Related Photos The Missoula, MT to Yellowstone Stage (via Highways 93, 203, 269, 43, 278, 41 and 287) Back
July 23, 2004
While setting up our bike
and trailer outside our Missoula hotel room, we were approached by a couple from
As we started south, we noticed that Randall was not able to hear through our intercom system called Tandem-Talk. We continued to the outskirts of town as we thought it might be a low battery. At the south edge of Missoula, we stopped to change the battery. After the battery change, Randall could not hear Barb but Barb could hear Randall. One of the wires on Randall's headset (or ear piece) must have had a short. We biked north to Radio Shack to get a cellular phone headset as that has worked for us in the past. We spent quite some time determining which headset would work best as the options at this Radio Shack were more limited. Once we selected a headset, we decided to get two as we would not be in another large town for awhile and Barb's headset has seen a lot of wear, too. One problem we face with using the cellular phone headsets is that they are intended for indoor use. Wind noise can be very loud. To solve this problem, we transferred the foam cover from the microphone of the shorted headset. We headed back south to rejoin our route after this six mile detour. One can appreciate that we really get a lot of benefit from this Tandem-Talk to have biked three miles out of our way for a resolution. On our route again, it was already after 10 AM, so it was going to be a long day.
Our route followed the Bitterroot River Valley and was mostly flat. We had a wonderful tail wind. A four lane Highway 93 with a wide shoulder went south out of Missoula. We stopped at a convenience store in Lolo for a quick lunch as we had only a light breakfast to start the day. South of Lolo, we hopped onto a bike path that paralleled the busy Highway 93. Along this path, we met two touring cyclists headed north. The path had a smoother surface than the highway shoulder and had a couple of shaded, rest stops.
At
Eastside Highway continued through Stevensville where we stopped for some large, icy drinks. The temperature was climbing into the mid 80s so we tried out our new Kool Ties. Worn around the neck, the Kool Tie is a cooling neck scarf which is full of water-absorbing crystals. We soaked the ties in water for 30 minutes and then tied them around our necks to help beat the heat. Leaving Stevensville, CR 203 became CR 269 but the highway was still called Eastside. We saw more of the farms and mountain views but we saw fewer dwellings along the way.
Arriving in Corvallis, the rear tandem tire blew out. Wow, our first bicycle tire flat on this tour after almost 3,000 miles (some of you may recall that we had a trailer tire flat on the Dalton Highway). We will never go that far again without a flat! We walked the tandem over to a driveway about 50 ft away so that we would not be so close to the highway. Upon inspection of the deflated tube, we found a small slit. We always check the tire for the source of the tube failure because if a piece of glass or a thorn is left in the tire, it will pop the new tube as well. We discovered that the tire itself had a slit on the side wall, just above where it fits into the rim. We checked to make sure the brake pads were not rubbing on the tire, but the pads were positioned properly. A tire failure of this type is usually a manufacturing defect and is rare. This tire was put on brand new in Coleman, Alberta about 400 miles earlier. We put on one of our two backup tires and a new tube and we were on our way. We discarded the bad tire as we opted not to give the manufacturer any failure feedback while on tour.
Departing the small farming
community of Corvallis (forever remembered as a deflating town), we continued to
enjoy the views of the farms and mountains along the way. The terrain was still
mostly flat and the wind continued to be our friend. Seven miles later, we
reached Hamilton, a sizable town in the valley. Since, we were now down to one
spare tire, we sought out the bike shop in town. Valley Bikes turned out to be
a very well supplied bike shop. They had in stock our tire size and tubes so
we were pleased to be able to purchase a new tire and two tubes. We also picked
up their business card as we would not see another bike shop until West
Yellowstone, MT. Rather drained from biking 60 plus miles in a warmer c
Leaving Hamilton, we rejoined the busy Highway 93. Fortunately, we had a shoulder and traffic was winding down for the day. We were now saying goodbye to the flat highway and beginning a series of hills. Not exactly the way you want to end your day of cycling. It was during this stretch that we saw a number of sheep farms. Reaching our final stop for the day, Darby, MT, we picked up some groceries as services were expected to be sparse down the road. As we entered Darby, we passed another milestone: 3000 miles on the tour! We assessed the best backdrop for our photo op. Since the sun was setting behind the mountains, a photo in that direction would not work. Darby was a quaint town with rustic storefronts so we set up for a background shot of Americana. Our tandem would temporarily block half of main street. As Randall positioned the bike, a woman stopped her car and offered to take the photo so that both of us could be in it.
While we unloaded our gear
outside our motel room, a woman from
Miles cycled - 79.3
July 24, 2004
We started biking at 7 AM
after having breakfast at a local cafe. Before leaving the parking lot, we
chatted with a couple of bikers from the same group as the
As we typically do for difficult ascents, we dropped into our third lowest gear. Less than a minute later, we shifted to the second lowest gear. Ooh boy, this was going to be a workout. We would stay with this gear for the entire six miles of climbing. There were a number of switchbacks to take us to the top and we took a rest after each mile of climbing. Three fourths of the way up, two teenagers passed us. Later, at one of our rest breaks, their father caught up to us and stopped to chat. He had toured extensively in the late 1960s and this was his sons' first century ride (100 miles). They had started from their home in Hamilton and would stop in Salmon, ID for some fishing before returning home by car the next evening.
We caught up to this cycling family at the rest area on top of Lost Trail Pass (6,990 feet). After more chatting, we learned that the father was the president of a log home construction company that built homes for the top 1% of the market. His company built all the Outdoor World Bass Pro shops across the country, including the one in Auburn Hills, MI, just ten miles from our previous home. His sons were impressed that two adults did something as radical as selling their home and quitting their jobs to go on "just a big adventure." Also, while at the rest area, we read a posting about the Montana "White Crosses." The America Legion Post builds, erects and maintains the signs which remind people to drive (and bike) carefully. We have noticed the signs on every highway we have traveled on in Montana. We have seen as many as five crosses lined up, next to the highway.
While these bikers and most of the traffic continued on into Idaho on Highway 93, we turned left (east) onto Highway 43. After yet another mile of climbing, we crossed Chief Joseph Pass (7,241 feet). Another pass completed! Earlier, the cycling father had told us that we would now be entering the prettiest area in Montana. Having already toured Glacier, the Swan River Valley and the Bitterroot River Valley, we were skeptical. However, judging from the high number of photos taken during this stage, he was probably accurate in his opinion.
After a photo stop at the pass (our seventh Continental Divide crossing), we quickly descended into a valley with elaborate, roadside fences and dense forests along the mountainsides. We met a touring couple heading north. A few miles into our descent, the valley widened and the landscape became more pasture-like with cattle seen grazing. After reaching the top of a large plateau, we passed by the Big Hole Battlefield National Monument. For miles and miles, we rode across this vast plateau. It was a remarkable change for us as the surrounding mountains became quite distant and we could see for miles around. The enormous pastures along the road were populated with cattle, antelope and sage brush. We had never seen so much sage brush!
Descending from this large plateau, we entered the town of Wisdom where we ate an early dinner at a restaurant. As we left Wisdom, we stopped to get groceries. Our route plan now had us leaving Highway 43 and heading south on Highway 278. Having earlier traveled for miles by grazing cattle, the agricultural setting changed to crops as we passed by miles of alfalfa. Some of the fields had very tall ramps which must have been used for elevating and stacking the hay bales.
A couple of miles south of
Wisdom, our camera chip became full. We were really taking in the sights. When
we stopped to change out to another memory card, we were immediately swarmed by
mosquitoes. We could not get that card changed fast enough! The irrigated hay
must have provided a
Miles cycled - 75.2
July 25, 2004
We left
Our next climb, Badger Pass
(6,760 feet) was not as high but our prior, fun descent took us down 1,400 ft in
elevation. So, back up we went. The ascent of this pass was going smoothly
until we were within one quarter mile of the summit. At that point, we
discovered a slow leak in the rear tandem tire. Yikes, another flat! That's
two flats in three days after going two months without a flat. We pulled off
the road as far as possible and changed the tube. The one positive with this
stop was that we had a
With the deflated tire re-inflated, we finally conquered the pass. Once beyond the pass, we could see a cyclist's dream. Our highway was fairly straight and it went down and down and down. Reaching speeds up to 35 mph, we descended for over ten miles. What a blast! Going fast for ten miles downhill can be very tiring to the rider doing the steering so we took a brief rest and shot a photo of an entrance gate. On the gate post, a mailbox was fastened up at a height that no one could reach was marked for airmail.
After going under Interstate 15 and over a railroad overpass, we soon found ourselves in Dillon. We weaved through town for a couple of miles before finding the Longhorn Cafe for a lunch stop. A couple who saw our Habitat for Humanity banner on our trailer asked us about our travels. A second couple from California with a vacation home north of Yellowstone gave us some insight about the accommodations for the next couple of days. A third couple, who sat quietly listening to us talking, asked for our card before they left. When we went to pay for our meal, the waitress said that the third couple had already taken care of our tab. How generous and sneaky!
From Dillon, we headed northwest on Highway 41. The lunch stop was refreshing which was good because we immediately were greeted by three miles of road construction. We biked (and sometimes walked) through gravel packed with large rocks. It was not a pretty sight and we feared that we might break a rim or spoke. In addition, we had to dodge traffic barrels and vehicles.
Once through the
construction zone, we met a chap from
Outside of Dillon, we biked by several farms, some of which had sheep grazing. Irrigation was very prevalent as both crops and pastures were being watered down. Later, we came upon a historical marker for Beaverhead Rock. This large rock was an important landmark for the frontier travelers. We did not use the rock to guide us on our way but we very much enjoyed its beauty.
Going past Beaverhead Rock, the thundershowers that we had been able to avoid were catching up to us. Without warning, a huge gust of wind hit us from the southwest as we were headed mostly north. Instead of subsiding, the wind increased to a sustained 40 to 50 mph. Since we weren't exactly in the direction of the wind, Randall battled to keep the tandem from blowing off the right side of the road. After a quarter mile of this, we encountered a most unbelievable combination. As we passed a gravel road to our left, a semi-truck from the north met us. Just as we got sandblasted alive by the blowing dirt, the truck's opposing wind current made it feel like we were inside a twister. Whew! As we regrouped, the road then turned, to the northeast. Now, with the wind directly behind us, we rode (or flew) the final ten miles to Twin Bridges, MT in just 25 minutes! While showers drenched the areas behind us, we only felt a few drops of moisture.
By the time we reached Twin Bridges, the wind had subsided to 10 to 15 mph. We would now turn right onto Highway 287. Riding through the small town, we stopped at a convenience store for some refreshments. Feeling somewhat refreshed, we decided to take on the next ten miles to Sheridan, MT. As it turned out, this was no easy ten miles. We were now headed southeast so we had no tailwind and we had a constant, gradual climb. After earlier "flying" to Twin Bridges, we now felt like we were riding through quicksand!
When we arrived in Sheridan, we looked back to the northwest and the sky was a deep blue. An overnight rain appeared likely so we checked into a motel for the night. The grocery store in town was already closed so we stopped at the convenience store to get some sandwiches and some breakfast snacks for in the morning.
Miles cycled - 85.8
July 26, 2004
With the days getting warmer, we were getting motivated to do earlier starts. We left Sheridan at 6:30 AM as we anticipated a lot of climbing in the morning. Although rain was threatening last night, this morning had mostly clear skies. As we headed to the mountain pass, we passed through the small towns of Lauren and Alder. Both towns appeared to support a thriving agricultural community with a mixture of crops (mostly hay) and pastures. We could see the lush green fields span up to the mountain foothills. There was a lot of irrigation and rustic barns. After Alder, the crops and pasture gave way to sagebrush. Lots of sagebrush. We met two men in their fifties on recumbent bicycles heading west. They had been traveling with the three cyclists we saw the day before but stayed an extra day in Yellowstone. They too were looking forward to ending their trip soon and returning home.
As we continued to climb through the Alder Gulch, we saw antelope and some cabins along the way. We soon entered Nevada City and Virginia City, two towns designed for tourists with old buildings to tour and gold panning experiences for the kids. Nevada City, in our opinion, had more of an old west look to it. The store fronts were fairly aged and weathered as they faced the main street. Just a short distance later, we pedaled up the main street in Virginia City. The main street is on a steep incline, which along with the western style buildings, gave the small town some character. We saw no convenience store or gas station in the area so they must have been off the beaten path. Two points in town caught our eye with one being the courthouse building and the other being a large white tent which served as the "Cowboy Church."
Climbing out of Virginia
City, we noticed piles upon piles of rocks like the ones we had seen near
Having conquered another
pass, we started the glorious downhill descent. The view was just incredible as
you could see the highway winding down the mountain. Part way into the descent,
we scorched the brakes to stop at a scenic overlook. Photo opportunity! A
couple from
Leaving Ennis, we continued on Highway 287 towards Cameron, MT and into a south headwind. Traffic was getting heavier so we stayed on the shoulder. The shoulder was wide enough but very rough with lots of gravel chips. In addition, we were climbing with our speed now at a sluggish 7 to 9 mph. Our hopes of getting a cold drink in Cameron disappeared as the listed facilities were closed. As we stopped to rest, a SUV pulled up beside us. It was the couple from California. Their vacation home was about five miles ahead and they invited us over for a cold soda. This was an offer we could not refuse!
The house was located about
a mile off the highway on a dirt road. About a third of the road was parallel
to the highway before heading toward the
As we enjoyed the view, the
company and the refreshments, the sky began to darken and a thunderstorm
threatened. The wind rushed strongly by the cabin at 30 to 40 mph. We had
parked our bike in their garage so it was spared from the wind and intermittent
rain. With the weather not looking good, we accepted Dave and Sue's earlier
offer of a bed for the night. We cleaned up while they prepared grill chicken
for dinner. We learned a lot about the area and thoroughly enjoyed our time
together. It was
Miles cycled - 54.5
July 27, 2004
After a very restful night in the "Cabin Grande," we gathered up our gear and loaded up our tandem for riding. Sue served us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. While eating breakfast, there was a spectacle of wildlife - antelope, osprey, badger, etc. seen along the river. What a exceptional location for a cabin!
We traversed the dirt road
to get back on Highway 287. Heading south, we continued along the
The road gradually curved to the east. Mountain sheep were seen up on the side of the road which made for an easy photo. We passed Three Dollar Bridge, so named because the owner kept a box at the bridge with a sign that said, $3 for parking all day. Fishing was very prevalent in this area. One service stop listed on our map was a fly shop bustling with fishermen. The only items they had which interested us were their Gatorade and a limited selection of snacks. They sold far more beer for sure.
With Quake Lake just ahead
of us, we had a steady climb before we could actually see the lake. In 1959, an
earthquake caused a huge rock slide which created Quake Lake. An extraordinary
pile of rock dammed the
After riding past Quake
Lake, we stopped for lunch at a cafe 100 feet from the
Leaving the cafe, we soon
arrived at the Hebgen Lake dam. Below the dam, a number of fishermen could be
seen, wading in the
We headed into the park
with the goal of reaching the
We could tell we were back
in the USA and in the land of lawyers as we were given several fliers. One
warned "Many visitors have been gored by
There was one other touring cyclist camping that night. Wim, a 32 year old web developer from Denmark was taking a year to bike from Edmonton, Alberta to Buenos Aries, Argentina. He also had a website and he used a Palm (hand sized computer} to record his stories and photos. He updated his website by stopping at the local libraries. We suspect internet access and libraries will be hard to find in Latin America. He carried a solar panel to charge his Palm and camera batteries. His website is in the Dutch language (we think), but the photos are very readable. Check it out at movingsouth.be.
Miles cycled - 66.5