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Night of the Griz!
Posted on 2007.06.28 at 20:13
June 26, 2007 Ashton, ID – Mack’s Inn, WY
I decided not to take a layover day in Ashton, ID. So here goes my day. What an incredible biking day! The word of the day is paradise. Used in a sentence: Today I biked through paradise. I got lazy and did not leave Ashton, ID until 1pm. I just enjoyed that little town so much! It was great to start my day biking out of Ashton through farm country, but still with the Teton’s in the backdrop. I biked North on Hwy 47 into Targhee Nat’l Forest. The views were stunning all day. And the best part was NO TRAFFIC!!! I had hwy 47 all to myself. This was National Park quality scenery all day. Of course I was pedaling right next to Yellowstone Nat’l Park. I saw hawks flying above quite often. I stopped at Lower Mesa Falls, and then a mile from Lower Mesa was Upper Mesa, which was a steep one-mile descent. I did not know this was a descent or I may have decided against going to Upper Mesa because I already had enough climbing. But, after the start of the descent I was so far down, there was no turning back. As it turned out I was able to climb out of Upper Mesa in no time at all, but it was steep.
As my quiet Hwy 47 ride came to an end and I hit noisy Hwy 20, I saw two bikers. I thought it was a mirage. I kept asking myself, “Are those bikers?” When you’re out there biking for so long and you do not see other bikers, it is exciting when you finally do. Sure enough, it was two women who started biking from Seattle. They went down the Washington and Oregon Coast and are heading home to Wisconsin. They said it rained everyday on the WA and OR coast – bummer! I also saw a husband/wife B.O.B. trailer team with their son.
All is swell from biking land.
Dana
June 27, 2007 Mack’s Inn – Cameron, MT
I was told by the Targhee Forest folks of a sow grizzly and her cubs in the area. I was a bit on edge when I went to bed, but I was so tired I fell right asleep. I don’t think I was asleep very long when I heard what sounded to me like grunting sounds outside my tent. My heart raced immediately as I began thinking back to what the forest workers had told me about the mama griz and her cubs. This region is so dry due to a mild winter and without food those bears get crazy. I kept hearing grunting sounds and began frantically feeling around my tent floor for my pepper spray and headlamp. All I could think of was Travis, and how I should have taken his advice and purchased the largest rifle possible to carry on my back as I biked from Moab to Bozeman. Now the beast was beginning to claw at my tent. At this moment I could only think “holy shit, I’m getting out of here!” I was not going to be attacked in my small tent. I quickly unzipped my tent door and about then the beast jumped on top of me, salivating all over me. I heard and felt a thump on my chest. Grizzly, the camp host’s 95lb rottweiler, wanted me to throw the ball for him some more.
Again I was lazy. I did not start pedaling until noon. I did make 60 miles today and considering the wind, I am happy with this. I would choose to bike in the rain any day versus the wind. And I’m sure most bikers would concur. Again, the views were stunning all day. My first 30 miles was perfect, mostly flat or downhill and no wind. My last 30 miles however, was windy with lots of climbing. I stopped to take a break and this is when I met a guy biking from Astoria, WA to North Carolina. He estimated he would pedal 3,100 miles to get there arriving by August 10th. He is averaging 80 miles/day on a road bike. When I looked at his route maps, I thought he was crazy! He is going to bike through central WY, which will be hot, windy as hell and lots of rattlers – yuck! I advised him to go the way I biked, which will be by far the coolest temperatures. He is following Adventure Cycling.com maps and doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would stray from his maps. He said the coast was not rainy for him at all. He also said I would be meeting tons of cyclists on the coast.
Now I am camped at a little place called Cameron, Montana. For five bucks I had a shower, Internet and a great camp spot with the Madison Range on one side and the Snow Crest Range on the other – very spectacular! I love Big Sky country!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I biked over a pass today. It is called Raynolds Pass and is the easiest pass I’ve ever biked. It is only 6,834ft. I wish all passes were like that one!
All is swell from biking land
Dana
June 28, 2007 The word of the day is hell. Used in a sentence: Today I biked through hell. Yep, that sums it up. I made my goal to leave Cameron, MT at 9am and I met this goal. The first 27 miles was great – tailwind and flat. I stopped in Ennis, MT, for a few photos – what a gorgeous town. Then it was on to the Norris Hill climb. Man was this a hill climb. I don’t know why they call Raynolds Pass a pass and Norris Hill a hill, when in fact, Raynolds is a hill and Norris should be called a pass!!!!! I was literally drenched in sweat when I reached the top. It looked like I just stepped out of the shower. The section that was pure hell was from the town of Norris to Bozeman! The one good part was soaking my feet in the Madison River, which was heaven. But once the Madison took a swift left heading north and the road continued East, I was left to bike in hell all the way to Bozeman. There was not a shade tree in sight and there were many hill climbs. At one point I called Kiley and yelled at her to call Brock to come pick me up. Unfortunately Brock was working in the field down in Utah. So I endured and made it. Sorry I yelled at you Kiley. Heat stroke was on my mind. In nursing school I did a report with a couple of students about heat stroke and I know that biking in 95 degree heat is not a smart thing to do. People die of heat stroke all the time in Moab.
So here I am at the homogonous KOA in Bozeman. I could not believe they wanted $27 for tenting. I am not use to paying more than $10 and that includes shower and Internet. I asked the KOA crew if they knew where other campgrounds were. They gave phone numbers to other campgrounds and when I called them, sure enough, they only wanted $10, which included Internet and shower. Only problem was my campground choices were ten miles away. No way was I getting back on the bike after that hot, suffer-fest 62 miles I had biked. Bozeman traffic sucks too! This town was so small and quiet 17 years ago when I was here, but now, it’s crazy! They even offer free bus service here; that’s how much it has grown. Thankfully one of the KOA guys took pity on me and gave me a break - $20 take it or leave it. I took it. I’m glad I did because I am next to the hot springs, which I am told are really nice. It’s interesting to watch the older retired crowd who camp at KOA. Almost always, Ethel will step out of the RV and guide old Fred back into their camp spot. The little lapdog will be looking out the window, which makes Fred upset because he can’t see his passenger side mirror. That’s how it is here at KOA. With the exception of all the families and their kids having a great time swimming in the pool.
All is swell from biking land. I won’t be writing for a few days. I’m heading to the coast!
Dana
I decided not to take a layover day in Ashton, ID. So here goes my day. What an incredible biking day! The word of the day is paradise. Used in a sentence: Today I biked through paradise. I got lazy and did not leave Ashton, ID until 1pm. I just enjoyed that little town so much! It was great to start my day biking out of Ashton through farm country, but still with the Teton’s in the backdrop. I biked North on Hwy 47 into Targhee Nat’l Forest. The views were stunning all day. And the best part was NO TRAFFIC!!! I had hwy 47 all to myself. This was National Park quality scenery all day. Of course I was pedaling right next to Yellowstone Nat’l Park. I saw hawks flying above quite often. I stopped at Lower Mesa Falls, and then a mile from Lower Mesa was Upper Mesa, which was a steep one-mile descent. I did not know this was a descent or I may have decided against going to Upper Mesa because I already had enough climbing. But, after the start of the descent I was so far down, there was no turning back. As it turned out I was able to climb out of Upper Mesa in no time at all, but it was steep.
As my quiet Hwy 47 ride came to an end and I hit noisy Hwy 20, I saw two bikers. I thought it was a mirage. I kept asking myself, “Are those bikers?” When you’re out there biking for so long and you do not see other bikers, it is exciting when you finally do. Sure enough, it was two women who started biking from Seattle. They went down the Washington and Oregon Coast and are heading home to Wisconsin. They said it rained everyday on the WA and OR coast – bummer! I also saw a husband/wife B.O.B. trailer team with their son.
All is swell from biking land.
Dana
June 27, 2007 Mack’s Inn – Cameron, MT
I was told by the Targhee Forest folks of a sow grizzly and her cubs in the area. I was a bit on edge when I went to bed, but I was so tired I fell right asleep. I don’t think I was asleep very long when I heard what sounded to me like grunting sounds outside my tent. My heart raced immediately as I began thinking back to what the forest workers had told me about the mama griz and her cubs. This region is so dry due to a mild winter and without food those bears get crazy. I kept hearing grunting sounds and began frantically feeling around my tent floor for my pepper spray and headlamp. All I could think of was Travis, and how I should have taken his advice and purchased the largest rifle possible to carry on my back as I biked from Moab to Bozeman. Now the beast was beginning to claw at my tent. At this moment I could only think “holy shit, I’m getting out of here!” I was not going to be attacked in my small tent. I quickly unzipped my tent door and about then the beast jumped on top of me, salivating all over me. I heard and felt a thump on my chest. Grizzly, the camp host’s 95lb rottweiler, wanted me to throw the ball for him some more.
Again I was lazy. I did not start pedaling until noon. I did make 60 miles today and considering the wind, I am happy with this. I would choose to bike in the rain any day versus the wind. And I’m sure most bikers would concur. Again, the views were stunning all day. My first 30 miles was perfect, mostly flat or downhill and no wind. My last 30 miles however, was windy with lots of climbing. I stopped to take a break and this is when I met a guy biking from Astoria, WA to North Carolina. He estimated he would pedal 3,100 miles to get there arriving by August 10th. He is averaging 80 miles/day on a road bike. When I looked at his route maps, I thought he was crazy! He is going to bike through central WY, which will be hot, windy as hell and lots of rattlers – yuck! I advised him to go the way I biked, which will be by far the coolest temperatures. He is following Adventure Cycling.com maps and doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would stray from his maps. He said the coast was not rainy for him at all. He also said I would be meeting tons of cyclists on the coast.
Now I am camped at a little place called Cameron, Montana. For five bucks I had a shower, Internet and a great camp spot with the Madison Range on one side and the Snow Crest Range on the other – very spectacular! I love Big Sky country!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I biked over a pass today. It is called Raynolds Pass and is the easiest pass I’ve ever biked. It is only 6,834ft. I wish all passes were like that one!
All is swell from biking land
Dana
June 28, 2007 The word of the day is hell. Used in a sentence: Today I biked through hell. Yep, that sums it up. I made my goal to leave Cameron, MT at 9am and I met this goal. The first 27 miles was great – tailwind and flat. I stopped in Ennis, MT, for a few photos – what a gorgeous town. Then it was on to the Norris Hill climb. Man was this a hill climb. I don’t know why they call Raynolds Pass a pass and Norris Hill a hill, when in fact, Raynolds is a hill and Norris should be called a pass!!!!! I was literally drenched in sweat when I reached the top. It looked like I just stepped out of the shower. The section that was pure hell was from the town of Norris to Bozeman! The one good part was soaking my feet in the Madison River, which was heaven. But once the Madison took a swift left heading north and the road continued East, I was left to bike in hell all the way to Bozeman. There was not a shade tree in sight and there were many hill climbs. At one point I called Kiley and yelled at her to call Brock to come pick me up. Unfortunately Brock was working in the field down in Utah. So I endured and made it. Sorry I yelled at you Kiley. Heat stroke was on my mind. In nursing school I did a report with a couple of students about heat stroke and I know that biking in 95 degree heat is not a smart thing to do. People die of heat stroke all the time in Moab.
So here I am at the homogonous KOA in Bozeman. I could not believe they wanted $27 for tenting. I am not use to paying more than $10 and that includes shower and Internet. I asked the KOA crew if they knew where other campgrounds were. They gave phone numbers to other campgrounds and when I called them, sure enough, they only wanted $10, which included Internet and shower. Only problem was my campground choices were ten miles away. No way was I getting back on the bike after that hot, suffer-fest 62 miles I had biked. Bozeman traffic sucks too! This town was so small and quiet 17 years ago when I was here, but now, it’s crazy! They even offer free bus service here; that’s how much it has grown. Thankfully one of the KOA guys took pity on me and gave me a break - $20 take it or leave it. I took it. I’m glad I did because I am next to the hot springs, which I am told are really nice. It’s interesting to watch the older retired crowd who camp at KOA. Almost always, Ethel will step out of the RV and guide old Fred back into their camp spot. The little lapdog will be looking out the window, which makes Fred upset because he can’t see his passenger side mirror. That’s how it is here at KOA. With the exception of all the families and their kids having a great time swimming in the pool.
All is swell from biking land. I won’t be writing for a few days. I’m heading to the coast!
Dana
