Day 57 Jul13: Hamilton MT to Missoula MT Angie and Bill

And that’s a wrap for now! Today Bill and Angie finished Phase One of our TransAmerica bike tour in Missoula Montana. Sawyer is picking us up and we are headed home to Spokane in the morning. We will get back on our bikes in the fall or possibly next year to finish up the Missoula MT to Florence OR leg. This was a helluva experience; all good. Challenging, strengthening, eye opening and filled with gratitude. Adventure Cycling Association maps and advocates for the bike trails and is HQ’ed in Missoula. Like all TransAmers we checked in for a tour, had our photos taken for the wall, weighed our bikes (mine 67lbs, Bill 83lbs), and partook of the promised ice cream in their bikers lounge. Here are a few stats:

Number of States visited: 8 (Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana)

Total miles pedaled:  3371 miles

Total elevation climbed:  134,220 ft

Average speed: 10.9

Number of flats: Angie 2, Bill 6

Number of days on bike tour: 56

Number of zero days (rest days): 1 in Fairplay CO

Weight loss: Angie 10lbs, Bill 10lbs

Day 56 Jul 12: May Creek CG to Hamilton MT Angie and Bill

 

From May Creek went up and over Chief Joseph Pass. The Bitterroots are so pretty with majestic snow capped craggy granite peaks in the near distance, lodge pole pines in abundance and clear mountain streams and rivers alongside the road. Just over the pass we saw Lost Trail Ski Area. Note to self, we have to come back here in the winter and ski this hidden gem. After that we had the longest, sweetest downhill in the history of the world on silky smooth, champagne concrete, pothole free mountain road for about 16 miles. Then it was pretty flat all the way into Hamilton. Stopped in Sula for a cuppa Joe and a snack. Chatted it up with Michelle, a solo TransAmer from Maine. She is a surgeon taking four months for herself on this amazing journey. Sula is tiny and cute with a charming General Store and is all about fly fishing tourism. Their claim to fame is that this was an important stop for Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Pedaled into another very cute town, Darby. I reminded myself that if my son Sawyer was a girl we were going to name her Darby, LOL. Had a nice leisurely, hearty lunch of veggie burger for me and a  meatball hoagie for Bill.

Pulled into Hamilton and arrived at the home of our Warmshowers hosts Regine and Mike. Regine is a charming and loquacious native German that is a real bike touring enthusiast. She bikes everywhere and has done Northern Tier, TransAm (solo), and Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico. Mike is a retired Army lawyer that served for 32 years. As you can imagine we had a lot to talk about. They served an outstanding dinner with dessert for us. So nice! A beet and chickpea salad with fresh greens from their garden, fresh baked “no knead” bread, purple cauliflower salad with tahini and walnuts, falafel patties and for dessert homemade strawberry and rhubarb cobbler (again, home grown) with homemade lemon ice cream. WOW, delicious. It sure is nice to be in the west again where hummus, arugula, chickpeas, tahini, etc. are part of the vocabulary.

Day 56 July 12th Ennis to Twin Bridges, MT Leisa and Eric

After breakfast we left at 6 am to climb 10 miles up and go 4 miles down to Virginia City, an old mining town.  It was a treat to have a latte and candy from a little candy store.  The musuem was as eclectic as they come.  There were lots of pictures of the early townsfolk; vintage clothing and furs - buffalo fur: gun, stoves, saddles, etc. It was fun to browse through.  While we rode to Twin Bridges we stopped to see a Catholic church that was build in 1910.  It is a historic sight and in perfect condition.  In Sheridan we hit the grocery store for lunch and made a stop at the Library where the librarian, Bill Hardin, showed us around.  He organizes the books with the DVD movies of the same title.  Also he works hard to get everybook in a collection.  They have almost every Agatha Christie.  He collects many foreign author books, too.  It was very impressive for the size.  Eric and I both being book lovers, really enjoyed it.

We are now in Twin Bridges for the night at a local park/campground. The showers are great.  

 

Day 55 Jul 11: Bannack MT to May Creek Campground Angie and Bill

 What a difference a day makes. We went to bed anxious to get up early and beat any repeat of the headwind we had the previous day.  But the entire 66 miles was very pleasant with great weather. A weird thing happened. I had woke up feeling a little nauseated and with a headache. We started the ride with a big climb over a mountain pass and right away I started feeling worse and even a little out-of-body lightheaded. You have a lot of time to let your mind wander and as I took inventory of my symptoms; headache, nausea, I wondered if my body was trying to tell me I was going to have the old Hobbs hereditary heart attack in my 60s. I know…too much time in my head. So I pulled over, took a couple aspirin and ate an Rx Bar and an apple and rested for a minute. Anyway, my pulse was strong and fine and I started to feel better. I think the previous day had sapped me and the moral of the story is that I’m just not eating enough. 

Visited Big Hole National Battlefield NPS which I highly recommend. This was the site of yet another massacre of indigenous people, in this case the forcibly exiled Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph. The Nez Perce put up a good fight and it was considered a tactical victory. Some where able to escape but upwards of 90 warriors, women and children were murdered. Very sobering and it makes me so mad and sad the violence of how the “west was won”.

Arrived at May Creek campground with enough time to take a bath in a clear mountain stream. Exhilarating and refreshing! This was a beautiful campground with tall lodge pole pines, shade, fewer mosquitoes and we practically had the place to ourselves. Later, three sets of touring cyclists pedaled in. It seems we are seeing more and more cyclists on tour. Fixed ourselves a delicious batch of ramen with tuna, green peas, a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter and chili flakes…Yum! Then off to bed early with the iPad to watch an episode of Jeff Bridges in The Old Man that I downloaded on Hulu. Tomorrow we stay with a Warmshowers host in Hamilton MT, and then Missoula, our last day of phase one of our TransAmerica tour. So this was our last bike camping night for a while. A little bittersweet because bike touring is THE BEST.

Day 55, July 11th, Zero Day in Ennis, MT. Leisa and Eric

It was so nice with Rachel and Mike, we decided to stay another day.  Ennis is a rustic, western, fishing town.  We looked at artwork, outdoor stores, fly fishing stored and the library.  We bought our lunch and ate in the park with the deer.  In afternoon, Mike took all 4 of us floating.  He told us a lot out the Madison river, the fly fishing and wild life.  It was perfect afternoon. When we got back 2 more riders had arrived. Antonis and Louisa from Denmark were resting.  Again Rachel and Mike made us all a great Taco meal and an incredible strawberry shortcake dessert compliments of Mike.

Day 54 Jul 10: Twin Bridges to. Bannack MT Angie and Bill

 We spent the night at Twin Bridges, a tiny little town at the confluence of the Ruby, Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers. Like a lot of towns in this region, fly fishing is <mwah>.

We stayed at a sweet bike camp started in 2009 by a local named Bill White. What a great idea, and such an oasis for the weary cyclist. It is a large single room shelter with old sofas in the city park, grass to pitch a tent, a picnic bench patio adjoining, a shower with hot water (luxury!) and electrical outlets. Free for cyclists and donations are encouraged. People are so nice! 

We pedaled out to Dillon and hit up the Safeway there. Dillon is on I-15. I have whizzed past Dillon during long road trips and it felt a little discombobulating to be pedaling through Nowheresville and come to a familiar major highway exit. Once past Dillion we hit possibly the most demoralizing stretch of ride on the tour. Straight on major headwind, and then a 10 mile climb over a pass to add to that. Halfway through I burned through two bottles of water and had to stop at a person’s house and ask for water. A nice grandma and grandpa type in suspenders. 

We crested the top of the pass and coasted down to Bannack State Park and campground, our final destination for the day. Bannack was once the Montana Territorial capital, a big deal in its day. Now it is a ghost town and a very interesting and well restored one at that. The park had a nice interpretive center and it was fun to go in and out of old log buildings, up the stairs and try to imagine gun slingers, dance hall girls, school marms, gold prospectors and boarding house proprietors going about their business. 

Pitched our tent at the nearby campground and off to bed early to avoid the mosquitos eating us alive. Bannack was a very pretty campground with a meandering stream running just past our tent. Fell asleep to the babble and gurgle of the water and the light of a beautiful, nearly full moon.

Day 54 July 10th Baker's Hole campground to Ennis, MT Leisa and Eric

The morning temperature of 30 degrees made this our coldest morning.  We left camp at 6:10 to beat the traffic, heat and wind.  On this Sunday morning the only vehicles for the first 2 hours were fishermen as they went to worship the Madison River.  The salmon fly larve is hatching, the fish are biting and everyone is here.  It is only catch and release.  The rainbow and brown trout average 15 to 18 inches.
Our home for the night is Warmshower hosts, Rachel and Mike.  They open their home to many riders.  We are here with 2 women from Germany, Jenny and Josephia, who are riding on the Continent for 10 months.  Tomorrow we are taking the day off along the the gals.  Rachel and Mike are taking us floating on the Madison.and   Mike is a parttime fishing guide.  They chose to live in Ennis so he can fish.  He also a curriculum educator.  Rachel just started as a low-income housing facilitor.  Their jobs go where they go.  Mike travels the world for some of his work. Rachel is a mountain bike rider and they both ski, raft, and snowshoe.  Mike is training to run the Jackson Hole Marathon in September.  They fed us a great dinner of homemade salad and pizza. The pizza dough was made with pureed cauliflower. Yum. Desert was S'mores and Huckleberry liquor made in Ennis.

 

Day 53 July 9th Madison Campground, WY to Baker's Hole campground, MT. Leisa and Eric

 We had a 14 mile easy ride this morning to West Yellowstone.  A few areas had info about the trappers and early settlers of the region.  Finally in West Yellowstone I had my long anticipated pancake breakfast. Eric went for chicken fried steak with gravey, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and toast.  At the local library we spent a couple of hours charging electronic devices and catching up on communications.  We have been without for 3 days.  Mainly we did research for our next locations for camping and sightseeing.  I also got caught up on the blogging.  Both the Yellowstone History Museum and Old Train Station were good history on the area.  I liked the old soda fountain at the Eagle Store.  It had the old soda fountains and big bar.  The chocolate malt wasn't bad either!  The Eagle store started out as a fly fishing shop but kept expanding.  It has been in business for  a long time. A local grocery store filled our need for tortillas, peanut butter, tuna fish, ramen, and fresh fruit.  We pedaled north for 3 miles to Baker's Hole campground on Madison river to camp.  All campgrounds for the next 70 miles were first come first serve so we took the first one.  We will get up early and ride 74 miles to Ennis.  Sunday morning will be a calm time to ride.  It is mostly downhill, too.