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