coated with mud! Fran and I went ahead to set up the tent about 7:30PM in a primitive camping spot and when Beth didn't show up by dark, I went to look for her. Her bike had broken about 5 miles from us. The heavy mud made it so her wheels wouldn't even turn. I found her by headlights, walking her bike in the pouring rain. She was very cold, to say the least! Not fun for her! We ate a late, wet MRE meal and crawled into our soggy tent. Luckily it stopped raining shortly after going to bed and the tent was almost dry by morning!

Into the Gila National Forest

2007-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Today was once again a great day. The habitats that I traveled through were amazingly diverse from grasslands plains to dense Ponderosa pine forest and even rolling hills that resemble Vermont with different vegetation. The forty mile ride was fairly easy with one Continental Divide crossing. Mom took my trailer for the last 20 miles today so that I could make better time and go with her to pick up my Aunt Fran, who was flying into Albuquergue this evening. I entered the Gila National Forest half way through the day where I would ride for the following two days. I have heard great things about the Gila and I now know why. I rode through a beautiful canyon and into Collins Park which is a huge grassy area with mountains on all sides. I once again managed to out ride the thunderstorms and was glad I was not in a tent because it rained for most of the afternoon and evening. 40 miles of riding and 4+ hours in the car to get my Aunt made for a long day, but we were dry and in a soft bed and had a hot shower for the first time in four days.
JAN writes - This morning we were literally floating on our air matresses in a wet tent when we awoke. It had stopped raining, but it had rained so hard and so long that our old tent was soaked from above and below. We put up a clothes line and spent a couple of hours attempting to dry things before we packed up and headed out. The day was cool and partly cloudy. About 1/2 way through today's ride Beth decided she would come to Albuquerque later with me to pick up her aunt, who would finish the ride with us. She rode 40 miles - thru high plains, a lovely canyon and into the Gila National Forest. We headed to Albuquerque, but stopped in Magdalena, NH and got a motel room. We didn't want to meet Fran after 4 days without a shower! Her plane was right on time, but the 1 1/2 hour drive to and from Magdelina in an electrical storm made for a very late night. I was glad I wasn't leaving Beth out in the electrical storms alone all night!

To Valle Vences Campground

2007-11-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Ok, so Mom had every right to be worried in the Pie Town campground, but it was not people who cost either Mom nor I our sleep. Between the thunderstorms, the donkey calling, the coyotes, the owl above our tent, the highway traffic and the best of all - around 4:30 am Mom got up for a minute and when she laid back down she rolled on the car keys setting off the car alarm which took forever (or though it seemed) to turn off, we did not sleep much. After a great breakfast and two pieces of pie to go. Mom and I were off for the 30 miles to Valle Vences Campground. Early in the morning it had poured, but when I started to ride the sky looked like it was clearing. Wrong!! Once again I spent the day dodging lightning and thunderstorms. I am sensing a pattern. I spent the ride flirting with the Divide - crossing it three times through Pinion Pine and then into a Ponderosa forest. Since it had rained so late this morning the roads were still sticky with mud. The mud is not like New Hampshire mud - it sticks to the tires and creates a huge drag, especially when you have three tires. I had to stop a few times to clear the mud and a rock from between my trailer wheel and the fender. After arriving early in the campground, making cell calls, because amazingly we have cell coverage from the fire tower above us, we set up our wet tent. The we drove to Mangas Mountain Lookout just above us - at 9500 ft. Thousands of miles from home the lookout was the same, with a view that was different from NH, but not what I expected for New Mexico. There were tree-covered mountains in every direction. The only clues we had that we were indeed in NM was that many of them had the characteristic round shape and flap top of extinct volcanos. The sky had cleared just enough for us to have a view and then the clouds rolled in again. We may spend another very wet night in New Mexico, at least the rain keeps temperatures cool!
JAN writes - We had a rough and noisy night. The donkey at a nearby site was braying, an owl sat above the tent and hooted for about 1/2 hour, the coyotes were active and we heard them howling several times, and somewhere toward morning I rolled on the car keys and set the car alarm off. It took me awhile to realize I'd done it and find the keys and shut off the alarm. At about 6AM it poured. We went to the Pie Town Cafe for a breakfast burrito (and pie to go) in hopes that the tent would dry, but we ended up packing up a soggy tent and were on the road by 9:30AM. Cool and threatening rain all day. As usual, I went about 5 miles ahead and waited for Beth to catch me. We drove through beautiful countryside - 3 continental divide crossings. Beth peddled only 30 miles today so we ended up in the Apache National Forest at an area set up for camping with your horse. No water for people, but stock pens and water tanks. We were below the peak of Mangas Mountain with a fire tower and a cell tower, so we had amazing coverage in the middle of nowhere. We had not passed or seen a sole all day and had the campground all to ourselves. We set up the tent and almost immediately had a brief electrical storm. As soon as it cleared we drove to the top of Mangas Mountain and climbed the fire tower and were treated to an incredible view. At the top of the 9,500 ft. high mt. we also saw zillions of lady bugs, horned lizards and moose scat. It looked like we were in the Smokey Mountains, not New Mexico! While eating supper at the site, a herd of elk began to walk past - we counted at least 30 of them, but there were more to come. We decided to walk toward them to get pictures and realized that they were making a noise - like playing "Marco, Polo". Really funny, little grunts and squeaks. The thunder drove us back to the campsite and it started to pour and it didn't stop for hours & hours. By morning we were floating on our air mattresses!

Pie Town, New Mexico

2007-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Pie Town has a cafe -The Daily Pie - and a free campground - Jackson Park. Most "campers" live in the park - aren't temporary visitors. Facilities are lacking for tenters! No gas, no motels in town.
BETH writes - Today was the day I had been waiting for since we reached New Mexico. At the day's end, after 31 miles of riding, we would be in the ever famous Pie Town. Guess what they are famous for - my favorite!!! The ride was fairly easy on dirt roads through Pinion Pine and grasslands. I had one divide crossing which, compared to all the others, was cake, or should I say pie. Mom and reached Pie Town early to a open cafe, lunch and PIE!!! I had apple, of course, and it was worth every bit of the 2200 miles to get here, for it. Although, the pie was not the most interesting part of the day. Pie Town has a free campground which is the home to many very interesting people, for at least parts of the year. As we rode in there was a wagon and donkey to the left, a man in his car to the right and various campers scattered around. The "Mule Man" was a hoot and a half. He is a Nez-Pirece Native who has traveled by donkey and wagon for the last 41 years teaching people about the use of many wild plants found in the southwest. He is now 85 years old with his bladder bag hanging on the outside and spends the summer in Pie Town awaiting their annual Pie Festival in September. The next character we met was Edith, an elderly women from Wisconsin. She was beautiful and the people in town call her the pink lady because she has a pink hat, nails and shirt. This poor women lost her husband in 1968 and all of her three kids by 1997 and spends her life traveling by RV and staying in free campgrounds. She was also here awaiting the Pie Festival. Finally, there was John and his dog Alice. John is in "limbo" and lives out of his car. He is an interesting fellow how has two sons and is good with computers. So the story goes on with warnings about others who "live" in the camp ground. Needless to say, Mom was worried and so we went to bed with our Bear Spray and Hammer!
JAN writes - Today seemed long, but we only went 31 miles. The dirt road was rough and it seemed very uninteresting. We were in high desert, with mountain ranges off in the distance. The last 10 miles were on paved roads. We arrived in Pie Town, NM in time for a late lunch and pie at the Town Cafe. It was a busy place!!! We were able to camp at the free town campground, Jackson Park. We soon realized that we were the only temporary campers in the place. Everyone else was living there. An interesting cast of characters, including a Nez Pierce Indian with his donkey. We sat in the car during the normal afternoon shower. We are both getting a lot of reading in!

Cebolla Wilderness - South from Grants, NM

2007-11-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Today was exhausting, but extremely fun. I was again on pavement for most of the 47 miles I rode today because of flood warnings on the other roads. By taking the alternate route Mom and I were able to further explore more of the El Malpais National Monument. I would ride a few miles and then we would stop at various pull offs and go exploring. The first stop was a overlook on sandstone bluffs looking down on the lava flows from the various volcanos - miles and miles of lava! The sandstone was worn away in many places and held pools of water, which had a great amount of life including tadpoles, blood worms, and a interesting type of bivalve (small clam like creature). Most of the day I rode along these huge and beautiful sandstone cliffs. I even spotted a cliff that looked like a Bull Dog head - very cool! The second stop was at the La Ventanna Natural Arch - "the window" is the largest natural arch in New Mexico formed from wind and rain wearing away the rock. (see pics) Stop number three was the best. We hiked on the lava flows for over a mile looking at the 15 foot deep cracks, lava tubes, sink holes, lava flows and huge walls of lava. We definitely felt like we were walking on the moon except for the small junipers and cacti that littered the lava where their seeds could take root. We had to rush our exploration because of the lightning that was moving in all around us. I had 4 miles to where we were going to camp and those miles were adreniline filled!! The lightning was impressive, but way too close for comfort(still several miles away) and the thunder was enough to blow your socks off. I quickly reached Mom, the Jeep and our camping spot to sit safely in the car and watch a better light show than the Forth of July! WoW!!!!!
JAN writes - Today was really fun. We were driving along the El Malpais (which means Badlands in Spanish) National Monument and Wilderness. We made several stops and hiked or explored. The ranger station had interpretive information and exhibits, including binders of wildflower samples put together by a volunteer. That helped us identify several of the flowers we'd been seeing. We climbed to the top of sandstone cliffs overlooking the lava flow that filled the entire valley. We hiked to the 125 ft high natural arch - La Ventenna. That means, "The window". We also hiked over 1 mile on the lava flow. It was amazing to see how small plants and trees were spouting and growing in the lava! There were crevasses that were at least 15 feet deep in the lava. The flow went on for miles and miles and miles, so one can't even imagine how much was spewed out of the volcanoes. The thunderheads were threatening, so we stopped to camp in the (see pic) Cebolla Wilderness area, not a formal camp ground, but a primitive site area. Challenging road to get into & out of that area! We sat in the car, with it pointed at the storms and had an amazing light show for hours. You could see for miles, so we saw storms coming in the distance. Incredibly, we only got occasional sprinkles.

Grants, New Mexico & El Malpais National Monument

2007-11-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Grants has just about anything you need. There are several motels, gas stations and restaurants. A laundromat. A large Walmart & a Pizza Hut is out near the expressway. We stayed at the Sands Motel, just off Santa Fe Ave. - inexpensive & included a continental breakfast. There is an internet cafe just up the road from it. An easy worthwhile side trip is to the Ice Cave & El Malpais National Monument from here.
BETH writes - Today we woke to a beautiful sunrise reflecting off the banded sandstone. After packing up the campsite we took a much better road out of Chaco Canyon and I started back on the paved road, around 10am, for my 54 miles of riding to Grants, New Mexico. The day remained cool and I managed to finish before the thunderstorms hammered through. The road crossed the Continental Divide four times today, so even though the elevation gain was small I felt like I climbed for the first 30 miles of the day. The scenery today was monotonous and there was very little human presence or wildlife. I spent most of the day traveling through th Navajo Reservation. It make me sad to realize the extent of the poor quality land that was given to the Native Americans by our forefathers. The last 18 miles today was a gradual downhill where I powered through at a speed of 17 miles per hour - It was wonderful!! Shower and a real dinner were a great reward for the day.
JAN writes - we packed up and headed back to where Beth left off riding on Saturday. Again the day was partly overcast with rain threatening on and off. We were again on the Navajo reservation and in spite of the fact we were on a paved road, we seldom saw a sole! We wnded in Grants, NM today - in a motel. We are learning that after 3 days we really crave a shower and real food! Picture is of a collared lizard who was just hanging out.

BETH writes of Aug. 9th - Grants is the largest "city" we will be in for the next 6 days, so we took the day off to do laundry and food shopping. While we were here we decided to be tourists as well. Grants sits in the middle of a field of 21 volcanos whose eruptions ceased as early as 1000 years ago. We spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the Bandera Cider Cone and the ice cave near by. Very COOL!! The Bandera Volcano is known for its 23 mile long lava tube, where lava flowed and the outside hardened before the middle, part of which has caved in and is an ice cave. The ice cave has ice that is 20 feet thick and remains at a constant temperature of 31 degrees year round. The ciders, lava that cooled in chunks before reaching the ground, are a variety of colors depending on the minerals found in them. Some of the most common minerals found in the ciders are Calcium (white), Iron (red), Sulfur (yellow), and Sodium (orange). We also spent some time in El Malpais National Monument (the badlands in spanish) looking at sink holes and Java Cave which is a lava tube 3,000ft long and over 100 ft deep where if you had the proper equipment you can go into. I see a very fun trip in the future with high school students!!
JAN writes - As I type the rain is threatening and we are sitting in the laundromat washing our dirty clothes in a machine, for a change. We had a nice day exploring El Malpais National Monument. A large park encompassing over 20 volcanoes-cinder cones, lava tubes and lava flows, sink holes and an ice cave. The picture is of Bandera Volcano. It erupted only 1,000 years ago and is now filling in with debris that has fallen from its sides and blown in. Amazingly, trees and plants are growing in the cinder. We explored an ice cave in the park. 31 degrees inside year around! We were helped by two lovely ladies at the park visitor center. They showed us pictures of flash floods and cars stuck on roads that we are supposed to drive on tomorrow, so we may alter our plans. We will stop at the BLM office tomorrow for the final word on road conditions. It is not hot today as they are having their "monsoon" weather. It stays partially overcast and then the thunderheads build and let loose. After laundry is pizza - amazing what you miss when camping!

Detoured to Chaco Canyon

2007-11-17T06:13:00.000-08:00

Chaco Canyon is in the middle of nowhere. No services at all!! Camping is the only option for a sleep over. The bath house has flush toilets. In spite of the dry & desolate land, we saw lots of wildlife. It is well worth the visit, even if you have to bike here!! There are many things that go through your head when you are in a place like Chaco Canyon but the one thing that I kept thinking was how amazing the people before us were and what worthless lazy people we have become. Chaco is a canyon full of these "Great Houses" built and lived in between 800-1400AD. The houses where built of rock, had up to 600 rooms and four stories. But, this is not the most amazing part. The houses had support beams made from Ponderosa Pine which was found over 80 miles away. Now keep in mind these people did not have horses, cows or wheels so they had to carry the huge poles 80 miles to build their houses. These people are called Anasasi, a pueblo people and are the ancestors of many of the Native Americans in this area including the Navajos. These people did not have a written language, but heavily relied on their social structure. As far as we know, they all lived together in these "Great Houses" which had rooms, plazas and kivas. A Kiva is this huge round room that was entered from the top and had benches on all the sides with a fire pit in the middle. There are two types of Kivas - Clan kivas where family groups gathered and great kivas which could hold up to 400 people and where the entire community would gather for rituals, meetings and celebrations. These people where both hunter-gatherers and farmers. Because of their lifestyle they were also sun watchers. Many of their buildings and petroglyphs are aligned to track the movement of the sunrise and the timing of the winter and summer solstice. This is how they kept time. The sun was crucial to their existence. These people were also known for their pottery, jewelry and trading. There is evidence in the artifacts found that there was a trade network throughout the southwest and Mexico. You can hike through many of the "Great Houses" and observe the architecture and unique qualities like the corner doors, the doors that are all 5 feet high and a foot and a half above the ground, and the rooms with incredibly thick walls, no windows and the beautiful brick workthat was once covered in adobe. You can also see many of the unique petroglyphs found in the area.
BETH writes - Heavy Monsoonal rains have driven me to take an alternative route that is on all paved roads for the next two days of riding. The benefit is Mom and I will take a day off and go to Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Today's 54 mile were a small taste of what the next and last 10 days of New Mexico might hold. The road was almost perfectly straight with rolling hills. At the top of every hill you could see the next many hills on the road ahead. Thankfully, the weather was cool and cloudy because today was all about pounding the pavement. The excitement today was the many beeps and thumbs up I got, the car that past three times with a pair of jeans flying out of the sun roof, the two Navajo boys in lawn chairs in the back of a truck and the drive to Chaco Canyon. I finished riding around 3pm, loaded my BOB and bike in the car and off we went for the 33 mile drive to Chaco. What a drive it was! Between the road with ruts, the 1000ft washout that made Mom and me turn around, the 8 inches of water flowing over the road and the 10 miles of washboard, we reached Chaco around 5pm with a brown Jeep and mud covered bikes. After the thunderstorms came hammering through, we set up our tent against the beautiful rock cliffs and made dinner.
JAN writes - Due to the rains that are now coming every afternoon and the warnings that Beth shouldn't go on the dirt roads when we're in a rainy period, Beth is doing some paved road riding. This has made it easier for me and has actually speeded up her riding. She is now ahead of schedule. We left Cuba and struck out on a deserted paved road through the Navajo Indian Reservation. What absolutely desolate country! I can't imagine how anyone survives, let alone makes a living out here! Since rain was threatening, the skies were partly overcast, so the day was cooler. I would drive ahead 5 or so miles ahead and wait until she'd catch me. I've gotten a lot of novels read this way this summer. After Beth rode over 50 miles, to a spot with about 3 houses, called Pueblo Pintado, I loaded the bike and BOB in the Jeep and we we headed to Chaco Canyon National Historical Site. The sad thing is I asked the clerk at the gas station/store in Pueblo Pintado (a Navajo) and he'd never heard of the place - its 33 miles from there and on the same reservation! Anyways, despite poor road signage and a totally washed out road where we had to backtrack, we made it. The car was a muddy mess from what the rains did to the road conditions the day before. As soon as we arrived it started to rain and didn't quit for a couple of hours. We were able to set up the tent against a lovely outcropping of red sandstone and cook a late one pot meal before dark. We went to the evening astronomy program at the visitors center, but due to the sky conditions, their large telescope never came out and we were given an indoor slide presentation. Tomorrow Beth will take the day off.

Cuba, NM

2007-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Cuba- has most services you might need. There are several gas stations. A grocery store & a hardware store. McDonald's & Subway for fast food. We ate at El Bruno's - good Mexican food! We stayed at the Frontier Motel - price included an in-room frig. & microwave. The town also has a visitor's center.
BETH writes - Today's 50 miles was one of my favorite days. I am not sure if it was the cool weather, the 30+ miles of downhill, riding without my trailer, watching my Mom become an extreme 4 wheel driver (sorry Dad) or the amazing forests we would travel through. We woke to 42 degrees and I rode the entire day with three layers of clothing and my leggings on. It is hard to believe this is August 5th in New Mexico!! The start of the day was rolling along nice roads which would soon turn to rocky 4x4 road with rocks that resembled the rocky trails of Moab, Utah. It was a blast to feel free from my trailer and bomb down the technical rocky slope. It was also fun to watch my Mom behind me drive the trail with a huge smile behind the wheel. I always knew she was a adventurer at heart! The rest of the day was spent on better roads. I totally enjoyed the speed I could take without my trailer. I also, for the first time all summer, realized how strong I have gotten. Today was the second day in 50 days of riding that I was free from the drag of a third wheel, but tomorrow that will change again. Storms chased me all day as I raced up and down through the mountains. Finally, with 4 miles to go the rain started. I was told August was Monsoon season, but I did not know what that meant until today. It poured! I managed to make it to the hotel only a little wet, but the rain continued for another hour and the temperature dropped again. Mom and I had good Mexican food and a little relaxing in the hotel room.
JAN writes - The 5AM wake up call was something moaning and tramping around on the cones outside the tent. It was pitch black out, Not really sure what it was, but there was elk and bear scat near the tent in the morning. It could have been there the night before. We had rain sprinkles in the night, but the strong breeze had dried the tent by morning. We went down in elevation and up and down again. Changes of habitat with changes in altitude. The day remained cool, with rain threatening. As the trees changed, so did the birds. We saw flickers, turkeys, hawks and lots of juncos. A cow elk jumped right in front of me on the road. Speaking of roads, most of today's roads were really decent. One 2 mile stretch was a doozy! I went slowly and got through with all four tires intact. It really was a rush when I was through it!! I can see the attraction to 4-wheeling! It started to pour just before we arrived in Cuba. NM. Luckily we could get a motel, as it continued to rain for quite awhile. They need the rain here, so we can't complain.

Abiquiu to the top of the world!

2007-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Mom and I said good bye to Mike really early at the Albuquerque airport and drove back to Abiquiu. Thanks Mike for a great week and half with lots of climbing!! For the next two days Mom was going to stick with me and carry my BOB trailer. Today was a 4400 ft climb over 28 miles. The weather and scenery were beautiful. With no trailer in tow the climb over rock and through sand was easy. I climbed out of a valley of Juniper and Cacti to a Mesa where Mom and I had lunch looking out over the countryside and up into the mountains. Once we were in the Santa Fe National Forest the habitats would begin to change as we climbed to higher and higher elevations. The climb was along the Polvadera Mesa over looking the volcano like Cerro Pelon peak. All along the ride today there was evidence of people cutting firewood. This is a legal practice in many of our National Forests in order for the forests to be thinned and cut back on fire. In this stretch I am not sure that the cutting would help prevent fire. People would cut and leave pieces everywhere. Mom and I could have had a great fire, except the fire danger is extreme because of the little rain New Mexico has had. The highlights today where the Blue Grouse, Great Horned Owl, and terrific storms and lightning we watched before going to bed. We camped at the top of the world - or so it seemed. We had a view on all sides at 10,300ft. After dinner we watched the clouds roll up over the hill we were on and collide with the clouds and storms over the Cerro Pelon. As the lightning struck through the sky the light reflected with the setting sun making the entire sky light with red, purple and orange colors. The sky was layers of clouds all moving in different directions and settling over the Pelon. It was wild to watch and we were happy we were not under the storms!!!
JAN writes - Today was truely one of the best I've had on this adventure! We said goodbye to Mike in Albuquerque and drove back to Abiquiu for Beth to resume riding where she left off. Since today was to be hot and also the hardest climb of her entire ride, I kept the BOB trailer in the car and was either a few miles ahead or behind her. Today made any previous off roading days look like a walk in the part! Thank goodness I was in a Jeep! My son would be saying, "Way to go Mom!" And my husband would have been horrified at what I drove over today. We had deep sand, gravel, Bandelier Tuff (compressed volcanic ash), volcanic rock, and everything in between. There were ruts big enough to lose a small child in, which I luckily could straddle. The warnings for this stretch were not to drive or bike if raining as the sand turns to quicksand and the tuff to slickrock. But since today was bright and sunny we went ahead and even went further than originally planned. We climbed and climbed and climbed - about 4,300 feet. We quit at the top of the world - on top of the Polvadera Mesa in the Santa Fe National Forest. We were on the northern rim of the Valle Grande Caldera. We quit at 10,350 feet high. We went from cactus, sage brush and scrub trees to blue spruce and fir. We climbed through areas that are being logged with pinon pine and junipur to logged areas of ponderosa pine and aspen into areas that had been logged several years ago. We saw birds galore. Blue Grouse, Owl, gorgeous Western Tanagers and lots of unidentified birds in the once forested and now open areas where grass is now growing. We have not seen a single sole today. It was slow going - it took us 5 1/2 hours to go 29 miles. I doubt I ever got up to 10MPH. There were times Beth was out riding my driving because of the terrain. I was ahead of her once and stopped to wait because of cows on the road. 4 young calves became very intereseted in my car and came closer and closer until they started licking the bug encrusted front of the Jeep - the Jeep had a "cow wash". What started out as hot, is now breezy and cold up high on the Mesa. We are both wearing several layers. I might just stay up here forever!

Abiquiu, New Mexico

2007-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

One can see why so many painters like Abuquiu. The colors of the rock outcroppings and the geological events that caused them are many. At one time the area was under a salt water sea and at other times saw volcanic action. We were told there was camping here, but not tent camping, as the campground has no toilets. The only Inn - the Abiquiu Inn is very expensive and it was full. There is a pizza joint and bar on the corner of Rts 554 & 84 and also a gas station & market further west on Rt. 84. No one could tell us anywhere close to camp, so we drove 22 miles from there toward Albuquerque to the town of Espanola to find a room. It was extremley hot and the AC was broken and since Mike was leaving in 2 days, the riders decided to take a break.
BETH writes - 57 miles today so that meant mostly downhill - Yippi!!! Today we went from 10,000ft and a Spruce Aspen forest to almost 6000ft with Junipers and tree like Cactus. This is the lowest I have been since Montana! New Mexico finally looked like New Mexico! We went through many small villages today with their adobe homes and Pitbulls. Yes, we had a run-in with a Pitbull and I thought for sure I was going to lose my right calf. The dog was timing my pedal spins waiting for his chance. I moved left and Mike came in and used the panniers to deflect the attention of the dog until he decided he had enough. The next idea was the bear spray, but that would surely do damage to the dog and then we may have had a angry owner with a gun. I have never before in my life been afraid of a dog. The last 17 miles today was on a paved downhill to the town of Abiquiu. Unfortunately, it was not easy. We had a head wind and had to pedal hard going down hill. When we reached the town there was no where to stay - the very expensive Inn was full and no camping near by. We were hot, tired, dirty and I was definitely grumpy! We decided to take Tuesday and Wednesday to be tourists. Mike flies out on Thursday and Mom and I will return to Abiquiu for my last 15 days of riding. Only 15 day and 600 miles - wow does that seem close!
JAN writes - Today I drove about the first 22 miles on the same dirt road the bikers were on. It was really slow going, but we passed through some lovely high altitude meadows. I watched a flock of Red Crossbills - a species of bird I had never seen before. They were collecting gravel on the road for their digestion. Amazing they can eat at all with those funky bills! The frustrating part of the day was that in spite of what was advertised on Beth's route info, there was no place to stay in Abiguiu. I searched for motel, campground or B&B with no luck. When Beth and Mike arrived they had not only ridden 57+ miles, but had fought a headwind in the 95 degree weather. They were bushed and extremely crabby! We decided that since they were ahead of schedule, we would leave they area and go toward Albuquerque where Mike is flying out of in 2 days. We found a cheap motel in Espanola - the last room in the place, had wonderful showers, and learned that the AC didn't work in the room. It was a hot uncomfortable night!

Into New Mexico - To Hopewell Lake

2007-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

Since the bikers encounter single track and places the support vehicle can't go in this area, they were on their own for 4 days.
The support vehicle went to Mesa Verde - Wow! That was well worth the detour! Too bad we didn't have more time so that the bikers could have gone along!
BETH writes of July 28th - after having a wonderful breakfast where the waitor thought I could never eat that much food, Mike and I were off to climb 4000+ft to the top of Indian Pass. 10 miles of rolling and 13 miles of steep to reach 11,940ft the highest both of us had been on a bike. The climb took us most of the day and some of it was incredibly hard, but I am proud to say I rode most of it. The view from the top was beautiful and ugly. In one direction you looked out across the 14,000ft Colorado mountains with their bare or grassy tops. In the other direction, the ugly-ness of human destruction the Summitville Superfund Site. Summitville was an old mining town that where iron ore, gold and silver were mined in the late 1800's. It is now a EPA Superfund site where you can not drink the water in any of the creeks for the next 30+ miles. From the top of Indian Pass we descended about 1,000 ft to Summitville, just to climb back out. By 6pm, 35 miles, and well over 5000ft of climbing Mike and I were beat, so we chose a nice primitive camping site with a wonderful view. After dinner, we watched a Owl hunt while the sun set and thunderstorms mover through to our east.
On July 29th Beth writes - Coyotes, Mule Deer and Elk woke early with us this morning. This was probably the most wildlife I had seen in one day. This morning we had a nice curvy downhill around these beautiful mountains whose rock was many different colors because of the Iron-oxide in the rock. The rivers and creeks in this area were naturally contaminated and are orange in color. After a 5 mile climb out of the valley we descended to Platoro. Platoro is a small town but has a huge lodge that offers vacationers fly fishing, hunting and horse pack trips. We stopped to have breakfast - YUM!!. The rest of the 38 miles today was spent descending through the valley, but the road was horrid! When we reached Elk Creek campground I felt like I had been beaten even with my full suspension bike. We met John today from Minnesota, who was traveling the divide by motorcycle. It was nice to discuss our travels and excitement over reaching the border. John had even met Mike Morse in Montana on Mike's last day of his Canada trip - small world. The campground had a great creek to bath and do laundry in. Since we had reached the campground early we got to relax - so I laid on rocks by the creek and read. I have such a rough life these days!
July 30th Beth writes - Today we would pay for all of our downhill. We started with a 8 mile climb over La Manga Pass at 10,800 ft - at least it was on pavement. After crossing the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, which takes tourists 82 miles one way curving back and forth between New Mexico and Colorado, we descended again into a valley. As we started to climb back out of the valley we noticed that we were being chased by a heard of cattle and their cowboys. The herd would take a short cut, but we would see them over the next 10 miles. Today was a big day! The last state border! Within 20 miles of today's ride, we entered Carson National Forest and New Mexico. Mike and I soon learned that New Mexico was not what we expected. For the last 11 miles of our 32 mile day was spent climbing steeply to the top of several grassy mesas. One section was very rocky and the map said un-rideable. Mike rode the whole thing! I walked - or pushed I should say. We also learned that New Mexico is the home of unforgiving roads. Finally reaching the campground we managed to get cold drinks off car campers and it was early to bed.

July 31st Beth writes - 35 miles to Hopewell Lake, Cold drinks and spagettii, because we would be meeting my Mom. We descended and climbed through similar grassy slopes and Aspen covered roads. Then we entered once again the high prairie of nothing except nasty roads. I have decided that my brain can not handle the ugly-ness of nothing but brown rolling hills. 10 miles later we were back to the trees thank goodness! After an endless climb we arrived at Hopewell Lake. We greeted my Mom and shared stories of our adventures over the last few days. After laundry and "showers" under the water pump, Mike showed Mom and I how to really play Cribbage - we took a beating! During the game we spotted 3 young male Elk in the field adjacent to our campsite. They did not really care about us, so it was fun to watch them for awhile.

Del Norte, CO

2007-11-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

Del Norte is spread out along Grand Ave. We stayed at the County Family Inn & Restaurant. Nice place, with large rooms, for the price! The town has a sporting goods store, but no bike shop. The laundromat, grocery store, & car wash are east on Rt. 160. We ate twice at Boogies Restaurant - great food. The town has expensive gas.
BETH writes - This 64 mile day started with a thrilling descent through the craziest rock formations I have seen. The rock formations continued throughout the day. All of the rocks looked like they were formed differently. Maybe something this Science geek will have to research at some point. We saw two Coyotes this morning - they are much smaller than ours and are very light in color. The ride was fairly easy today and we got the 10,100+ ft pass out of the way early. The rest of the day was rolling, with a fun two track at the end. Mike and I had three concerns today. One was the thunderstorms and hail that we encountered all day, two was Mike's bike broke, and three was the little detour we took because we got lost. Luckily, we survived and made it to Del Norte to a motel, shower, and dinner. Mike will have to ride one of the bikes my Mom has had on the back of the car until the part for his bike can be shipped to a town near us. For those bike geeks, Mike broke the swing arms to his rear shock in two places - must have been the weight and a worn out part. Sweet dreams of our 11,900 ft pass tomorrow with full gear, 4 days worth of food and water will fill our heads tonight.
JAN writes - Tra-la, we're back to a motel (with showers and toilets) tonight in Del Norte, CO. Last night the coyotes were howling nearby several times, making it tough to sleep well. It seemed we had frost when we awoke, but it was just very cold with a heavy dew. It is amazing how fast it warms up, although it never hit 70� today. I drove to Del Norte on paved roads through the little town of Saguache (pronounced Sawatch). It has two really great museums. One is the county museum that has some fascinating artifacts. The Old Spanish Trail went right through the area. I also learned about the local cannibal, Alferd Packer, and the Ute Indians that reside in the area. The county is the largest in CO and is about the size of Connecticut, but has no traffic lights and a population under 7,000! Still high elevation and very arid, with amazing rock outcroppings that look like hugh picket fences. Its very interesting that when you go through towns there are signs that announce the town and its elevation, but no population. One town sign recently said, "Welcome to Sargents. Elevation high and population low".

To Luder's Creek Campground, CO

2007-11-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - This morning, after packing wet tents, Mike and I had a thrilling descent of 12 miles to the town of Sargents. The town had a few houses, a towing company and a mercantile. From there we had about 8 miles on the highway, four of which we got to speed down the left lane and beat the traffic through the construction area. It was great - we owned the road! After passing a farm with white Elk, Buffalo, and Yaks we climbed through the high prairie of sage brush. At the crest of the climb there was a huge canyon to our right and a green valley below. The habitats change so dramatically out here. Cochetopa Pass at 10,067 ft was the big climb for today. The climb was relatively easy and ended our 57 mile day. We saw many fly fisherman and Pronghorns as we climbed back to the forest. Mike was finally successful at beating the Woodbury women at Cribbage and we all crashed early to listen to the Coyotes play and howl the night away.
JAN writes - It's back to long pants and fleece today. Last night's storm really cooled things off. It was 50 when we left the campsite this AM. At the moment its mid-afternoon, 65 and I'm typing on a picnic table in the Sange de Cristo Wilderness Region in the San Luis Valley in the Rio Grande National Forest. We are getting close to New Mexico, so the names are now all Spanish sounding. As many of the recent valleys we've been in, this one is high prairie - probably near 10,000 feet. The campground is surrounded by split rail fence to keep out the free-ranging cattle, so I'm using the fence to dry out our wet tent and gear. A beautiful Stellar Jay (pictures) and two Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels (which look like jumbo chipmunks) have been scolding me and sniffing around the table. I am the only person in the campground and have invaded their territory. What a delightful spot to wait for the bike riders and to spend the night!

Salida, CO to Gunnison National Forest

2007-11-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - After taking yesterday off in Pueblo for the changing of the riders, we dropped Bethany at the bus station at 5AM. Mike, Mom and I packed the car and headed back to Salida. Mike and I were on the road by 11:15 am for a 33 mile day over Marshall Pass. Marshall Pass is at 10,800+ft and was the old rail bed for a train that went from Denver to Salt Lake City. The pass is also the intersection of the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide. The grade was easy, but the hill endless. I have discovered that Mike is an excellent wildlife spotter. We saw many Mule Deer. Halfway to the top we encountered more common creatures of the west - cows - a herd of about 30. Of course they were coming down the road at us. Once at the top of the pass we had a fast 6 mile down hill to our Aspen enclosed campsite where we met my Mom. We saw many Mule deer investigating us cooking.It has turned chilly. After playing Cribbage, we were off to bed to listen to the thunderstorms pound our tent and echo in the hills.
JAN writes - Back to the mountains. We returned to Salida so Mike and Beth could get their bikes and gear together and resume where Beth left off on Saturday. Dick Arnold from Amherst, and his fiancee Caroline, arrived while the bikers were getting ready. They had been to a wedding in Colorado and were driving back to Denver. We had been in touch by phone and were amazed that we could coordinate a get together! After the bikers set off Dick, Caroline and I had a nice lunch together. That delayed the realization that I am now alone. In the afternoon I drove over 11,898' high Monarch Pass in pouring rain on my way to meet Beth and Mike at a (free) primitive site in the Gunnison National Forest. The rain had stopped and we set up our tents next to a creek and obviously in a deer thoroughfare. There was a constant parade of mule deer to get water. About 9PM the electrical storm we could hear coming hit us. Wow-such noise! We were camped next to an Aspen Grove at the bottom of a hillside, so remained safe in the tents all night. The area is badly in need of rain, so we can't complain about getting it.

Salida, CO

2007-11-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Salida has many motels and had a huge Harley Rally going on. We found a place on the edge of town on Hwy. 291, just off Rt. 175, called the Backroads Motel & Grill. It wasn't fancy, but was a roof over our heads. The rooms were quite large and inexpensive. We found a bike shop, a Super Walmart, gas & several restaurants in town.
BETH writes - Bethany and I awoke early and rode on another 20+ miles of washboard through the high prairie. At least today there is no headwind. Once again, as has been the case for the last 6 days, Bethany is killing me climbing the rolling hills. It is nice to see another women be a very strong biker - too bad she lives in North Carolina or we might have had to make her join our fun at home. About lunch time we reached our hill for the day. A seven mile climb to a watershed divide at 9,900 ft. The map described a steep climb, but in reality it was not that bad compared to what I have seen over the last 1500 miles. The climb was beautiful through the Aspen trees and granite outcroppings. We spent almost the whole time chasing these crazy cows to the top. A nice 12 mile downhill ended our 44 mile day in Salida. Salida is a cute town with lots of art shops and cafes. We had chinese and hit the hay early. Tomorrow we all go to Pueblo to drop Sue and Bethany to catch a bus to the Denver airport, and pick up Mike Lanigan, my next friend that I will chase up the hills. Thanks Bethany for a fabulous week and 250 miles!!!!
JAN writes - Today is Sue's last full day in Colorado. We were slow to get started today. First we explored downtown Salida and then headed out to do some rock hounding. There are abandoned mines in the hills above Salida, and we ran into several other rock hunters. Sue's Dad (my uncle) is a retired geologist, so hopefully he can identify some of the specimens we found. I know we found some agate, mica, milky quartz, and am hoping the red rocks have either Jasper or Corundum in them, as it's found in the area we were in. At any rate, I've added more rocks to the collection in the car and Sue's suitcase is going home a bit heavier! Photo is of Sue collecting rocks near old mine shaft.

Hartsel, CO

2007-11-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

No place to stay in Hartsel. Water is contaminated due to mining in area. We were lucky the girls were allowed to camp on a ranch.
BETH writes - After a good night's sleep with the brightest night light one could want (the moon) we started our long downhill off Boreas Pass. My mom's cousin Sue joined Bethany and me today for most of the time. At the bottom of the pass we ended up in a town called Como. Como was a bustling town at one point, but now has a few houses and a historic roundhouse from the old railroads. The rest of the 40 miles of today was spent through Colorado's high prairie. Beautiful in its own way, but I definitely prefer the mountains. The road and wind were less than nice to us today. We had about 30 miles of washboard and a 15+ mph head wind. Sore from the constant vibration we ended in the town of Hartsel. After a early dinner in the local pub - very interesting - we got a tip as to where to ask to camp since Hartsel has nowhere to stay or camp. We went down the road at camped in the lawn (if you could call it that) of the office for a 28,000 acre ranch that raises Buffalo. The office had showers and the secretary was nice enough to stay long enough for us to enjoy our first shower in three days. We feel asleep to the grunts of the buffalo and Bethany finally got to see the stars before the huge moon lit the prairie.
JAN writes - Sue and I rode part way with the girls today. Sue rode 25 miles. I only managed 5. The altitude on the uphill really got me. I guess I need to stay under 10,000 feet! The wind and the washboard or sandy road was a battle for biking today. Really tired out the girls! We met them in the tiny town of Hartsel, hoping to spend the night. Unfortunately, we found there was no place to stay. A woman in the general store told us to go 2 miles to a ranch and they would probably let us pitch a tent. The 28,000 acre ranch is being sold in pieces and a woman who works for the development company not only gave the girls permission to pitch their tent, she gave them water and let them use the shower in the office bathroom. Sue and I made sure they had supplies and we drove to a motel in Salida for the next 2 nights.

Selkirk Camp Ground

2007-11-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Today's 41 miles was one of the best days. After getting through Silverthorne we turned onto the most amazing bike path. This bike path went around the Dillion Reservoir which supplies water to Denver. The bike path also goes from Silverthorne to Keystone, to Breckenridge, Copper and Vail - well over 40 miles in length. Bethany and I rode 24 of it. Beautiful views of the mountains were all around us. From the town of Frisco to Breckenridge we had a fantastic, curvy descent through the forest - it was soooooo fun! We saw more bikers of all kinds than I think I have ever seen. Breckenridge is a bustling ski town with the summer tourists enjoying the shops and bike rentals. Wow is that a ski hill!! Today the climb was to Boreas Pass at 11,438 ft - Yippi the highest I have been yet and Continental Divide crossing number 15. The climb was very easy because the road is the old track of the Union Pacific and South Pass Rail systems the went from Denver to Leadville between 1880 and 1937. The railroad was ended when the mining boom ceased in the late 30's and the rails were removed in the 50's. The climb gave us countless views of Breckenridge and the surrounding 14000 foot Rocky Mountains. Once at the top we looked around at the old Boreas Pass town that used to be the home to 150 people and the highest US Post Office in the country, which is no longer in service. We enjoyed hamburgers with Mom and Sue as we watched a mother Elk and her baby in the field across from our campsite. We have a rough life these days!!
JAN writes of today - Sue and I checked out Breckenridge, CO today. A quaint town below a massive mountain range. Although it was hot (Colorado is breaking heat records the last few days), there is lots of snow in the mountains above. The hanging baskets and large pots of flowers are everywhere in town. Certainly a picturesque spot to live!! From there we drove to a preserved area called South Park City in the town of Fairplay. Buildings were moved here from all over the area and house amazing collections from years gone by. The old fashioned pharmacy is purported to have the best collection of old drugs, remedies, and bottles anywhere in the US. We spent about 2 hours visiting the 40+ buildings and viewing the various artifacts they housed. We met the girls at Selkirk Campground, a primitive area above a riparian (stream with wetland shrubs and plants on either side) habitat. We had bottled water with us and washed in the stream with biodegradable soap. Cold water! The moon was full overnight and the coyotes active! We saw elk and deer, but luckily the bears that we saw warnings for didn't visit us!

To Silverthorne, CO

2007-11-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

Silverthorne has lots of everything near the junction of I-70 & Rt. 9. The City Market there is a very nice grocery store.
BETH writes - There was one key to today up, down, up, down, up, down!!! 40 miles to Kremmling and we climbed and descended over 4500ft. Coming off of Lynx Pass we had our first river ford. Cold, but very fun. The water came midway up my shin. The map said after the Lynx Pass Valley we would be ridding through rolling terrain - more like climb steeply and descend steeply about four times. Once at the top we had an amazing view of the Colorado River Valley below. A nice 6 mile descent was followed by a refreshing dip in the Colorado. The bad part was, in the valley you know you have to again climb out - UGH!!! 2 miles of steep climbing and 1 mile down and then another 5 miles of steep climbing. It was HOT with no shade, but we did it!! Bethany (who claims she is not a biker) kicked my rear all day going up the hills. Wow can that girl climb!! After a nice descent we reached Kremmling and gorged ourselves on burgers, fries, salad, and dessert!
BETH writes - We are definitely in Colorado because the legs are sore. Today was an easier 45 miles. We followed the Colorado River into the high prairie and rode around a beautiful lake. After 25 miles we started into the woods and Aspen trees. The damage in this area by the Pine Beetles is incredible. Most of the pine trees are still standing, dead and brown. We took a very quick dip in a mountain steam which was extremely cold, but felt great because once again it was HOT! We began to climb to Ute Pass at 9300 ft. Here we were in the middle of no where and human destruction was everywhere. There was a huge mine with the a nasty lake receiving the outflow from the mine. All the beauty of the mountains and then the imprint of humans. We reached the top of the pass to see the beautiful rockies in the distance still snow covered. We had a super fast 7 mile decent and 5 miles of highway to the Blue River Campground to meet Mom and Sue. It was nice to recount the adventures we had all had and have a wonderful dinner together. We were 8 miles from Silverthorne so we took the car and went to town for food and Dairy Queen. What a TREAT!!
JAN writes - We took a scenic route and met the bikers in a National Forest campground on the Blue River, just north of Silverthorne, CO. Nice spot to camp - highly recommend! The girls talked me driving them into town for potato chips and icecream. They have some weird food cravings! Beth is burning so many calories each day that she eats and eats and is always hungry. The tent smells of the muscle balm they are liberally using on their legs.

Steamboat Springs, CO

2007-11-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Steamboat Springs is a very very expensive town. You can get any services you need here, though. For some activities other than biking, there is an Alpine Slide, Yampa River Park with horse rentals, tube rentals, and skateboarding. There are two large grocery stores that we saw - a Safeway and one called City Market. There is a paved bike trail through town, which the bikers who do the divide trail use.
BETH writes - Yeah!!! Back on the bike and sooooooo happy to have wonderful company and be back in the mountains!!! We drove to Steamboat Springs and Bethany and I packed our gear. As we were about to leave Rob, who I rode with in Wyoming, came down the street. He and Carl had arrived the night before and were taking the day off. Rob rode with us for the first five miles today. It was great to see him. Today was a rolling 40 miles to Lynx Pass at 8600 ft. We had a few long climbs. The valley around Steamboat was filled with horses and cow fields. Once we started to climb we were back in the high prairie with sage brush everywhere. As we entered BLM land we saw the mountains all around and climbed to a large reservoir. We crossed the dam and rode the first single track I had ridden in weeks. The only problem was when we went to cross a stream leading into the reservoir the bridge was missing. Thank goodness Bethany was here because we had a nice hike a bike and had to carry the trailer over the very rocky crossing. We passed many beautiful log cabins and ranches and finally reached the campground after Bethany's first encounter with a Marmot.
JAN writes - Today we delivered the girls to Steamboat Springs for the start of their ride. Steamboat is in a mountain valley, with the Yampa River running through the middle. The Yampa River Park, where the girls actually started, has an alpine slide, rents rafts and tubes for lazy cruising on the Yampa River, rents horses, has a skateboard park, ball diamonds, and a rodeo arena. Above it towers a huge ski jump. Nearby was a moving ski jump where people were practicing tricks and jumping into water. A real happening place!!! We ran into Rob and Carl there. Road bikers doing part of the TransAmerica Bike Route. Beth rode with them in Wyoming a bit. Small world! Picture is of Sue, Bethany, Rob, Beth and me in parking lot in Steamboat Springs. Sue & I will do our own thing for a couple of days and meet up with the bikers again near Silverthorne, CO.

Rawlins to Denver, CO

2007-11-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Today after much deliberation I made the hardest decision of the trip. My wounds are sore and nasty and my mind is a mess from the Basin so I have decided to skip 130 miles of the trail and drive to Denver with my family. This was not an easy decision, but Dad said it is the smartest thing I could do. I would have three days to let myself heal more and my friend Bethany from college flies in on Sunday. Monday we will start again from Steamboat Springs in a better place and feeling better. We drove from Rawlins to Laramie - where the University of Wyoming is. It is a nice campus! Laramie to the Sierra Trading Post Outlet store and then to Denver. I am very happy to see the trees and mountains again!!!
BETH writes on July 16th - I feel very strange having had two days off. The time I definitely need for my mind, body and bike. Dad, Ann and Don flew home this AM, sadly. We will miss them!! I FINALLY got my bike fixed at the largest shop I have ever been in - Bicycle Village! They fixed my bike while I waited. They had over 500 bikes on the floor and I got to watch part of the Tour while I waited. One of the mechanics asked me about the tattoo on the back of my arm until he walked closer and exclaimed - oh, ouch! Well at least I have a good story to go along with my serious road rash. After some wonderful chinese food. Mom and I went to the Denver Science and Nature Museum. The museum was cool! They had a traveling expo that discussed Lewis and Clark and their exploration. We also saw a IMax about their adventures. I highly recommend the Imax if it comes to town!!! Of course laundry and groceries were priorities. Two trips to the airport tomorrow and then we are off to Steamboat Springs and I am excited to be back on the trail and out of the city!
BETH writes of July 17th - Today Mom and I packed up, had lunch and hung out at the Denver airport waiting for my friend Bethany to fly in from North Carolina and my Mom's cousin Sue to arrive from Wisconsin. Once both had arrived we packed the car full again, and were off to Kremmling for the night. Tomorrow the ride would resume.

Rawlins, Wyoming

2007-11-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

Rawlins has all the services one needs. Unfortunately the railroad tracks run behind the main motel row and there seems to be a train coming through every few minutes!! There is also an interesting Museum -the Carbon Co Museum and the old state prison you can tour. There is also bus service to and from the Denver airport, if you need to send riders in or out here.
JAN writes -Today we had record heat (around 100 degrees) as we drove from Lander to Rawlins, Wy. but that didn't stop us from exploring sites along where the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail(to Utah), the California Trail, and the Pony Express Trail all run together. Over this trail about 500,000 pioneers attempted to cross this harsh and desolate country in the mid 1800's, where there is not a tree in sight! We hiked around Independence Rock, where many travelers carved their names. The 136 foot high mound of granite(in picture) covers 27 acres. If you were on target on the journey, you were to arrive at this rock by July 4th. We also stopped at Martin's Cove and learned about some of the tragedies that became some of the people on the Mormon Trail. Amazing to see what people carried with them and what they did without over thousands of miles. The Mormons didn't use wagons, they pulled or pushed two wheeled handcarts!!! We were uncomfortable walking in shorts and without carrying any gear. We can't imagine being out in this country wearing long dresses or wool pants and pushing or pulling a cart!!!r
Jan writes of July 14th-
We explored the area around Rawlins, Wy today while waiting to see if Beth made it through the desert in this tremendous heat. The car thermometer measuring outside temp. actually hit 125 degrees as we were driving. The county historical museum had fascinating pictures and artifacts, but the old state penitentiary, where many famous and colorful criminals had been held, was just creepy. That visit was our husband's idea! The tour guide really tried to gross out the group with her graphic stories and visits to the gallows and the gas chamber which were both used several times. The prison was replaced by a more modern facility in 1980. Beth made it to Rawlins in the afternoon, a sore oozing mess. Her road rash from the fall 3 days ago and sweat don't mix well! We will try to convince her to take a couple of days off to heal.

Biker in the Great Basin of Wyoming

2007-11-13T07:40:00.001-08:00

BETH writes - Today is the start of the two days that every one dreads when riding the Great Divide. I was entering the Great Divide Basin. This is where the Continental Divide splits and goes in two directions meaning that when it rains the water drains to this basin and not to the oceans. So you might think lots of water - wrong. They call the Basin the Red Desert. I had 132 miles to get across the basin and today was 69 miles the longest I have ever been on a bike. When I started the day I was blown away by the vast nothing that stretched out for hundreds of miles in front of me. There were barely fence posts. They call the Basin the largest graveyard in America. Before the 1900's 500,000 people traveled across the Basin on the Oregon Trail, Pony Express, California Trail and the Mormon Trail all converged through the basin. Over 83,000 people died in the Basin of dehydration, October snow storms, and other aliments that plagued the settlers. As I continued to ride I began to understand why this area was a graveyard! There were points in the desert when I thought that maybe I could lay down and dry up just like some of the settlers. There was nothing, my bike computer said 122 degrees, no shade, no water and the water I was carrying was at least 85 degrees. Not at all refreshing. As I rode I just kept wishing to see a car to pick me up and take me anywhere but in the middle of this wasteland. After 8.5 hours of riding I finally reached the A & M Reservoir my camping spot for the night and thankfully it had water. Finally, the cool water gave me some relief from the sun as the Pronghorns spied from afar!
BETH writes - After the first night I have been warm, I awoke to a beautiful sun rise! Today I was going to use an alternate route and get out out of the Basin - I had enough! I would ride 14 more mile in the Basin to a "town" called Bairoil, which was really a town of oil and natural gas wells and companies. On the way, I encountered 30 wild horses in small herds. The horses brought my spirits backup. It was fascinating to see their dynamics and I was amazed at how fat and healthy they looked. I can not imagine what they eat to look that good, but they were beautiful horses. After Bairoil, I was rode onto the highway and stopped at Grandma's Cafe to have my second breakfast. There is something about "real" food that makes you ride harder and look forward to every cafe and town. I was pleased to meet and have breakfast with 5 TransAmerican riders. They were from all over the country and world. Two of them had met my mom the day before in Lander, a twon they had gone through. Rob and Carl would kindly spend the rest of the day riding slowly to Rawlins with me. They are very nice guys who have done a fair amount of touring. They are doing a trip from Boseman, MT to Durango, CO. when we reached Rawlins, Rob and Carl helped me find the bike shop to try to get my Bottom Bracket replaced with the one I had bought in Jackson. There was not much hope once we saw the bike, auto repair and car stereo shop. The shop said they could not help me, but one of the other customers once we were outside told us about a man up the street who used to have a shop and led us to his house. The man had owned a bike shop for 10 years and it was clear he knew what he was doing. He had also ridden parts of the divide and knew the misery I had experienced yesterday. Unfortunately, because my bike is new he did not have the updated tools to fix it. My parents were supposed to reserve a room for me in the hotel they had stayed in the night before so we rode to the hotel to check in and it turns out my parents were still in town (they were supposed to be on their way to Denver,CO). I have to say I was very happy to see them! we had a great dinner with the gang and Rob and Carl joined us.

Lander, WY

2007-11-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

Lander is the stop for the support vehicle while the biker is traversing the Great Basin. There are all services and you can restock supplies & gas. The Holiday Lodge has camping or reasonable motel rates with breakfast for whichever option you chose. Landers has several restaurants & fast food joints. For a nice side trip we went to Sinks Canyon State Park. There is a visitor's center, and camping there. The river actually totally disappears underground and re-emerges several blocks away. Spectacular trout and birds.
JAN writes - Today was warm, but we spent the entire time exploring outside. We visited Sinks Canyon State Park where the wide and fast flowing Popo Agie River goes completely underground and emerges 1/2 mile later out of the side of a hill. Where it comes out of the ground, dozens of huge rainbow trout congregate. An amazing sight. No fishing allowed there! We went to the nearby Shoshone Indian Reservation and visited their cultural center and learned even more about Sacajawea, who is buried on the reservation. She was Lewis and Clark's guide on their exploration of the West in 1805. We have actually seen lots of Lewis and Clark sites the last several weeks. We also went to where the Oregon Trail and Pony Express trails cross near an area Beth will be riding through. The wagon ruts on the Oregon Trail are still very evident. We came upon Beth riding temporarily with another biker who is doing only part of the Great Divide Trail. She was pretty banged up as she crashed going down hill yesterday. We couldn't convince her to quit temporarily and heal a bit. She will be on her own for the next 2 days and will be crossing over 120 miles of high desert and the temperatures are expected to be higher than normal - in the upper nineties. She is determined to finish this trek on time!

Pinedale to Southpass City & Atlantic City

2007-11-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Today started out as a very exciting day. I had the pleasure of riding 16 miles with my parents. It was great fun to have them join me and see and experience what I had been doing the last 4 weeks. We had picked the best day - sunny, cool and mostly flat. We had lunch on the side of the road and I was off to Little Sandy Creek, while Mom, Dad, Ann, and Don were off to South Pass City, which I would see tomorrow. The rest of the day was not as easy. The road turned to gravel and wash board with sand. I began to climb out of the flat lands and back to the high prairie. It was wild because there is just nothing out here. I would pass the occasional rock out croppings , ranches, and fencing. You could see for hundreds of miles in all directions. This helps when nature calls and there are no trees to be seen! About two miles before the camp site at the end of my 50 mile day, my worst fear came true. You see, the game in the rolling high prairie is to go fast down hill carry your speed up the next. Well I bombed down the hill only to hit 6 inches of sand and into an uncontrolable fishtail. I Supermaned right and the bike and trailer flipped 3 to 4 times left. DUMB!! Is the only word besides ouch and other choice four letter words that came out of my mouth. Two bloody knees, a bloody arm, finger, hip, twisted ankle and a black eye - but nothing broken thank goodness!! I reached the camping spot, cleaned up in the stream, bandaged as much as I could and went to bed with little hope of sleep.
JAN writes - Rich and I rode part of Beth's route with her today, while Ann and Don had the Jeep. The weather was perfect, and the territory we rode through reminded us of the landscape from an old movie named Tremors. You could see forever and not a tree in sight! We saw antelope and Sandhill Cranes and lots and lots of sagebrush! After Rich and I quit riding, Beth continued another 20 or so miles to a desolate campsite and we drove to Lander, Wyoming after visiting a restored mining town called South Pass City, driving past Red Rock Canyon, an area owed by the Nature Conservancy, and stopping at an Oregon Trail wagon crossing site and burial ground. Picture is of Red Rock Canyon.

BETH writes - Oh, sore and tired I awoke early and continued to ride in the obis of rolling prairie. Now when I meaning rolling these are not little rolls these are huge. My elevation map says that I do not gain or lose elevation today, but I probably climbed and descended over 4,000ft. I crossed the divide 3 times today and the views were cool. The topography out here is so dramatic and definitely shaped by the wind. Just after lunch I reached South Pass City. South Pass City is a ghost town that served many purposes in history, but was a major stop for settlers moving west. South Pass which I crested today was traversed by thousands of people during westward expansion. This ghost town was neat, but most of the buildings were restored. The most impressive part was the Stamping Mill, which is actually a gold mine, but the would melt the gold and stamp it under pressure into coins for trading and buying supplies with. In South Pass City, I also met Jim. Jim is a section rider who comes out every summer for a week to ride a section of the divide. He is a 58 year old Texan who turned out to be wonderful company for the last 15 miles of todays 47 mile ride. Jim was traveling much more loaded than I was including 50 pounds of water - I can not even imagine. My load was about 70-80 pounds with food and water. We left South Pass and climbed several big hills only to run into my parents and Ann, and Don. They were worried because it was hot today - about 98 degrees. It was good to see them, but it made them very worried because of the condition I was in. We decided to meet them two miles down the road in the very small town of Atlantic City for dinner. After dinner Jim and I rode the remaining 10 miles straight up hill to the Sweetwater River where we were greeted with beautiful camping spots and cold beers from fly fisherman who were camping near by - YUM!!

Pinedale, WY

2007-11-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

Pinedale, Wyoming was a fun stop. Mostly because we ran into the Rendeveous Days Celebration. We were the only ones in town not wearing cowboy boots! Pinedale has several motels - we stayed in the Sun Dance Motel and it was just fine. It even has high speed internet! We carried a small laptop with us to keep our journals and email home when possible. We could recharge it in the car through a hookup to the cigarette lighter. The bike repair is in the hardware store and they are limited on knowledge and tools. There is a coin laundry open 24 hours a day. We ate at both the Los Cabos Mexican Restaurant and the Wrangler Cafe and Bar -both on the main drag in town. Good meals. Cafe had great homemade pie! The town has a Mountain Man Museum, which is excellent!! Fremont Lake, near Town, has hiking trails with interpretive signage. Very nice!
BETH writes - It was sad that Dave had to leave today. He rented a car and drove to Salt Lake City to catch a plane home. He has to return to that 4 letter word - WORK! Ahh, a day off and what better day to choose than a rainy start and the famous "Rendeveous Days" in Pinedale. This is a celebration of the Mountain Men of the west. The Mountain Men were generally trappers who came out of the mountains once a year to trade and socialize. In the 1800's these Rendeveous Days happened in July in many places. In Pinedale, there were venders everywhere and people dressed in period clothing. My parents, Ann, Don and I spent some time in the Mountain Man museum which talked about the history of the area and how trapping was an essential part of how the west had its start besides mining. I have discovered that American History is fascinating when you are in the places where the events happened. (Remember I am a science geek, not a history buff) I spent the remainder of the day getting ready for the Great Basin - the longest stretch of nothing on the entire divide. In this area the Continental Divide splits and forms a basin where the water drains to neither ocean, but the funny thing is the basin itself has little to no water. Laundry and groceries were the top of the list.
JAN writes of today - Today we are still in Pinedale. Beth has taken the day off to do laundry and rest her sore muscles. She has now put in over 1,000 miles on her bike. We have told her when she finishes this ride we will return her to the insane asylum she surely came from! We went up to a huge glacier lake above Pinedale - Fremont Lake - where Pinedale gets their water. It is over an unbelieveable 600 feet deep. Unlike lakes in New Hampshire, the shoreline is totally protected and there is not a building in sight! We watched a young bull moose eating willow leaves for quite awhile. He saw us and went back to eating as knew he was totally safe. This area is surrounded by yet another National Forest - the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The wide open spaces just go on and on!!!

Coulter Bay to Pinedale, WY

2007-11-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

BETH writes of July 6th - Yeah, I have company!! Dave and I would ride to Brook Lake 48 miles from Colter Bay, most of it on paved road which is part of the TransAmerican bike route. The Tetons are incredible! Everytime, I saw them today it was like they were a painting in the background and not real. The first part of the day was fairly flat riding out of Teton National Forest and into Towsagee National Forest. We had some gradual hills on dirt to reach Cowboy Village where we stopped to have a drink and ice cream. Just before we left, I finally got to meet Steve and Jeff who my mom had run into days earlier. Steve and Jeff are from Georgia and have been chasing me for weeks. It was great fun to discuss the beauty and pain we had been through since the border of Canada. The funny thing is most of the conversation was about food. Steve and Jeff are crazier than I am. They often do 60+ miles a day with their highest day being 103 miles. I am not sure I could do that! Dave and I said our goodbyes and we were off to Towsagee Pass - my highest so far at 9,600ft. It was a tough climb, but it was all paved road and we got to enjoy seeing Moose and Mule deer. The road to Brook Lake was facinating! The whole northwestern part of Wyoming was formed from Volcanic activity over 2,000 years ago. There were rock formations everywhere and we even saw a small caldera - when the volcano erupts the lava flows out and then sinks forming a ciruclar plateu - neat!! Yes, I am a nerd and I am ok with that!!! :0)

BETH writes about July 7th - I woke up to the same feeling I had when we reached Brook Lake - Wow! The lake streched out in front of the campsite with towering walls of rock on one side and mountains on the other. The sky was perfect and the lake reflected its sides - absolutely breath taking! The first 20 of the 45 miles Dave and I did today were easy. We had a fun descent on the gravel road back to the highway - which was also mostly downhill. We passed many TransAmerican bikers today. It was neat to see how much they carried and the variety of bikes they rode - mountain bikes to road bikes and everything in between. Most of them were heavily loaded. The plan today was to drop our stuff at the campground and take a 18 mile detour into the town of Dubois. Well, we did not find the campground so we ended up leaving our stuff behind a convenience store after some help from a nice couple who offered to drive us into town. Don't worry, we did not take their offer. Dave and I enjoyed a nice lunch at the Cowboy Cafe on main street in the Old Western town of Dubios. We then headed to the Big Sheep Interperitive Center. It was a center dedicated only to bighorn sheep - very cool!! Well at least a geek like me finds that stuff cool! There are 11 species of bighorn sheep all over the world and I will have the chance of seeing two of the species - Mountain and Desert. Their horns are like trees the rings indicate age and each horn spirals a different direction depending on which side of the body it is on. For those of us facinated by their social behavior - of course the rams fight by bumping horns, but they also have quite a courtship process in order to attract females, including licking ears, making sounds and the great chase. Their skulls and brains are twice as big as a domesticated sheep. In Wyoming, the Big Horned Sheep have a huge range, but only a population of about 200 individuals. I hope to see one, but they say I would be lucky. On the ride back from Dubios Dave and I were introduced to the Wyoming headwind - UGH!!! - that is the only word for it. We watched the thunderstorms and lightning move away in front of us thank goodness. We ended the day with a 5 mile climb toward Union Pass to a primitive campsite on very bumpy ground - but we were tired so it did not matter!

BETH writes of July 8th - Today was a hard 45 miles as Dave and I continued to climb to Union Pass. The road was steep and filled with loose gravel. I have decided after today that I am not a fan of loose gravel! Union pass was awesome at 9,100ft! We were in a subalpine/alpine habitat with no trees, lots of short grass and flowers. There was also snow in several places. We later learned that they had 10 inches of snow 3 weeks ago! You could see in every direction for miles - I continue to be blown away by the immense amount of country out here. We climbed and descended for most of the day, after Union Pass, going from high prairie to groves of Aspens. We had a great decent on winding roads to end up in the sage brush. We were entertained for the last few miles of the day as we watched two loose horses frolick in the prairie and two cowboys chase them on beautiful horses. Part of me wished I could join them for the chase. We reached the campsite, had dinner, thanked the wonderful people next to us who gave us cold cokes and took baths in the Green River. Really, I attempted to rinse three days worth of dirt, sweat and sunscreen off, but the river was raging and my fear of being swept away kept me on shore with only my hands to splash water. Wow, did the clean water feel amazing!!

BETH writes of July 9th - Waking up to the raging Green River and 28 degrees is definitely one way to start a day. Dave and I rode 37 miles today from the campground to Pinedale. The ride itself was not as interesting as the rest of the day. We were in the plains and there was nothing but miles of rolling hills and sage. We saw tons of Pronghorns and the unreal Windriver Mountains with their pointy peaks and deep valleys off in the distance. Once in Pinedale, Dave and I had "real" food, rented a room and finally had showers for the first time in four days. I took my bike to the local shop - in the hardware store and soon discovered maybe they should not be a bike shop. Dave had to return his bike to Jackson anyway so we took my bike also. The shop laughed at me when they removed the Bottom Bracket and about 4 ounces of water came out - maybe that was more of the problem. They did not have the right part to replace it, so we tracked on down the part at another shop just before they closed. So needless to say I have a new bottom bracket and now all I need is a bike shop - Steamboat Springs - 300 miles - keep your fingers crossed that I can make it that far or I'll be walking for a long time! At least now my bike is 4 ounces lighter :0) We had dinner at a Cowboy Bar in Pinedale and went to the tail end of the local rodeo - FUN!

Jackson Hole, WY & Coulter Bay-Grand Tetons

2007-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

Jackson Hole is quite the town. It has everything a person may want, and then some. Airport, auto repair, do it yourself car wash (for the tons for accumulated dirt that will make your car unrecognizable), gas, which is cheapest at the southern end of town, grocery stores - Albertson's and Smith's Safeway are the largest, bike repair & rentals, great specialty shops if you are looking for expensive souvenoirs, and of course zillions of hotels and motels for the skiing industry that thrives here in the winter. There is an elk refuge just outside of Town, a great visitor's center, and great food at the restaurant across the street from the visitor's center. There is also a bus that regularly runs from Salt Lake City airport to Jackson Hole - which is a way to get companion riders in & out of that area. No beer or wine is sold in grocery stores in Wyoming, so if you are looking for that, you must go to a liquor store.
Coulter Bay, in Grand Teton National Park has both camping and inexpensive cabins. There are pubic showers and a huge
coin laundry right next to a camp store that has fresh baked goods first thing in the morning. The Tetons are adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and are also not to be missed!!! Although aleigned with the Rockies, the Tetons are a younger mountain range than the Rockies - formed at a different time. While Beth rode with her boyfriend for several days, Ann & I spent time with our husbands exploring Yellowstone and the Tetons. We met up with Beth in Pinsdale, Wyoming.

Into Wyoming - Biker on her own

2007-11-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

BETH writes of July 4th- Today was a push - 58 miles so that I would have less to do tomorrow. The first 30 miles was on a rail trail that had been torn up by ATVs so parts of it were painfully deep sand while others were compact and wash board. There were tons of cattle and I often got small glimpses of the Tetons. Once off the rail trail I climbed out of the valley to the Idaho that I expected to see - green grass, fields of hay and potatoes! Huge stretches of fields and lots of irrigators. After crossing the many miles of rolling fields I again entered the woods and began to climb. By 52 miles I had completed my second state and was in Wyoming with wonderful views of the back sides of the Tetons. I rode until 7pm where I found a great spot to camp on the edge of South Boone Creek. Once again I find myself camping in the middle of nowhere and in bear country. I hung my bear bag and went to bed, only later to hear the crunching of sticks outside the tent. What ever the animal was I scared it away when I shone my head lamp out of the tent and my bear bag was still hanging untouched in the tree.
JAN writes - Beth headed out today for two days where we can not access her. Ann and I drove into Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and then drove south into Grand Teton National Park. Beth will join us here tomorrow evening. We crossed the Continental Divide four times today. The highest crossing was at 8391 feet. Yellowstone is famous for, among other things, its hot water geysers. We saw lots of wildlife along the road as we drove to the Old Faithful area. The geyser, pictured here, is so named because it has such regular eruptions of boiling water. Yellowstone was the very first National Park in the US. It should definitely be on everyone's "to see" list. Luckily Ann and I have both been here before, since you can not do the park justice in one day. We are staying the next five nights in a rustic cabin in Coulter Bay on Jackson Lake in the Tetons. Our husbands and Beth's boyfriend fly in tomorrow. Beth and Dave will be on their own for 5 days.

BETH about July 5th - 47 miles and I would see my boyfriend, Dave, my Dad and Ann's husband Don. I guess that was my motivation when I was up and on my bike at 8am - the earliest I have ever been ready to go. I climbed the northern flank of the Tetons through the woods which was a nice change since I had not seen many trees since the middle of Montana. I rode along the southern border of Yellowstone National Park and eventually into the area where the 1988 fires burned. It is amazing to see the scar that fire can leaves on the land. Even after 17 years, the forest was in a primary succession with trees that were only 5 ft or so, grass and flowers. The Lupins were thick today and the smell heavenly! Fire is a needed natural occurance in this area every 200-400 years. Although, this fire was started by a tree falling on electrical wires and burned thousands of acres and threatened many communities and homes. I soon entered Teton National Park and saw Jackson Lake and the Mountains streched out before me. At this point I was dealing also with the campers and crazy drivers who have no idea about bikers. The good news is I survived to reach Colter Bay earlier. AHH, a hot shower and clean laundry! While waiting for my laundry I met a wonderful couple from Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were a pleasure to talk to and had two daughters close to my age with similar interests. That is one of the best parts about this trip is all the wonderful people I have met!! Finally, the guys arrived and we had a wonderful dinner! It is great to see family and friends after being gone three weeks - 3 weeks and 800 miles - I have had quite the adventure already!

Into Idaho - Big Springs

2007-11-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

BETH writes - Yippi-today was a big day! I crossed the border from Montana to Idaho and had 710 miles under my belt at that point! Within 5 miles this morning I was happy to see three Moose and 27 Pronghorns! As I climbed to the border of Idaho I saw more cows and began to see trees again. Mom and Ann waited for me at the border so that we could take the picture that is attached with the Continental Divide in the background. Bye Montana - I will be back some day! Idaho was a new adventure. Talk about 4-wheeler heaven!! The descent from the divide was great fun from gravel road to a curvey and muddy trail. I passed some beautiful houses and a lake that was ripe with new development. I could tell that the property value in Idaho was MUCH greater than Montana. Today was an easy 39 miles and I arrived at the infamous Big Springs early. Big Springs is the head water to the Snake river with many natural springs that release millions of gallons of water a day. The springs is also the home of very large trout! Mom, Ann and I took the advice of one of the rangers and went to Mesa Falls one of the lesser known beauties of Idaho. There are the upper and lower falls. The upper dropping 178ft and the lower 65ft, with tons of water flowing over the top of both. What I love about seeing big waterfalls is the rich, green micro-climate on one side of the falls that is created by the mist coming off the falls. Idaho so far is different than what I expected - more mountainous so far.
JAN writes -We crossed over Red Rock Pass and into Idaho today. After which Beth took a dirt route and we veered off and took a more civilized paved route. The Jeep was in shock. It hasn't had pavement under its tires in days and days! As we headed into an ancient caldera (valley that used to be the inside of a volcano), we found a Nature Conservancy nature center called Flat Ranch. They recommended we visit Mesa Falls about 30 miles South. We went to the Big Springs campground nearby in the Targhee National Forest and set up the tent. We were within a short walk of the actual springs that forms the North Fork of the Snake River. There were huge rainbow trout swimming in the crystal clear waters - but no fishing allowed. After Beth arrived we all drove to the very impressive roaring 140 foot falls. No rain again, the weather has turned nice, finally!

Red Rock Lakes - last night in Montana

2007-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Red Rock Lakes - hard to get to, but well worth the effort!!!
BETH's journal for today says - Today was the longest day that I have had, but definitely not the hardest. I rode 57 miles from Lima to Red Rocks Wildlife Refuge. The entire day was spent in high prairie riding around the huge Lima Reservoir. I met a man from Calgary on a motorcycle who was riding the Great Divide trail from Roosville, MT to Buena Vista, CO. He had skipped the single track sections, but had seen all the places I had also been. He was excited to see an "actual biker", in his words, riding the divide. I also met my first Divide rider today. Rick, from Vancouver, is riding South to North and started May 13th or so. He had some good tips and we talked about Montana. It was nice to chat with someone who was experiencing what I was. I arrived to our free campsite at Red Rocks Lake, the home of the beautiful Trumpeter Swan. It was nice to sit by the lake and watch the swans. Mom, Ann, and I also went for a walk and saw a coyote - first canine I have seen although I have heard them!
JAN writes - Today we are on sensory overload. We drove the same 57 miles on a single lane rough dirt road that Beth rode from Lima, Mt. to a campground on Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The drive there took us 4 hours (took Beth a lot longer), but we were rewarded with a view of the lake out the front door of the tent and a view of the snow on the continental divide out the back window. A spring bubbled out of the ground a few feet from our tent and the huge shallow lake had a pair of trumpeter swans with 4 signets (babies), a flock of white pelicans, many species of ducks and geese, a moose in the water, a fox hiding in the grass until he realized we saw him, a family of begging ground squirrels, and the aspens and pines near the tent were a flurry of constant activity from birds such as Bullock's Oriole, a Sapsucker, and Yellow Warblers. The area had the usual profusion of spectacular wildflowers. All this and the campground was free and no rain!!! Hard to take!

To Lima, MT - July 1st

2007-11-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

Lima, MT was a refuge for us from another electrical storm. Beth knew roughly the spot where we would meet her, but not always exactly where. We left messages on blue notecards on the back of stop signs. The system worked very well. Lima is very small - near the interstate. We stayed at the Mt. View Motel & RV Park. We ate at Jan's Cafe - which has good food. There is a auto service there, Big Sky Sports, and a convenience store in the Exxon station - which has really expensive gas!
BETH's journal for today, July 1st -There are two words for today, awesome and spectacular! Sun shinning and after 2 miles of riding I crest the hill to an awesome sight- a huge flock of sheep, the sheep dogs and the shepherd on his horse. Also, my Mom and Ann in the Jeep . Today I remained most of the ride in the high prairie surrounded on all sides by mountains. It was spectacular to see, but also to be there. This whole trip I have been in remote places, but today in the middle of this high prairie I felt like the only person on earth, the only reminder of civilization was the electrical wires that crossed back and forth over the road I was on. Once reaching the top of the highest point in the ride it was all down hill for the remainder of the 45 miles I rode today. I soon reached the mountains on the other side and realized that instead of going over them I was going through them - curving back in forth through the valley with high cliffs of rock filled with caves that a whole family could fit in - it was awesome! In the valley beside the road a small creek flowed - it was very neat to follow because it curved and turned more than the road. The last awesome factor of the day were the thunderstorms that chased me for the last 15 miles. Fortunately, I found refuge in a tunnel under the highway before the lightning hit all around me and the thumb sized hail hammered the ground. Wow! I watched the storm come and go from the safety of my tunnel. Today, is one of the many days at the top of the list for the best days.
JAN's account of today - Today is ending in Lima, MT as many of our days in Montana have ended - with an electrical storm. Its amazing how loud the thunder is when there is few to no trees to absorb the noise! We were both lucky and smart - we have found a room in the only motel, at the beginning of the July 4th weekend, in this very remote area. Beth's description of today says it all. We drove for almost 40 miles without seeing another sole except a shepherd and his flock. The scenery was spectacular and the wildflowers even more so. Ann & I were exploring a rock outcropping when we came upon a huge nest. Beth caught up to us and saw the Jeep and found us. She then climbed up next to the nest and it is taller than she is. We assume it belongs to a Golden Eagle, as there were lots of bones from its prey. No cell coverage for days.

Canvas Cafe in Grant, MT, Dillion, MT & Hildreth Cattle Ranch

2007-11-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

Dillion, MT is not on the bike route, but for the support vehicle is a good detour. The services are spread out along Business Rt. 15. There is a big Safeway grocery store with a bakery & deli, gas, a hardware store, auto repair, restaurants, motels and even a KOA. The Safeway is on Montana Street - behind a McDonald's. The town also has cell coverage, so we could catch up with our families left at home.
The Canvas Cafe is in Grant, Mt. - on the bike route. Not to be missed!! Its a very interesting place with good food and dynamite scenery. We ate lunch with a spectacular view of the Jeff Davis peaks of the Bitterroot Mts. They even have flush toilets in mini-tents!!
We found out about the Hildreth Cattle Ranch from the woman at the visitor's center of Bannack State Park. It was an excellent choice. There we also looked out on the snow capped Bitterroot Mountains. They have their own website and have a couple of small houses where they put up visitors - its a unique B&B, as its a working cattle ranch & you have your own cooking facilities.
BETH writes - I finally got to see the stars - no clouds! We woke at 2am to see the most magnificant view of the sky I had ever seen. There where NO human lights and the sky was endless with huge stars and the Milkyway was bright and bigger than one could imagine. I think I could have stood there all night had it not been in the low 40s. We awoke late to the sun beaming into the tent and not a cloud in the sky - YIPPI!!! The first stop was the Canvas Cafe in Grant - an 11 person town with a cafe, tepees you can sleep in, and a school K-8 with 15 students. The cafe sat on a hill in the high prairie with a view of the Jeff Davis Peaks - stunning and spectacular. I waited for Mom and Ann to arrive and we had a great lunch and coconut cream pie - yum! Then it was off to pedal the rest of the 39 miles to go for the day. The rest of the day was spent on BLM lands Backcountry Byway through rolling hills of high prairie with the occasional ranch, cows, horses and sheep. I saw a stunning male elk! I also saw my fist Pronghorns today and wow can they run. Gophers ran across the road in front of me and squaked at me. And who knew but I have a new profession - a cow herder on my bike :o) I still can't get over the miles and miles and miles you can see out here. I would stop to rest and eat today and look in front and behind me and could see where I had come from and where I was going. Tonight we stay in luxury at the Hildreth Livestock and Guest Ranch with showers, electricity and our own beds!
JAN writes of today - Beth set out one direction today and Ann and I drove the other, to Dillon, MT to try to get phone coverage, gas and supplies. We have spent days in the wilds, and have several more totally wilderness days to go before we hit Jackson Hole, WY. We met up with Beth in Grant, MT - population 11 - for quite a lunch experience. We ate at the Canvas Cafe. An enterprising couple has a delightful spot under a huge canvas tent, with a view of the snowcapped Bitterroot Mountains. The weather was delightful - 60's and sunny. They even have two flush toilets, each in a little canvas tent. From there we traversed the Beaverdam Valley to the Hildreth Livestock Ranch for a night in a cabin. Gorgeous valley between the Bitterroot Mountains and the Beaverhead Mountains. We were treated to an elk herd, fabulous wildflowers, a huge flock of sheep being driven by a cowboy and his 7 or so dogs, beautiful scenery and cattle in the road. We are now typing this on the 7,500 acre 4th generation Hildreth ranch. No cell service, but electricity, flush toilet, and as remote as can be with a view of the Continental Divide out the window!!! As civilized as we've been for days. Tomorrow the camping adventure continues!

Bannack State Park

2007-11-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

BETH's journal for the day - Cold and raining is the theme this week, but locals keep telling me it is going to change! Today was exciting I was going to have company for the first time since Jean left. There is something very fun about riding by yourself, but there is a comfort and excitement to having company and someone to chat with as you ride. Today was an easy 29 miles to Bannack State Park. Mike and I chatted the entire time as we rode through the everlasting cow poo that covered the road. There was a cattle drive right down the road earlier in the day of over 500 cows and their young. Everything was covered and there is a ripe smell in the air! Mike and I rode fast since the route was all paved and mostly downhill. Thanks Mike for the great company and fantastic stories - good luck in Canada!! Mike left after lunch and Mom, Ann and I headed into Bannack for the tour of this old mining ghost town. Bannack was the county seat and the first "capital" of Montanna before it became a state. It was a town the was sprung off the gold found in the Grasshopper Creek that runs through Bannack. At one time the town had over 400 people, a saloon, hotel and jail. Now all that is left are the delapidated buildings and a history like no other. For a long part of Bannack's history the town was run by outlaws and was a dangerous place. In the late 1800's the county seat was moved to Dillon and Bannack's gold ran dry so people moved on and the town became only history and old stories. The buildings were fun to walk through as we read about the history of the town. If only the walls could talk . . . Our campsite was right on the river and the mosquitos were horrible, but a afternoon reading in the SUN - yes the SUN!! was just what I needed.
JAN's journal - Ann and I drove the 29 miles from Elkorn to Bannack State Park in the aftermath of an early morning cattle drive that had taken place right down the road for miles and miles. What a mess of cowpies on the road! Ann had our Jeep and I was driving Mike's van. The Grasshopper Valley we drove in is high plains, with mountains all around. We drove and drove and thought we would never reach the end. Truly what one thinks about when one hears the nickname of Montana - Big Sky Country. Breath taking scenery!! No picture can ever capture it! Bannack is also a goldmining ghost town, but has been preserved as a State Park for years. It is actually the site of where gold was first discovered in Montana in 1862. Beth arrived about noon, so we all spent the afternoon exploring. Most of the buildings are open for inspection, although some are crumbling in parts. Our campsite was lovely - right on the Grasshopper Creek. Unfortunately the place was infested with tiny evil mosquitoes. We took refuge in the tent, which had finally dried out in the breeze. A no rain day - wow!

To Elk Horn Hot Springs

2007-11-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

On the way to Elk Horn Hot Springs we passed through Wise River. There is an RV park, gas and Wise River Mercantile with Port-a-pots near the mercantile. We discovered a hidden jewel 6 miles North of Coolidge called Grand Vista. On the west side of the road is a handicapped accessible riparian area. Lovely! Off FR 4365 is the ghost town of Coolidge. Well worth the visit. At one time it had over 1,000 residents. When the silver mine stopped working in the 1920's the town fell apart. There are old mine shafts and a beatiful creek.
BETH writes of today - When I left home everyone said that what I was doing was a feat and if I had to stop it was ok. Don't worry I didn't stop - I just cheated a little. Still sore, tired and raining I decided Fleecer Mountain was not the best or the right option for today. Mom, Ann and I drove 12 miles to Wise River on the other side of Fleecer and they dropped me for the day's ride to Elk Horn Hot Springs - 29 miles all up hill (gradual until the end) Today it was freezing and rain was definitely in the forecast. For the first time, I was not excited about getting on my bike. Today at least was all road on the Scenic Byway through the Pioneer Mountains. After riding for six miles my spirits were lifted tremendously by the sight of a green van with bikes on the roof. As I got closer I realized it had NH plates and I recognized the bundled man who stood by it. It was Mike Morse! Wow, way out here in the middle of nowhere Mike had tracked me down. He was going for his own bike adventure in Canada in a few days and had ridden the Divide a few years ago. He had told me before I left he would find me and ride for a day with me. We chatted for a few minutes as a rain shower came and went. Mike would ride with me tomorrow we decided. I was off again to see two young Mule deer and climb to Crystal Park through sun, rain and hail(yes, hail!). The whole day I had seen 3 cars, but at Crystal Park there were tons of people. This was a cool place! This was a park where you could dig for quartz crystals! Good quality clear crystals not like the ones you find in NH. Very fun, especially for this girl who as a kid was a rock hound! We dug for a few hours with some good luck. My prize was a two beautiful crystals about 1-2 inches long. After leaving Crystal Park I was to ride 6 miles down hill to the rustic Elk Horn Hot Springs. Well, road construction was something I was not ready for. They are changing the course of the road so I had to wait for 1 hour and then they made me put my bike and trailer in the back of a truck only to drop me with a half mile climb to the hot springs - oh well! The hot spring were rustic with a rustic cabin and out house. The hot springs themselves felt amazing!! About 98 to 104 degrees depending on where you sat. A nice soak, some fresh apple/raspberry pie ala-mode and off to bed.
JAN writes of today - After donning 4 layers of clothes and packing up our wet tent and gear, we headed out this morning. The skies were threatening, but luckily we seemed to miss all the cloud bursts. While Beth was peddling, Ann and I explored some amazing areas in the Beaverhead - Deer Lodge National Forest. One place, an old ghost town named Coolidge, was five miles off road on a one-lane dirt track and then a 1/2 mile hike in on foot. At one time the silver and gold mining town had over 1,000 residents, a school, a post office and train service. It all fell apart during the depression and now the town's main residents are marmots - related to our woodchucks. Dozens of dilapidated buildings, boarded up mine shafts and equipment. Fascinating! Unfortunately we were meeting Beth at a State park called Crystal Park, where you can dig for quartz crystals, so we couldn't explore every inch of Coolidge. It was fun to just see Crystal Park - a big hillside that looks like it has the worst gopher problem ever, from all the amateur miners. Although ill equipped, we tried our hand at mining and came away with a few nice quartz crystals. From Crystal Park, we all met at Elkorn Hot Springs Lodge. Lodge denotes one thing, but what we got was an extremely rustic unheated cabin with one outhouse we shared with several other cabins. We did partake in the 104 degree hot springs, which felt wonderful. We were also extremely glad we had a roof over our heads when it stormed in the night.

Beaver Dam Campground, beyond Butte

2007-11-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Be careful about taking roads along interstates. Paved roads tend to turn to dirt and then just end. You might have to retrace your miles for a long ways! A State Gazetteer is well worth the price! Plan where you are staying a few days in advance and make reservations - particularly on weekends in the summer. We ran into full campgrounds and motels in some towns due to things like a Jeep Rally, rodeos, a Harley Rally, and summer travelers.
BETH writes of today - Again, I awoke to the cloudy skies. At least this morning there was some blue and sun - but the weather forecast was for thunderstorms. I started late after the wonderful bike shop, the Outdoorsman, cleaned my cassette, chain and replaced some housing and shift cables. Ah, the days of getting off my bike at a hill to shift to granny gear by hand were over! They were wonderful people and the owner's brother races in the tour d'France - I am going to spell his name wrong but, Levi Lephou . . . With a smooth shifting bike I was off to Beaver Dam Campground - 37 miles. I climbed to my 5th CD crossing and the view on the other side was breath taking. I entered a high prairie with the Rocky Mountains on one side and the Pioneer Mountains on the other - Wow! Off in the distance were the thunderheads booming and the lighting was spectacular. I put all my rain gear on and yelled at the thunder to race it through the prairie - there was no way I was going to be in the fields with that lightning. The thunder boomed, but the crazy thing about the mountains is that the wind changes direction - sometimes in your favor. The storms passed without one drop of rain. I reached the edge of the high prairie and had the first view of the ever famous Fleecer Mountain. I was supposed to climb and descend Fleecer the next day - the hardest day of the whole Great Divide Trail. I descended into a valley and the sights are undescribeable - I could see for miles with more thunderheads moving in and these huge mountains in the distance. I had a nice fast downhill to the campground access road before it started pouring. Wet and cold I finally reached the campground to find Mom and Ann had taken refuge in the car. For the next two hours we sat in the car as the thunder and rain passed through. We finally started dinner, as it rained again - what can you do wet camping is wet camping and we were in the middle of no where, so off to bed early.
JAN writes of today - Rain, Cold, and Hail were the four letter words of the day. Yesterday we were in a motel in Butte, luckily. While New Hampshire is having a heat wave, we are freezing. 40 degree torrential thunder storms yesterday. They are coming out of a six year drought here, so we are the only ones who seem to be inconvenienced by this. Today Ann and I did some hiking and explored an area just south of Butte. We set up the tent at a remote forest campground and collected firewood, since there was only a 30% chance of rain. When the thunderheads rolled in and it started to hail, we knew we were in trouble! A very miserable Beth arrived in the electrical storm. She changed into dry clothes in the outhouse and we all sat in the car waiting for the rain to end. When it finally stopped we started the stove, as the firewood was soaked and the humidity level in the air was so high we couldn't even get dry newspaper to burn. As we were cooking, it started to pour again. We ate in the rain in our raingear and read in the car until it was time for bed. A cold soggy night was had by all!!! The joys of camping.

Butte, MT

2007-11-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

In Butte, the biker comes off I-15 & I-90 at Exit 127 - Harrington Ave. Only in this area does the biker rides the interstate shoulder due to the enormous mining hole in the ground here. At exit 127 there is a Super 8 and several other motels. We stayed at the Super 8, which has laundry facilities. There are restaurants, a gas station, and just down the road a bit is a bike store - The Outdoorsman - on Harrison Rd. It is closed on Sundays. You can't help but see the immense hole in the Earth from just about anywhere you are in Butte. It is the remnants of a copper mining operation. It is now filling in with water. If you go to Park Ave. you can actually go to an observation deck to look into the "hole" of the Berkley Pit Mine. Its worth the look - pretty amazing! Butte claims to have the largest historic district in the US. 4,500 structures. There is a trolley you can take a 1 1/2 hour tour of the town on. There is a nice visitors center off Montana Ave. - just off I-90 & I-15.
BETH writes of today - Tired and sore I awoke to the first cloudy Montana morning - this was not what I had hoped for. Mom lifted my spirits by cooking a fine breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast while Ann and I packed the dry tent before it rained again. Soon I was off in the drizzle to soft muddy old railbeds. Fortunately, that did not last long and I had never been happier to see the road. An easier 29 miles and my bike computer started working with about 8 miles to go. I arrived in Butte at about 2pm to a hot shower in the Super 8, left over pizza and Mom and Ann laughing at my order from McDonald's of a coke and a strawberry shake. What can I say I was still hungry. We spent the VERY rainy afternoon dry inside the Montana School of Technology's very cool Mineral Museum - what a collection! They also had some fun maps about the geology and thermal spots of Montana and the Planet. After the museum we headed for the all famous eye sore of Butte, the Berkley Pit. The pit is the site of a mining operation that was started long ago and was finally stopped in the early 1980's. This pit - 5,000 ft wide, 7,000 ft long and 1,800 ft deep was mined mostly for copper, but also zinc, silver and gold. What was astonishing to me was the amount of Earth a population of people is able to move and now the mess that the city has to deal with. The water that has filled the pit has a pH of 2.5 - death so they have to keep the water level below their water table or the water in the city and surrounding communities will be undrinkable. What a mess, but a huge part of Butte's history. An interesting town!

Basin, MT

2007-11-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Basin, MT is an interesting place. It is just off I-15 and right next to the bike route. We stayed at the Merry Widow Campground. It is an RV campground right on the Boulder Creek. We were the only tent in the place. The campground has showers, laundry, and high speed commuter access in its community building. The community building has a book exchange, a piano, and lots of very friendly supportive people. The campground supports the Merry Widow Mine. which you have to see to believe! It was once a producing silver mine and is now a "radon" mine where peple come to be "cured". The town of Basin basically has no services except a bar and a pizza place called the Leaning Tower of Pizza, which has excellent deep dish pizza. Beth's arrival in Basin was the first time on the trip she might have quit if she'd been alone. She had a real rough day!
BETH wrote of today - OK, today was the ultimate test! Can Beth ride the divide without having a total break down of mind and body. After, the hardest 45 miles I have ever spent on a bike the answer is - darn it - YES!!! The day began with a wonderful escort to the start of the trail by Robert who owned the campground and had ridden the divide. He gave me a great history of Helena as we rode through it. Too bad the rest of the day did not stay that way. At mile 12 my legs ached from climbing, by mile 25 the thunderstorms started, between 25 and 32 I was ready to cry as I hike-a biked up very technical single track, through meadows during lightning and then the half mile over the fallen trees in two trips just about killed me. But I was going to make it to Basin!! Cold, soaked and hurting - I finally got to go down hill. My bike computer died at 32 miles. Fortunately, it was a straight shot to Basin and I have never been happier to see my mom and Ann and a shower. We had fantastic pizza at Leaning Tower of Pizza in this mining town of Basin and maybe four IBprofin tonight!!
JAN writes of today - I am typing inside a community building at a private campground in Basin, MT. as the thunder and rain clouds roll through the area. Ann and I left Helena late this morning after stocking our cooler and visiting the Saturday Farmer's Market. We also got goodies at a bakery we discovered when we were in Helena earlier in the week. Tonight's campsite is right next to the rushing Boulder Creek. Its really large and deep for what I'd call a creek! Above us in the hillside is the Merrywidow Radon Mine where people come from all over the world to supposedly get relief from what ails them. It used to be an operating Silver Mine. This area of Montana has granite bedrock, which is a different granite than in New Hampshire. Instead of Mica, it contains a mineral called hornblende. We hope Beth has been able to seek refuge out of the electrical storm.

Lincoln to Helena, MT

2007-11-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Beth was on her own for a couple of days and Ann & I returned to Helena. This time we camped - sort of. The only camping we could find was a KOA. It had hot showers, flush toilets, a pool & hot tub, and cabins to rent (which we didn't). Helena motels were booked due to the rodeo finals taking place there. We used the KOA as a base for 2 nights and visited sites around Helena & waited for Beth to arrive. We discovered Helena has a wonderful farmer's market on Saturdays in the downtown area. It sells everything!!
BETH writes of June 23rd - A hard 32 miles today and my first continental divide crossing. From Lincoln I rode an easy 11 miles to a junction where the map said turn right to climb up the steep pass through impressive landscape or stay straight for a easier route. Knowing me I took the hard way - I don't regret it, but man was it hard!! As I started up the pass I ran into a truck of people who told me at the top of the pass they saw a 350 pound Grizzly and her two 100 pound cubs. Oh, boy! After crossing three babbling brooks and a few mud holes the climb became VERY steep. Riding became hike-a-bike - ugg- with a 60+ pound trailer for 2.5 miles and Grizzly Bears on the mind. Between deep breaths I made up a new song to the tune of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"- don't ask its the only tune I could come up with. I finally crested the pass - yippi!! My first Continental Divide crossing and there were tons of flowers - it was well worth the climb or should I say hike! I was supposed to ride to Deadman's Creek, a not maintained campsite. As I came off the pass there were beautiful rolling fields of grass - out of this world. Well I never found Deadman's Creek so I ended up making my own site under some large pines. I cooked dinner, hung my stuff (so not to attract Grizzly Bears) and read and went to sleep.
BETH writes of June 24th - My camping spot was perfect and I had the spotlight moon and howling coyotes for much of the wee hours of the morning. Today started with a big climb, missing the turn and crossing the Continental Divide twice more than I had too. Thankfully I ran into a guy in a car coming up from Marysville after I had descended steeply for only .5 miles. He was able to turn me around and give me better directions than what the map had. Unfortunately, it was hike-a-bike again back to the top of the divide. Finally, I was back on track. I saw more cows and almost had to use my pepper spray. I had a encounter with a rather large bull that stood in the middle of the road and snorted at me. I kept my distance a yelled at him. He finally moved and I continued on. To Priest Pass, where I climbed to the top of my third Continental Divide (CD) crossing - technically it was my 5th after my missed turn. To Helena was all down hill. Easy - right - nope - head wind all the way and I was pedaling. When I reached town and the campground, a shower was a nice reward. Mom, Ann and I took in the local Montana High School State Rodeo finals - way cool!!! To all my students, these kids did it all - up early to tend the animals, school all day, sports (golf, lacrosse, soccer, etc.), riding and feeding the animals and then homework - can you imagine. I definitely could have grown up in the west as a cow girl! A nice soak in the hot tub and off to bed - another good day, but the body aches!

Lincoln, MT

2007-11-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lincoln, MT is a small town, but has everything necessary. We camped next to a babbling brook at the Spring Creek RV Park. They have nice showers and flush toilets and any RV's are in a different area than the tents. Cheap, too! Lincoln has an auto repair, Foodtown (grocery), Town & Country laundromat, Garland's - a variety store, Subway, True Value Hardware, several restaurants and gas stations. The ranger station for the Helena National Forest is also here. Go 12 miles east on Rt. 200 for wildlife viewing. Just before Roger's Pass (continental divide pass under 6,000') A scrub-shrub area with birds, moose, etc. There is an ATV trail for miles & miles on the north side of the road so bikes can stay off the hwy. We noticed 2 motels - Leeper's Motel and Blue Sky Motel. Lincoln is also where the famous unibomber is from.
BETH writes - Today started with a 1.5 hour drive to Ovando where Jean and I had left off two days before. After a good rest day, I was ready to tackle Huckleberry Pass - 7,000ft and looked very steep on the elevation map. I was on my own - excited, nervous and anxious for the day to come! As it turns out Huckleberry Pass was not actually that hard. It was a long climb through a forest, rocky and clear cut areas. The down side of the pass was very steep, fast and ended up in the grassy meadows with my new friends - cows! I arrived in Lincoln way ahead of schedule. I had told Mom not to worry until 8pm just to give myself more than enough time because I knew no matter what she was worried, because I was by myself. I arrived in Lincoln at 2pm. Mom and Ann had left me a note taped to the end of the stop sign as to where in town we were staying. An easy 1 mile to the campground and no sign of Mom and Ann. I unloaded the trailer and headed into town to find ice cream. It is no longer chocolate that I crave, it is nice cold ice cream! In town I found Mom and Ann and did I give them a scare! The ice cream was good and the campsite on the babbling brook was better. 36 miles, reading for the afternoon (something I do not do often enough) and to bed by 8pm - What a Day!!
JAN wries of June 22 - Today we drove Beth back to Ovando to begin where she and Jean quit on Monday. It is amazing how the terrain changes in short distances. Either it is tree covered and mountainous or it is high open prairie. The wildlife changes, too. We see lots of pronghorns and free ranging cattle and horses in the prairie, but not in the mountains. We are seeing lots of animals crossing the road. Lots of babies. Millions of butterflies are feasting on all the wildflowers that are blooming and unfortunately a lot of them are spattered on the car windshield. Montana is so vast with so many wild places. Every now and then we see a cabin or a ranch tucked into a spot. After we dropped off Beth, we drove to Lincoln, MT and set up the tent right on a little brook. The water is ice cold - too cold to wade in! We saw three extremely large looking fawns, except the spots seemed all wrong. They were the size of small adult deer. We later learned they were elk calves - part of a nursery herd. We never saw the adult tending them, as she must have crossed the road first. Beth surprised us by arriving early afternoon at the tent site. We all did some reading and retired to bed very early.

Helena, MT

2007-11-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Helena seems like a really large town for such a small population. It is the state capital. It has an airport that is serviced by several airlines. Jean used Northwest Airlines. The downtown has an old preserved section from the 1800's & its a nice walking area. We had a great breakfast at the No Sweat Cafe on Last Chance Gulch St. in the historic district. Organically grown food. One block over on Fuller St. we discovered the Sweetgrass Bakery. Fabulous bread and sweets! There is a Super Walmart out toward the airport and D&S Tire & Battery on N. Montana St. if you are having car issues. Great Divide Cyclery on N. Jackson Stree,t which is also a block over from the No Sweat Cafe. We had dinner at Sara's Blue Ribbon Porkies on Cedar St. - west of the airport. Excellent BBQ pork sanwiches! There are lots of motels on Hwy 12. Some have their own laundry facilities, but there is also a laundromat. There is a large mall in the center of town that has Montana t-shirts and gifts. If you have extra time, the State Historical Museum and the State Capital bldg (across the street from one another) are well worth the time!!
BETH writes -Today was my first day off! It was weird to not be on my bike but I think my body much appreciated the day off. Helena is a very fun town! It is not very populated but the valley is filled with lights at night. We walked the walking mile in downtown Helena and looked in some of the local shops, stopped at a bakery (WOW!) and packed up Jean's bike to ship it home. Jean left early this morning and I was unsuccessful at convincing her to quit her job and stay for the summer. Thanks Jean for a fabulous 8 days - you will be missed greatly. Mom, Ann and I spent the day touring the Montana History Museum. Montana has quite a history from the native people to the explorers, gold rush, timber and copper industries. We also went to the state capitol building - very beautiful with painted walls and tiled floors. Finally, we had the great repacking game and planning for the next week. For all of those riders following me, Helena is a mecca for single track. They have a huge parcel trusted to the city of Helena with over 70 miles of single track - sounds like there may be a trip back to Helena in the future
:o)

Ovando, MT

2007-11-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ovando is a small town just off Hwy 200. Be careful not to miss it! We ate at the Stray Bullet Cafe which had really good healthy sandwiches. There is the Blackfoot Inn, the Blackfoot Angler (fishing store) and a museum that they opened just for us!!! According to the sign at the town entrance, the town has a higher population of dogs than people!
BETH writes of June 20th - Today we started in the mountains and ended in the prairie. It is very fun to ride through all of these different habitats. From Roosville to Ovando the habitats have changed many times over. The last two days the forests have had more Larch trees and less underbrush, mostly grass and wildflowers. We rode right into cow country today. We encountered our first cattle guards and man those gaps are wide - you have to be sure your wheel is straight. The grasslands are magnificent with all the mountains and glacial drumlins in the background. We ended the day early with 29 miles in the small town of Ovando. What a neat little town! A cafe, angler shop, museum, and general store. The population of 50 people mostly ranchers! We gave the town some action as we packed our gear in the car to drive to Helena to drop Jean at the airport tomorrow :o( Showers, a big dinner and a bed is how the day ended.
JAN writes of today - Jean and Beth set out from the campground in beautiful sunny weather. Ann and I poked our way to Ovando, where we were to meet them and drive Jean to Helena for her plane. We stopped along the road at several scrub shrub areas and near a few river overlooks and watched dozens and dozens of birds. We saw lots of hawks such as an Osprey drive into a river and a Northern Harrier hunting over a field near the water, a Bald Eagle, Grebes teaching their babies to dive for food, Cedar Waxwings catching insects, a Robin building a nest in a tree and a pair of Mountain Bluebirds building a nest in a newspaper box. The male bluebird is in the picture. We had a wonderful several hours in beautiful weather. In Helena, the Montana State Capital tonight. Small town that seems really large, totally surrounded by mountains. The full moon only added to the wonderful day! Beth and Jean rode almost 300 miles in 8 days. Tomorrow Beth is taking a day off.

Seeley Lake, MT

2007-11-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Seeley Lake, MT. is a very resorty spot. The town has groceries (Wold's Valley Market on the southern end of town), gas, bank, PO, golf course, medical & dential clinics, auto repair, bike rentals, Grizzly Claw Trading Company which is high end souveniors & gifts. We stayed at the Big Trees Camp Ground on the lake. The sites are well spread out. There are no showers, but nice clean valuted toilets. There is a nature trail along the lake.
BETH writes about June 19th - Jean and I realized that at 6500 feet in Montana there is only one thing to say - holy cow this is unreal! We climbed forever it seemed, but the higher we got the more excited we were. We could see for miles on end and there was not a cloud in the sky! When we reached the top we stopped to take pictures and thought we were about to meet our first Grizzly. Fortunately, when the crashing animal popped out on the road we realized it was in fact a young Elk. He was as afraid of us as we were at the thought of him being a Grizzly. The descent from the top of the pass was out of this world. We encountered single track for the second time today, only this time there was a huge cliff to our left and land slide material - trees and rocks on the trail. We had to climb over 8 trees and walked some of the sections in fear of falling off the edge. For all of our riding buddies at home you would have LOVED this single track - rocky, tree filled and water bars to jump. It was fantastic and the view was spectacular. Today is at the top of the list for the most fun and spectacular! 35 miles today and it was seriously awesome!!!!
JAN writes about June 19th-The Swan River Valley that we are now in has to be one the most beautiful spots in the US. Between the snow-capped Mission Mts. on the West and the snow-capped Swan Mts. to the East, it is very lightly inhabited, at least by humans! We both wouldn't mind moving here! Ann and I set up our camp at Big Larch Campground on Seeley Lake. We saw several waterbirds today - including a loon family. Since it is Sunday, the campground had emptied out and we had our pick of sites. Deer were wandering through the campsite! The Western Larch, similar to our Tamarack trees at home, are common here. They are deciduous conifers. Except the ones here are up to 1000 years old and 85 feet in circumference and 200 feet tall. Wow! Big trees! No rain today at all. Shock! First evidence of mosquitoes this trip here, but that is because it has warmed up into the 60's during the day.

Condon, Montana

2007-11-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Condon will be missed if you blink. It was a necessity stop due to the weather. It is in the beautiful Swan River Valley. It turned out to be a good choice. The Super 8 Motel (which was sold the week we were there, so is no longer a Super 8) was very nice. There is a place called The Stage Stop with gas & limited groceries. The Trading Post -with gas.
BETH writes of June 17th - Rain, Rain and more Rain is how the day started. Thunderstorms rolled through Big Fork all morning and by noon Jean and I had decided we had enough. We decided to do half of the day we had planned and stop in Swan Lake. Mom and Ann would take half our gear and drive ahead to the Super 8 where we could dry our gear from all the rain. Soggy and cold Jean and I started the 6 mile climb up into the Mission Mountains. we would only reach 5,000 feet today but the climb never seemed to end. The day ended up better weather wise. We had drizzle for most of the climb and then the sun actually came out. The valley was beautiful to look at from the top with the green and the three layers of clouds. We rode through several sections of old growth Spruce, Cedar, and Larch - wow were those tall trees, some were over 200ft tall. Larch is a decidious conifer with the softest needles. We had a crazy 10 mile decent through old growth and old clear cuts. At the bottom Jean was in front of me and all of a sudden she started going ouh, ouh, ouh . . . around the corner was a juvenile Black Bear and I had left my camera dry with my mother! He kind of looked at us and took his time meandering down the path and into the woods. Yes, we had seen our bear and Jean had seen her first bear! Hopefully that was the only one we would see - nope bear number two crossed the road just before the Super 8. The Super 8 was the other excitement for the day. After 24 miles, Jean and I turned onto the highway to ride to Swan Lake only to find out the Super 8 was 22 miles in the other direction. Luckily, Mom and Ann had already figured that out and were out looking for us. When they found us we had some good burgers and haddock sandwiches in the local bar called Swan Lake Bar and Grill - good food and a hopping place. Our room at the Super 8 looks like a hurricane hit it. Tents and clothes drying everywhere! Hopefully, tomorrow will be a dryer day as we ride to Cold Creek.
BETH about June 18th - Today we started in the sun and it stayed with us all day. The sky threatened storms, but I think we were chasing them. Today was an easier 35.5 miles from Swan lake to just north of Condon. After the first mile we were passed by some of the craziest bikers out there. The Great Divide racers. Essentially these riders race the same route I am doing in less than 20 days. They average 140 miles per day and ride for 12+ hours a day - yes in the dark too! They started yesterday and caught us this am so they rode 172+ miles in 24 hours. They carry very little gear and do not even have a tent. We saw four of the 8 racers. All were men ranging from their late 20's to mid 40's from Arizona, UK, North Carolina and Washington. Best of luck to all of them!! They all win in my book! It was nice to see more riders and chat for a few minutes as they took a break or we chased them for a few feet to get some information from them. We rode in the Mission Mountains again today. We saw our first snakes and may beautiful wildflowers. Jean and I have started a list of the smells of Montana. The last 6 days your nose is always filled with the smell of wild Lupins or Spruce - both are wonderful smells. 212.5 miles in six days!
JAN writes of June 18th - After a lot of rain the last couple of days, it was a joy to wake up today to sunny skies. We have spent way too much time drying wet tents and clothes in motels! The forecast is for seven more days of rain, so tonight we aren't taking any chances and we're all staying in a motel again! Montana had virtually no snow this winter, so they are thrilled to death with all this rain. It reduces the fire danger tremendously. After the girls headed out today on their bikes, Ann and I decided to take part of the forest road they rode yesterday where they saw a black bear. No bear today, unfortunately. We backtracked a bit and took another forest road they were never on. The picture, which reminded us of Robert Frost's poem about the road less traveled, was lovely. We spent several hours out on back fire roads, but were rewarded only by seeing views, wildflowers, butterflies, a weasel that was probably a Pine Martin, deer, and lots of pot holes! A tough life, but someone's got to do it! The Jeep got quite a workout! The girls got to the motel 35 miles of riding later - actually dry!!! The rains came after they got back. Tomorrow we will be back to camping - at Seeley Lake. We have had no cell phone coverage for days. Hope the world is still there!

Bigfork, MT

2007-11-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

Bigfork, Mt is a cute little town on Rt 35 along Flathead Lake. The main part of town is NE of the lake on Grand Ave. We tried Cravings - a Cafe with excellent soup & panini sandwiches. We stayed at Wayfarer's Camp Ground which is a MT State Park right on Flathead Lake. Extrememly clean with a nice bath house, flush toilets, and $1 showers. There is also an IGA grocery store, a drug store, bank, coin laundry, and expensive gas.
BETH writes about June 16th - 159 miles to date! Today was the longest day by far (especially after no sleep because of the trains) - we rode 50 miles mostly on road from Whitefish to Big Fork. The country side was huge. We discovered that in the valley the weather is better, but the scenery was not as good. We saw tons of huge spreads where the owners must have millions of dollars, lots of beautiful horses and the sun for most of the day. We went through many small towns to remind us we were in Northern Montana - Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Creston, Swan River, Echo Lake, and Big Fork. Big Fork sits at the top of Flathead Lake-a HUGE lake. It is a cute little town that reminds you of a town in VT but has a western feel to it. Also the Swan River flows through the town and into Flathead Lake. We are staying at Wayfarers Camp Ground, beautiful, with hot showers(two days in a row of showers - we are feeling spoiled) and my mom and Ann made us a wonderful chicken rice dinner with salad and bread. I don't think I have ever eaten that much and I am still a little hungry. I was also able to do some laundry in the sink in hopes that it dries for tomorrow. The wildlife highlights of the day were a white-tailed deer and her new fawn, a harem of Wild Turkeys with a very proud male, and two Ospery - one with a fish and the other building a nest. I started the trip with a cold and today I really felt it. I am hoping the riding will help it run its course faster. Other than that my body is tired and my rear is sore, but I am feeling stronger that I thought I would :o)

Polebridge to Whitefish, MT

2007-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

BETH writes of June 15th: We won't see Mom or Ann tonight. We are on our own. Day three was the best so far. Jean and I rode from Polebridge to Whitefish a total of 44 miles. We had a wonderful breakfast at the Polebridge Mecantile and tried to go down the road for a shower. Unfortunitly, the showers were $7, so we decided that we could survive without one. We got a shuttle up to where we had left the ride and started a 10 mile climb to Red Meadow Lake. WOW!! As we climbed we could look down into the valley and see where we had come from and in the distance was the white capped Rockies. When we reached Red Meadow Lake there was a Bald Eagle soaring over the lake and the nearby hill side. There was snow on both sides of the road and you could tell that a few days before the road may not have been passable. We then had a 25 mile down hill - seriously awesome! Those 25 miles went by VERY fast! Up to that point Jean and I had made a few observations: Grizzly Bear scat is huge and there are three colors - Green=fresh-ride harder, Black=within a day-keep your eyes and ears pealed, Brown=no worries; second is in this beautiful landscape humans still show their presence - most of the 25 miles was through logging roads and we saw fresh logging operations and some that the forest had already been growing back. It was neat to see succession at its finest. When we reached Whitefish we were back in civilization - cars and HUGE houses on Whitefish Lake. We stayed the night at Whitefish State Park with nice showers and a railroad track within 500 ft of the site.

Glacier National Park

2007-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

Polebridge, MT & Glacier National Park

2007-10-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

Polebridge, MT is a tiny spot adjacent to Glacier National Park. It has a mercantile (that was for sale) that has a small selection of goods from oil & gas to bug stuff & aspirin. They bake fresh goodies daily with a LP gas stove. Mailbox and payphone at the mercantile. The cabins - very rustic - rent for $35 a night. 2 double beds in each. No linens, but wood stove & wood and propane light. Outhouse out back. We watched deer eating near the cabin from its covered porch in the evening. Showers at a place 2 miles South of cabin - $7, if you are really desperate! Northern Lights Saloon is next to the mercantile. Has beer, wine and great food! We had buffalo steaks and Moosedrool Beer when there. There are also a few
B & B's in the area.

JAN writes of June 14th - Polebridge looks like a place out of the history books from long ago. Very cool. Our cabin pictured, with outhouse to right. In the evening we could wildlife watch off our porch, as the deer were everywhere. We awoke in our unheated cabin to cold and fog. Ann & I had about 4-5 layers on to keep warm. The Polebridge Mercantile bakes yummy things each day. We had hot out of the oven cherry turnovers for breakfast. We went back into Glacier Park until noon, as we agreed to meet Beth and Jean at Polebridge and drive them into Glacier Park in the afternoon. Glacier National Park is in both Canada and the US. It contains over a million acres and the mountains are so high there are dozens of active glaciers. It is a park that contains all of its original predators-grizzly and black bears, wolves, coyotes, wolverines, cougar, etc. Beth and Jean made it to Polebridge, wet and hungry, about 2PM. Our cabin was taken over with their wet tent and clothes, scattered around to dry. We spent the next several hours driving to and from Glacier Park and driving on the Going to the Sun Road. Unfortunately I was the one doing the white knuckle driving. Narrow road with flimsy barricades keeping us from falling thousands of feet off the mountains! It was raining on and off, but the scenery was still beyond imagination. When we reached the top there was a rainbow to greet us!

Beth writes of June 14th - Wet and cold is how the morning started - thankfully it was not raining. Jean started a fire, but without much success because the wood was so wet. I went down to Tuchuck Creek and filtered water for breakfast. After oatmeal, coffee, and tea we packed up and we were off. We were able to laugh about last night and rehashed the day before. Down the road we rounded the corner to amazing, more amazing and extremely amazing beauty. Between the hundreds of acres of burned land and the white caped Rocky mountains the only word was WOW! Thats all you would have heard had you been following us. Today was an easy 24 miles to Polbridge to meet my Mom and Ann. Yes - we did it! Day two ended at 2pm with a celebration hot cookies and lunch from the Polbridge Mercantile. After lunch, we drove into Glacier National Park and up to Logan Pass. The moose and her twin calves was the first enjoyment and then the scenery that just kept going was the second! Hot spaghetti dinner and a warm cottage was the reward for two hard days of work.

The Ride Starts Pics - June 13

2007-10-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Eureka, Montana - June 13

2007-10-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Beth and Jean flew into the airport in Kalispel, MT on June 12th. The plane was late - arriving about 11:15PM. Of course the girls were on Eastern time, so it was very late for them. We all stayed in a Super 8 Motel in Whitefish, MT that night- 10 minutes from the airport. We drove to Eurika, Mt.,the closest large city to the Canadian border early on June 13th. The city is spread out along Dewey Ave. Progressive Cyclery (303 Dewey Ave.) is where Jean had shipped her bike. The owner had it all put together for her and then actually shipped her bike box to a cycle shop in Helena for her for when she needed to ship the bike home. He also gave Beth's bike a check up. We found a nice cafe within an easy walk of the bike shop - Jax Cafe - that is like a "remember when" dinner. It has old fashioned ice cream sodas and invites everyone to write on the walls. The food was great! Eureka had cheaper gas in the southern end of town than either Whitefish or Kalispel and is a good place to fill up to start the ride. There is a hardware store (if you forgot an essential for the trip) in a strip mall on the Northern end of town - also JB's grocery store and across the street a sporting goods store if you don't have bear spray.

BETH wrote of June 13th-Bright blue sky this morning in the Big Sky state was a beauty to wake up to - too bad it did not stay that way. We started the morning by driving from Whitefish to Eureka. Thank you to Progressive Cyclery for taking good care of our bikes and us. We had an outstanding lunch in Cafe Jax and we were off to the border at Port Roosville. Oh, boy - pack, re pack, unload and reload was the name of the game for the next hour. By two o'clock I got my passport stamped and Jean and I were off. WOW! Amazing scenery kept our eyes peeled and the first twenty miles was easy. The second 21 miles maybe would have been had the weather stayed nice. When we started the 6 mile climb up to the 5800 foot Whitefish Pass we encountered rain, sleet, thunder and lightning. The next 9 miles to Tuchuck Campground was miserable. Cold and wet me made dinner and set up the tent. The one stall bathroom was our savior. Jean wanted to sleep in it, but I thought that was a little much. Instead all of our stuff and bikes stayed dry in the pouring rain we had over night. Maybe I should have listened to Jean. Ok, so the first day wasn't perfect, but we live in a beautiful country and we already have had a heck of an adventure.

JAN wrote of June 13th - Due to our late night we all slept in until 7AM. The sun was shinning. Hurray!!! We spent awhile repacking the car so we could cram the girls in and drive them to the Canadian border about 62 miles north. We stopped at Eureka for Jean's bike that had been shipped there. A delightful little town. We ate an early lunch at a really cute diner called Jax Cafe. It was a remember when style diner with old pictures and decor and playing 50's music. At the border the girls put their packs and gear together and started their ride about 2PM. Ann & I decided to drive the route ahead of them to Polebridge. The 60 miles took us about 4 hours! Curvey, bumpy and scenic dirt forest road heading straight at snow capped mountains. It was really hard to keep your eyes on the road! We had to stop often to take rocks off the dirt road and also to take pictures. The girls are planning on camping somewhere along the way. We are staying in a rustic cabin. No heat, electricity, or running water.

Ready to Begin Pic - June 2

2007-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

The beginning - June 2

2007-10-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Beth-
I am a high school Science teacher. Riding the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico is a dream I have had for a long time . I started my planning over a year ago. My principal agreed to let me leave school 2 weeks early so I could finish the entire trip over the summer. I plan on sharing much of what I learned with my students for years to come. I had a set of maps from Adventures Cycling and a GPS to help me find my way. I began my trip with my good friend and fellow bike enthusiast Jean. Jean and I did a lot of training before the trip -riding both loaded and unloaded bikes for a couple of months before we left. Jean rode with me to just north of Helena, MT. I pulled a BOB (beast of burden) trailer the entire trip and Jean used panniers. The total mileage ridden by me over the course of the summer was over 2,600 miles.
Jan-
I am Beth's mother and was the "sherpa" for Beth as she rode the great divide trail. A Sherpa is traditionally defined as a member of an ethnic group in Nepal, often employed as guides & pack carriers for mountain climbers and hikers. I left June 2nd and drove out to Montana with bikes, camping gear, maps and other necessities. A good friend, Ann, (a retired Science teacher from Maryland) accompanied me for the first 6 weeks. Ann & I did some sightseeing of our own on the way to Montana and while attending to Beth. Beth flew into Kalispell, Montana on June 12th, with a friend who rode with her the first week. This trip has been over a year in the planning. We read a lot and have tried to line up companion riders for Beth in the single track parts of the trip. She biked alone well over half of the trip. We learned that not everything we read was correct, so hopefully my notes will help others attempting to do this. We were armed with gazetteers from each of the states Beth biked through. We learned flexibility, a sense of humor, and a 4-wheel drive vehicle is needed for a successful attempt at this. I am a retired Environmental educator, so much of my notes relate to the fauna & flora we saw.