Great Divide Superlatives

Favorite Campsite (remote/backcountry):

1)      next to Flathead River, BC

2)      near Indiana Pass summit, CO

3)      Desert between Cuba and Grants

Next to Flathead River, BC

Favorite Camground (developed):

1)      Merry Widow Mine and Campground, Basin, MT

2)      Lava Lodge, Wyoming- stayed in their cabin

3)      Bannack State Park, MT

Bannack State Park, MT

Favorite Lodging, non-camping:

1)      Llama Lodge

2)      Whitefish Bike Hostel

3)      Tie: Toaster House in Pie Town & Jeff Sharp’s house in Hachita

Llama Lodge, MT

Best free Lodging: Greg King’s in Breckenridge

View of Mt Quandry from Greg's porch

Favorite Towns:

1)      Whitefish, MT

2)      Salida, CO

3)   Steamboat Springs, CO

4)      Breckenridge, CO and Banff, AB

Bike Run at Whitefish Bike Hostel, MT

Best Breakfast:

1)      Atlantic City Mercantile, Atlantic City, WY

2)      Stray Bullet Café, Ovando, MT

3)      Columbine Café, Breckenridge, CO

Best Lunch:

1)      Anong’s Thai, Rawlins, WY

2)      Three Barrels Brewery, Del Norte, CO

3)      Elkford Motor Inn, Elkford, BC

Best Dinner:

1)      Ribeye at Wise River Club, MT

2)      Little Cambodia, Salida, MT

3)      tie: Red Bowl World Curry Haus, Steamboat Springs, CO & El Farolito, El Rito, NM

Cheryl and Dylan (top) and the great hospitality at Wise River Club

Favorite Brewery:

1)      Great Northern Brewery, Whitefish, MT

2)      Three Barrels Brewery, Del Norte, CO

3)      Wind River Brewery, Pinedale, WY

Favorite Climb:

1)      Richmond Peak, MT

2)      Marshall Pass, CO

3)      Pioneer Mountains Scenic Hwy, MT

4)      Tie: Elk Pass, BC/AB & Huckleberry Pass, MT'

Trail that wraps around Richmond Peak

Hardest Climb:

1)      Climb out of Abiquiu

2)      Two climbs out of Radium/Colorado River

3)      Section between Helena and Basin

4)      Climb to Brazos Ridge Overlook, NM

Colorado River Valley near Radium

Favorite Descent:

1)      Richmond Peak

2)      Conejos River from Platoro
     3)   Descent to Salida on County Rd 175

4)      Drop to Radium/Colorado River

5)      Tie: Galton Pass (until I flatted) & descent into Basin, MT

Descent along Conejos River

Prettiest Section:

1)      First 30 miles out of Banff

2)      Indiana Pass to Horca, CO

3)      Gila National Forest, NM

4)      Marshall Pass to Cochetopa to Carnero Pass

Spray Lake, Alberta

Hardest Section, non-climbing:

1)      Mud near Black Canyon Campground, Gila National Forest, NM

2)      Warm River Rail-Trail, ID

3)    Mud near Collins Park, NM

4)      Descent from Flathead Pass, BC

Backside of Flathead Pass

Scariest Moment:

1)      Running into bear on road in Montana

2)      Lightning storm in both Wyoming and New Mexico

3)      Random dude that parked and camped near me in Montana

Running from storms in Wyoming

Weirdest, Interesting or Most Random moment:

1)      Contact flew out of my eye before arriving Rawlins

2)      Being stared at by cows while eating beef jerkey

3)   Buying tamales from Roger in Del Norte, CO

4)   Attending the dance in Hachita, NM

Roger made good tamales

Section I’d was like to do over:

1)      Gila National Forest- without the rain/mud

2)      Eureka to Whitefish- getting rear tire fixed

3)      Entire Canadian section- so remote, rugged and beautiful and I flatted Galton

Best thing to wake up to:

1)    Rainbow near Middlewood Hill, WY

2)    Rain falling while in my bunk at Lava Mt Lodge, WY

3)    Anytime there were no mosquitoes in the morning

Lots to update

I thought I'd blog more, but so often I'm camping at places that don't have wifi. And service is really spotty out here in the rural west.

Saturday, July 4: Wise River, MT to Bannack State Park, 63 miles

After leaving Wise River, the day is spent on Montana HWY 73, also known as the Pioneer Scenic Hwy. It's a very pretty route with light traffic, a tough, but not grueling climb and an awesome descent into the small community around Polaris. The north side is bordered by National Forests and even has a few ghost towns that I didn't visit because they were too far off the route. The south side of the route is a valley with small communities.

I met Jeff, who's racing the Tour Divide northbound. Most of the southbound riders have already finished. Jeff was a really nice guy, we talked for a few minutes on the side of the road. He told me that he lost three days because he got hit by a falling tree in a windstorm. Hurt him but also broke his front wheel.

Had lunch with Dan and Elizabeth, who I passed on the climb. They are doing a loop from Jackson, MT and just having a good, easy time. They are only doing 30-40 miles a day. They were staying at the restaurant/inn that we dined in and I was going to bike another 17 more miles to Bannack State Park.

While stopped to check my map, this gentleman pulled over to say Hi. He owned one of the lodges that I passed and many Tour Divide racers stayed there or at least stopped in. He showed me the board that all the racers signed.

And I liked this little schoolhouse in Polaris, MT.

Bannack State Park is the home of Montana's territorial capital. It was bustling when gold was found in Grasshopper Creek. It was true Wild West, with fortune finders coming to try their luck, outlaws and bootleggers, vigilante justice and also good citizens trying to just make a living. Gold dwindled and the railroad went through nearby Dillon, so Bannack slowly faded. Today's it's a ghost town where you can walk through most of the buildings and see where dreams were made and died. And it also has a nice little campground where I watched a little girl ride a bike without training wheels for the first time.

Oh, no fireworks for me on Independence Day. Just early sleep.

Sunday, July 5: Bannack State Park to Lima, 84 miles

I was awaken early by roaring wind. It was blowing like a storm was coming in. I am assuming that was the front that is going to break the heat wave. I pack camp without losing anything. I don't even make coffee because the wind is going to make my stove so inefficient that I don't even bother. I'm riding by 7:15.

It's a long 40 miles of gradual uphill through ranch land to the Medicine Lodge-Sheep Creek Divide, which almost the halfway point of today's ride. Slow and steady and then a steep pitch before the top. Just before the top, I meet Alex and Chris. They are a father and son duo from Virginia riding for Nepal Relief. Great people and told me some things and people to look out for ahead. Check out their website.

Come down off the divide takes you through some ranches and then down into a canyon. I got rained on a little. I take a short detour off the route to a small town called Dell to have an early dinner at the Calf-A Cafe. It's a restaurant built into an old schoolhouse that the Adventure Cycling map calls "possibly Montana's most unusual restaurant". Specials are written on a chalk board in the back of the dining room. Food was home cooking and cheap.

In Lima, I camp at the RV Park/Motel for 5 bucks. Head over to the new restaurant/bar and have some corndogs and drinks. They are still renovating the restaurant that they think originally served as a brothel. When I ask how their town is pronounced, they say LI-ma. The young man tells me, "Lee-ma is in Peru". Of course...

Monday, July 6: Lima, MT to Macks Inn, ID, 85 miles

Up early again, have breakfast in the cafe across the street and talk to Ken who is 65 and riding northbound, and I'm off. Feeling great. My body is getting stronger and there are fewer huge passes to climb. I cruise the morning to Lima Reservoir, ride through the Red Rocks Lake National Wildlife Refuge and begin the climb to Red Rock Pass. Lots of grazing land. Scenic.

After the pass, I'm in Idaho! Drop down and stop for ice cream and soda at the Red Rock RV park. The park webmaster talks to me for a while. He loves Hulkbike. He tries to photograph the Tour Divide racers as they pass the park. For someone who doesn't bike, he is very knowledgeable about the Great Divide.

I had planned to camp there, but it was only 4:30 and I decided I could make more miles. I covered lots of ground and still felt great. Biked another 15 miles to Mack's Inn, a resort community for hunters, fishers and ATVers. Camped there and met Barry, a teacher from Bellingham doing the Great Divide solo and the threesome of Corey, Billy and Amy who were friends from college doing the Great Divide together. They were interesting characters. Everyone was having a good time doing the ride it seemed.

Tuesday, July 7: Macks Inn, ID to Colter Bay Village, 104 miles

It stormed over night, nice lighting display. I was up early, saw my friends at the convenience store where we were eating and stocking up. The Warm River trail is an old railroad route that was now a trail and everyone talked about how Hulk would be great in the soft volcanic sand that makes up some parts of the trail. The sand wasn't bad, it was the ATV wear that killed me. They rut the trails and create grooves where the tires leave marks. It was like riding on rumble strips. No fun fully loaded. I end up just being frustrated and taking a road to the paved road. It was about 6 additional miles to my trip but worth it to get off the trail.

There is a road called the Ashton-Flagg Ranch Rd that takes me from near Warm River across into Wyoming, skirts Yellowstone's southern border and drops me onto the main highway that connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. It's about 40 miles long. The first part was hard. A guy on the BMW motorcycle passes me and says hi. He recognizes the bike at Colter Bay and couldn't believe I had made it that far.

I was pushing for Colter Bay because it has a lot of conveniences right there: cheap camping ($11), grocery and restaurant (National Park pricey at both), laundry, great views of the Tetons. Also, lots of TransAmerica cyclist would be here. I camped here on my cross country ride and enjoyed it a lot. Talked to a guy, Ben, biking from Portland, OR to Portland, ME. Met a group of Boy Scouts from Chapel Hill riding coast to coast and a guy riding from Toronto to San Diego.

Wednesday, July 8: Colter Bay to Lava Mountain Lodge, 46 miles

Woke up to rain this morning. It stopped and I packed up a wet tent, one of my least favorite things to do. I rode the 11 miles to Moran where there was a care package waiting for me. Thanks Lori, John, Sydney and Katie Hart for sending the toiletries, food and letters.

Hailee and Dan, North Henderson alumni working in Yellowstone, picked me up there in Moran and we had breakfast. It was great talking and catching up.

Then begins the assault on Togwotee Pass. I stop at a convenience store and RV park where I meet Mike. From Alaska, Mike and family- there's eight of them, many adopted- are riding the Great Divide. I asked him why and he said he made the mistake of watching "Wild". He wanted for his kids to experience a bonding and soul searching experience. Mike's in his 60s and the youngest is 11, doing the Great Divide together. That's pretty neat. Mike also gave me his cell number since they have a support car and told me to call if I get stranded.

Met Ben, from Charleston, who had a Ducati in his truck bed and a custom painted Cannodale mountain bike on the hitch mount, so of course we were going to talk. I loved his toys and he loved Hulk. He even took Hulk for a ride around the parking lot.

I was having a great day. Saw some great friends, met some neat people, I was feeling good on the climb. Then it got cold. I felt raindrops. I was lucky to get to an overlook that had a bench and information board under a small roof. I was going to put on rain jacket there. Then the skies opened. And thunder boomed seemingly right on top of me. It was not the cool you off sort of rain, it was the chill you to your bones kind of rain. I was only four miles from the top.

I stood there and shivered. Mike's family was able to get rescued since they had a SAG car. I saw them drive by. I was worried about the kids in this miserable weather and was glad to see them get ahead. I stood there for 2 hours waiting for the rain to let up. By the time it did, I was cold and miserable. I finished the climb and started the descent. Froze on the way down, temperatures were in the 40s. Found Lava Mountain Lodge. There was no way I was camping tonight. I was cold and wet and the tent I rolled this morning was also wet. I got a cabin for $25. It's got no bathroom or water, but it has electricity and heat. Perfect.

Talked to Allison, from Sparwood (same town in British Columbia I camped in on the second night), who might be the most interesting person I've met. She works at one of the coal mines around Sparwood and decided to bike the Great Divide this summer. She's biking solo northbound and averaging close to 80 miles a day. She and I had the same problem in that the rain shorted our days. We were both under 50 miles, average for a lot of the riders I've talked to but way under what Allison and I were averaging.

Thursday, July 9: Lava Mountain Lodge to Pinedale, WY, 93 miles

I got a little bit of a late start this morning. It rained overnight and I didn't care because I was sleeping in my cozy little cabin. I even ran the heater. But I forced myself up and was packed and rolling by 8:30.

Just a few miles after leaving the lodge, I run into two older ladies riding the TransAmerica westbound. They were from Pennsylvania and just taking their time across the country. As soon as I turn off the highway, the climbing commences. It's okay, I like getting the climbing done early. But then there's more. You have to climb back up to the Continental Divide at Union Pass. The first 5 miles took me over an hour! 

Thought I might dodge the rain a little. Didn't happen. It was a slow and steady rain that wasn't miserable but did make for uncomfortable riding and bad roads. The roads became mud holes filled with water and were slippery. Passed a group of three doing the Divide from Jackson, WY to Steamboat Springs, CO. When I started descending from above 8,000 ft, the skies started to open up  a little and the sun peek out. But the damage was done. The roads were a mess. I had so much dirt on me, my gear, my bike. Absolute filth. I had 35 miles to Pinedale to dry out, but the dirt and grime were still there. Everything needs a cleaning-- rider, bike, bags, bottles. Fortunately, the panniers did their job and kept the wet and dirt outside, otherwise things would have been even messier.

Friends in Wise River

I took two shortcuts today. I took the I-15 alternate that follows an old railroad grade. Then I got on the Interstate, crossed the Continental Divide at Elk Park Pass and screamed downhill into Butte. Got some lube at the Outdoorsman, a shop owned by this guy's brother. Ate lunch at Great Harvest and stocked on groceries at Safeway and was on my way to cross the Divide again. Fortunately, Butte is at a pretty high elevation, so the climb to the crossing wasn't too bad (relative to what I've been doing). Saw a neat trestle.

At the top, I made a decision I knew I was going to make. I was going to take another alternate, the Divide Alternate. It was about the same distance as the main route, but avoids some crazy climbs and descents around Fleecer Ridge. The map says that the easiest way to come down off the mountain is to get off your bike, push off the trail and weave between the trees. That seemed like no fun. So I rode into Wise River.

In Wise River, the first person I met was Cheryl. She hooked me up with $5 camping at the hotel and $6 for a shower. She asked about Fleecer Ridge. I told her I skipped it and she said that everyone who comes down looks so pitiful afterwards, confirming my decision.

The second person I met was Dylan, Cheryl's husband. He was wearing a Western Carolina shirt and I asked where he got that. He said he was from Asheville. Small world! He had worked at the Admiral and some other places and they wanted to travel and hold jobs where they would see each other. This job they found on the Coolwerks website and they needed a cook and manager. That's how they ended up in Wise River, Montana.

After shower and setting up camp, I came into the bar to eat. The couple there asked me to sit next to them. They passed me on the road and said I looked tired, so they were buying me a drink! They were from the Quad Cities, Iowa and came out here to fish. We talked a while, before they left. They recommended the Ribeye, and at $28 it was more than I normally pay for food-- but when in Montana, right? And it was delicious! One of the best steaks I've ever had.

When it was time to settle up, Cheryl told me that the couple not only bought my drink, but my entire dinner! I hadn't paid for my camping yet, and she tried to give that to me for free but I couldn't get off that easy. Again, the people I meet are so kind, generous and amazing. I came exhausted and hungry and left with new friends.

Great Divide-Whitefish to Basin

I'm starting to get me legs underneath me. I feel good, especially at the beginning of the day. The cumulative effects of climbing, miles and heat do wear on me by the end of the day though. After a great night of sleep on Sunday at the Whitefish Bike Retreat (which included pastries and coffee in the morning), they had me loaded and on the van by 8:30 on Monday morning to get to the Glacier Cyclery to try to get Hulk fixed.

Thanks again to Stephen Willis for getting me a new seatpost. It's made a difference. They said that they could make the bike tubeless again, the sealant had closed a lot of the hole. And when they took apart the tire, they found two metal wires, about 1-1.25 inches long which is why my tube wasn't holding air. A basic rule of changing a flat tire is to look and feel and make sure that whatever caused the flat is not there. I did not follow that rule because I was careless and in a hurry.

I sent some mail and had lunch and got rolling about 1:00. First 40 something miles pretty flat as I passed through residential areas of Whitefish, Columbia Falls and into the more pastoral areas of Swan River and Ferndale. At a convenience store in Ferndale where I devoured pizza and ice cream, I made the decision to keep riding, even though it was nearly 7:00. I pedaled into the Flathead National Forest, looking for a decent place to camp. It was a long climb into the forest and then I descended. I rode past the Swan River Wildlife Refuge and kept pedaling until after 9:00, thankfully it doesn't get dark until close to 10:00. Filtered water and set up camp-- what a miserable experience. The mosquitoes were so bad! They were chasing me as I rode, I could see them between my legs. At camp, they swarmed. I doused myself in bug spray, but I'm sure I've contracted malaria or West Nile.

The next morning, I wake up at 5:30 and after coffee and packing, I'm off at about 7:15. That's sort of been my routine. I get up early because I'm still on East Coast time or maybe because the sun is bright already. But I don't set an alarm. Oh, the mosquitoes are still there.

I miss one of my turns because the National Forests around here have so many roads going in all directions and the signage isn't always good or there. I decide not to turn around and just ride out to the main road. That allows me to ride through Condon (pop 300) to get some lunch before attacking the big climb of the day.

When I turn on Forest Road, it's a long 20+ mile climb to over 6,000 feet to a trail that wraps around Richmond Peak. It was hot, of course, and and the climb took nearly over 3 hours. But it was not without excitement. I stopped and helped two kids because their four wheeler was stranded. We pushed it to the top of a hill and let the roll down. I heard the engine crank as I walked back towards my bike. A few minutes later, I round a bend and there's a bear on the road. Just walking and not paying attention. I stop quickly and pull the safety off the bear spray. It sees me. I talk to it and the watch it dart to it's left. The bear was about 50 feet way from me. Needless to say, my heart rate was high. I'm also glad I got those kids rolling, because that wasn't too far from where they were stranded.

You never reach Richmond peak, you just kind of go around it near the top. I was exhausted. I stopped at a spring to filter water not because I needed it but because it was an excuse to stop. I probably did need it though considering the heat was high 90s. But the climb is about to be worth it. The trail that wraps around the mountain becomes singletrack, and good one at that. It's fast, scenic and smooth. The trail falls off to the left, so no mistakes that way. But it was a blast, even if I couldn't go as fast as I would have on my regular mountain bike.

After a long downhill, I pedal on Cottonwood Lakes, which is in the Lolo National Forest. I find a great campsite not too far off the road. And the best part, hardly any mosquitoes. For some reason, they were nonexistent. I didn't even use bug spray. But the flies. So many flies. I sat by the stream and made dinner and washed clothes. Headed to bed early. Was awaken once by a really loud car that drove by and a second time by headlights of a truck that turned into my campsite. I'm 80 yards from the road and he backed up and parked at a site closer to the road. Of all the places he could have parked and slept, he wanted to be here. He didn't even set up a tent. I went to sleep hoping I wouldn't have to wake up and fight some stranger.

In the morning, my neighbor was up before me. He was walking around and looking lost but left before I broke camp. Again, I was riding by 7:15. 25 miles or so to Ovando where I got breakfast at the Stray Bullet Cafe. Highway 200 runs to Lincoln, but the Great Divide takes you over Huckleberry Pass. After rolling through some dusty roads with horses, it's a 6 mile climb to the pass. Again, slow and steady. By the time I get to Lincoln, I decide I want to stay. I've just spent two nights in the woods with bugs, strange people and worrisome noises. There is a motel that has bunkhouses for riders but they said it never did well and they could only offer me a room for $60. A good price, but I still didn't want to stay. So, I made the decision to see if I could get over Stemple Pass and the first crossing of the Continental Divide since Elk Pass in Canada. It was a good decision because I meant I got to stay at Barbara's cabin.

You actually don't cross at Stemple Pass, you take another road that the map warns is difficult to an unnamed pass. It climbed only about 4 miles through some really neat forests and logging areas, but the last 1.5 miles were brutal. I did something I rarely have to do. I pushed. Sure, I'll stop and rest on climbs but then I'll get back on the bike and ride. This was so steep and so late in the day that I couldn't even ride it. I would push for 2-3 minutes, would ride and then push more until I got to the top. The descent was fast and fun. I had to wait for cows to clear the road. Then I realized that I scared them and if I rode, they would scatter. I watched on pregnant cow slip a few feet down a bank as she was escaping me. I felt bad about that.

Spent the night at the Llama Lodge.

This morning, I was off for my usual 7:15 departure. Only I didn't have to break camp. Started climbing pretty early into the ride. Went over the Divide. Met Felix from Switzerland, who was riding Northbound on a front suspension mountain bike with a trailer. He said he liked it but he carried too much stuff (a danger and common entrapment of the trailer).



Crossed the Divide about 12 miles later and rode fast down to US 12. Had to deal with construction on the dirt road that was the Remini Alternate. The first part of the climb off Rimini Road was steep and tough with lots of large loose rocks. A guy in a truck tells me there's a Frenchman ahead riding the route (I never see him). About 6,500 feet, the trail takes you up these trails that are so steep and eroded that I spend a lot of time pushing. It's hard and tiring. I thought I might make Butte today. Nope, not going to happen. I even push the bike down the downhill sections because it's so rocky and steep. I read about a guy who fell a few years ago, cut his leg and got an infection and wasn't ablt to finish the ride. I didn't want that to be me.

When I got back on an actual forest road, the speeds were really fast. The road was well graded and I could let go. 8 miles down to Basin and it flew by. Checked into the campground here in Basin. Took a shower and shaved for the first time in nearly four days. The hosts, Diane and John, asked me if I wanted some of their leftover food from dinner-- they had sausage, vegetable tray, baked beans. I said sure, it saved me from having to ride to go get a meal and it was free. She kept bring food while I was sitting-- chips and salsa,, homemade bread, beer. I didn't turn anything down, I was so famished. I'm also thankful for the generosity of others.