West Yellowstone

Saturday
Odometer reading of 70.5 miles with moving time of 5:40 hours.

Instead of going to Virginia City, I charged over the hill to Ennis. The ride up Ruby Valley to Virginia City was quite nice. All along Alder gulch you can see mounds and mounds of tailings from the mining that went on in the early 1860s, when Virginia and Nevada cities were true boom towns. Virginia and Nevada cities were tourist traps which seem strangely alien after weeks in the middle of essentially nowhere.

The climb over Virginia City pass was work, but the ride down was positively scary. As I crested the top of the pass I had my first look at Madison Valley and the Rocky Mountains. I will remember the vista for a long time. It was a twelve mile downhill - a drop of almost 2,000 feet; the road was fine but there was a strong crosswind from the south - ypwards of 40-50 miles - which would push you towards the oncoming lane: I crawled down the mountain.

Ennis is a great town albeit bereift of accomodations for cyclists. I camped in state fishing campground but had to cycle two miles for a shower.

Sunday

Odometer 71.5 miles: traveling time of 6.32 hours.

I awoke to threatening skies and packed quickly. By 7:00AM we had lightening and thunder and a driving storm, and I nursed a cup of coffee for two hours until the rain passed. The day featured a steady climb -- 1,600 in all -- up the Madison valley to West Yellowstone. There were no cafes, resturaunts, or groceries and I was rather depleted by the time I reached Hegblom Dam and resevoir above West Yellowstone. Had to race a thundrstorm in: turns out it passed ahead of me. Once again I was able to stay dry.

West Yellowstone is a town of hotels, motels, and resturants. Very touristy and very busy. The Kiwis and I are trying to sort out options as we speak. With luck we will take a tour of the park by bus and then cycle out tomorrow. My legs could use the rest. I decided to dispense with my cooking and eating gear: haven't used it and am tired of carrying it. I only have two major climbs left but they are each long and at altitude.