It had now warmed up and was perfect pedaling up Chief Joseph Pass as the road followed the Trail Creek and then the Joseph Creek through meadows of wild flowers and Lodgepole Pines. At the top of the pass, 7241ft, we crossed the continental divide, again! We then dropped 3000ft into the 80 deg F hot and dry valley to Darby,
This is the view from the visitors centre over the battlefield. We watched a video presentation of the events that lead to the 1877 battle between the Nez Perce (Indians) and the US Army.
15 July. An icy start to our 74 miles to Darby. We stopped in Wisdom after 18 miles to thaw out our fingers and toes and enjoyed a second breakfast.
When you spend a large part of the day at 4mph, you really get to enjoy the wild flowers. They don't stand out against the clouds, but the peaks in the background are still covered in snow.
The descent into Big Hole Valley.
The lush high valley between Badger and Big Hole Passes.
14 July. A gloomy day greeted us today. Although the route was only 47 miles, there were two passes to cross and a headwind to make progress frustratingly slow.
Beaverhead Rock is a landmark in this valley noted by the Lewis & Clark expedition. We were going south through the valley, so the same wind that blew us along at 30mph yesterday came back to bite us today. For the last 25 miles to Dillon I had to work hard to do 5mph!
We passed through the old mining towns of Virginia City and Nevada City. Like Gold Reef City out in the hills.
A wet start to the day, but it cleared up on the first climb.
The 40 or so miles from Quake Lake to Ennis were probably the easiest of the entire trip this far. The wind was gusting down this valley at our backs. I was in top gear cruising along at 30mph without any effort.
A group of fully loaded bikes always looks good.
The story how Quake Lake was formed when the mountainside in the background slid down across the Madison River during an earthquake in 1959.
It was our turn for tailwind today. 71 miles of heaven along the Hebgen Lake and Madison River.
The contrasts in the landscape here strange. On one side you could look over a tranquill creek in a green meadow and on the other side would be an alien looking vision of bubbling mud or a geyser blasting boiling water and steam like a pressure cooker waiting to explode. And apparently it is overdue to do just that!
We are in West Yellowstone for 2 layover days, so today we took a guided tour through the park to some of the famous geysers, vents, mudpots and waterfalls. We got to see a few elk, bison, various volcanic rock and endless lodgepole pines. (Our bus was the new one. The refurbished 1939 one looked really cool)
Although the final couple hours into West Yellowstone were very busy with traffic, most of the day was pleasant cycling through forests and wild flowers.
