Tag: June 2023

Set under the trees and near a river, the tent was a perfect serene setting for a peaceful night’s sleep. The sun rose and birds sang. Time for the next day’s adventure.
Breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe was even better with Dick and Nancy Riddle nearby. They are from the area and share many insights into its history and local activity.
We are still at 6,000 feet plus elevation. We roll out into a beautiful sunny day. About 10 miles out of town, the National Museum of Military Vehicles is to our left. We stop by and discover what an amazing collection it has. We are told it takes hours to see everything. It looked amazing.

Up we go. In the first four miles and nearly one hour, we climbed nearly 1,000 feet. With the bikes loaded, we want to pace ourselves. Pushing harder serves to make us lightheaded. The last thing we need to do is pass out on the side of the road! More Beware of Bears signs. The camp host sent us off this morning with this advice: Just remember to go downhill. You might be able to outrun them that way. I keep surveying the terrain. Which way is downhill?
As vehicles pass us, we can hear the engines working hard…shifting down gear after gear.
I think about what I’m experiencing. I never would have imagined I would have the opportunity to ride my bike here…to see this beautiful country this way.

We are nearing a month on the bike and could not be happier. The bikes have handled amazingly, we have been blessed with great weather with minimal rain and we feel great. Drew has dropped some weight adjusting his belt loops a number of times and my arm sleeves keep falling down. We expected this would happen so we’re not concerned. Our legs/hips seem more muscular and we seem to be able to climb in bigger gears. So very grateful!
Last night, we went through all our ‘stuff’ and are mailing home things we no longer need like the Adventure Cycling Adventures maps, receipts and a bird’s nest.
Thanks to all our friends who have shared their experiences on their TransAm rides. We have not found ourselves wishing we had something or carrying anything extra. Like Goldilocks ” This bed’s just perfect!”

This morning, as we broke camp, a squirrel became quite curious about our activities. Trying to bring it closer, I tried mimicking his sounds and before I knew it, he was so close I thought he’d jump on me! What a fun way to start the day!
We learned the one minute-two minute rule today. While stopping for a quick break and get off the saddle, one minute is perfect. At two minutes, the legs have already gone cold and starting again is uncomfortable! The legs are stronger now. The body adapts to it’s activities and we are now able to climb in bigger gears. It feels so good!

We head to the entrance of West Yellowstone. It is such a beautiful park. We see bison in the distance and several fly fishermen. Old Faithful did not disappoint and we saw a bison cross the street in front of us 30 yards away. We crossed the
Continental divide twice and had so much fun with a raven who entertained us while we waited in a construction zone. He was the size of an eagle and showed no fear of us.

We are headed to Quake Lake that formed based on a 7.5 earthquake in 1959. I had never heard of it. 28 people died in the Night of Terror. The visitor center had wonderful information. They offered books about the area and events. My brain is so hungry to learn more but for now, I just want to capture enough so I can come back. A quick stop at the ladies room and an ant appeared, rather spent, on the leg of my bike shorts. Did you just drop from the ceiling or have you been a hitchhiker since the road relief stop outside of Cameron? Ant in my pants?? Ant or mosquito? I don’t care! Just stop biting me!!

We awakened to frost on the tent this morning. It was cold last night.
Lois Volkening stopped by to check on the campsite. She and her husband Larry run this camp and one in Dillon. It is an all volunteer non-profit. After chatting a few minutes, we make plans to met at a local coffee shop, the Hook and Horn. Lois is a fountain of information about the area and has agreed to allow us to video her. Once there, we enjoyed coffee and learned so much from her. We are SO fortunate.

Rested and ready, today we summit two passes- Lost Trail Pass (elevation 7,014) and Chief Joseph Pass (elevation 7,241).
Setting out, the landscape is beautiful with meadows between mountains. We are beginning to see more wildlife, especially deer in pairs. Off to our right, we spotted what appeared to be two adult deer about 1/4 mile away. Drew made a clicking sound hoping to get their attention and boy did it!! They glanced towards us and took off in flight like Santa’s reindeer! White tails on high alert and feet barely touching the ground. And they were gone.

It’s Monday morning and time to push on.
We are reminded that we grew up in a much simpler time- no computers or cell phones.
“Be home in time for dinner.”
And truly, what happened in the field, stayed in the field. You were swown to secrecy and if you were a tattle…well, I can’t tell you what would happen!!
Starting the morning with spaghetti westerns on TV brought that all back! And shows like Big Valley, Bonanza, Gun Smoke and Davey Crockett were set in areas that look like the roads we’re traveling. It is so easy to replay scenes in one’s mind while the miles tick off.

While we had hoped to ride today, mail and weather dictated we stay one more night.
I am getting caught up with communication albeit it takes all day.
I slept late this morning. The mosquito bites from Thursday night are tormenting me. They swell and itch so much, it makes it hard to sleep. I took a benedryl last night to help calm the itch. I’m not used to taking medication so it really looped me. But, it did help with the itching. Thankfully, I have one more day to recover in a non-mosquito environment.

Yesterday was such a special day and its experiences have changed me forever. I feel such a sense of peace, spirituality and connection with the earth. Disconnecting, unplugging and being off grid is something many of us never experience.

As we prepare to leave our beautiful campsite at Wild Goose, a pair of ravens glide above. Today will be the Next Best Day Ever!

Once packed, it was east on Highway 12 again. Not before long, we came across a road construction area and we were waved towards the front. The flagman and the pilot car spoke and we were told it was safest to load the bikes into the bed of the truck and ride to the end of the road closure so up went our heavy stead’s. Drew sat between them on the ice chest as I climbed into the cab.

1:11 am.
The light from the gazebo was still shining brightly over our tent. I looked over at Drew and witnessed his REM sleep–eyes moving rapidly to and fro under closed lids. He has been on alert most of the night. I, too, listened to all the sounds of the night. I reached for my phone to check the time–1:11. A deep sense of peace came over me and I breathed a sense of relief. Everything was going to be okay.

Unscripted. That’s how we roll and today was a great example. Another fantastic day with some surprises!

The sound of a hummingbird. Once you know it’s distinct chirp, you can easily identify it. At 4 am, several were visiting the trees around our tent. What an incredible way to wake up!

Our night was so peaceful. Feeling rested, we were up just past 5. The forecast for the day included wind and temps in the nineties so we thought it might be a good idea to get up and rolling early!