Day 69 - Jackson, MT

after our usual morning ritual of coffee and some version of breakast, we packed up from this wonderful abode that Twin Bridges had constructed for touring cyclists; shelter, shower, john, bike pump, outdoor sink, a really sweet setup. right along the river.

we headed out with fine weather, a very light wnd. planned a 90+  mile ride to Wisdom, MT. made an easy ride for 30 miles to Dillon. after a few confused turns about thru town, we headed up towards the first of two long climbs today, this one over Badger Pass (elevation 6760'); it seems the touring gods decided to yank back that nice meaty bone from yesterday's sweet ride and toss us some chicken wing scraps instead. headwinds cranked up again and made the climb a tough one. the descent on the other side was out in an open valley where the wind now had unfettered access to us to play with. more chicken bones. pedaling hard downhill to maintain speed. easily reminiscent of the recent Dubois debacle.  there was another climb down the road, and after grinding 10 miles to get at that point, i waited for josh as dana pressed on ahead.  not looking forward to another unpleasant day like Dubois,  he offered inspiration which was a crucial HTFU moment for me ( that would be 'Harden the Fuck Up' ).  Josh and I pressed onward and found the ascent up and over Big Hole Pass (elevation 7360') wasn't as bad as the elevation profile suggested. again, we had to work the descent down a bit, but the wind was more left-to-right cross now, and the landcape opened up into some nice green meadows. a really nice ride into Jackson, population 59, where we had decided would have to be the destination this day. there was a nice lodge there with a nice bar and menu, and a hot springs pool outside. sweet. the pool was a perfect 104°, not the scalding stuff in Saratoga, WY (which was nice, btw...)... after my customary post-ride chocolate milk, time for a happy hour with josh, dana, a new rider named Thomas from Switzerland, and some others in the lodge. sweet camping area out back, so a very fine ending to the day, indeed.


today: 77
to date: 3760