I didn’t sleep well last night, it was so cold, and still very windy. I tried to go to sleep when the sun was still out with the plan to head out even earlier and make up some time from the ‘early’ stop in Lima. I did get up and get moving, but a little slower than maybe I should have. It was still cold and I didn’t warm up much from the bathroom in the laundry room. In theory there was a shower somewhere around there, but I never found it.
I headed out of town at a reasonable pace. I knew this section was a bit boring, and if it was raining or wet it would be a bit of a slog through the nasty mud. It was also a section I hadn’t ridden before. In my previous tour we skipped this section between here and about the next campground because we were trying to avoid the nasty mud we had run into on Bannock.
This time around there wasn’t much mud to speak of. The ground was a bit soft, but it hadn’t rained over night so there wasn’t any peanut butter mud within the first 20 miles.
I ended up riding with a guy that was touring the route for a few miles. We chatted about the conditions and the weather. The normal stuff. Then I pulled ahead to keep trucking on the route. I was feeling pretty good, but there was sort of a feeling of blah about this section. I don’t know why. The area around Yellowstone is beautiful, and the roads are generally pretty good. It must have been the overcast weather, or maybe I was just tired.
I did end up catching up with (that nasty guy) and Gumby not too far from Red Rock Pass. There was a small section of un-rideable mud that everyone had to push through. Both of those guys seemed to be in rough shape, Gumby more so than (the nasty guy). We rode together for a bit, but it was clear that their pace was lagging.
I took a picture up at the top of the pass, which is one of the easiest on the route, and headed down toward Island Park. This section of road was a lot more muddy, and it was obvious that it had recently rained here. I pushed on past the campground that we stayed at last time and then on to another section I’d never ridden before, the single track toward Island Park. It was a nice distraction, but it was short and soon enough I was out into a residential neighborhood. I stopped at the Subway and got a couple of sandwiches and made a couple phone calls. I was really dragging at this point. I stopped at the grocery store and then headed out to the dreaded rail trail section.
I have to say that all the descriptions and things I’ve heard about it fall short. While the soft lava sand is hard to ride through in some sections, and I did fall at least once because of it. The worst part this year was the washboard. It was washboard from beginning to end, at least where there was that soft sand. It was rough and I swore several times I’d never do that again. (I probably will, but at the time it seemed like the worst thing in the world.) When I finally got to the harder packed section before Warm River I was so grateful. It was a nice downhill to a nice campground. Unfortunately the campground was totally full, and inhabited by many small screaming children. I figured that even if I decided to stay here I’d never get any sleep because of all the noise.
Checking the cues Squirrel Creek Ranch wasn’t that far away so I decided to push for it and maybe get a room. My sleeping bag and bivvy were both soaked, and I could use a shower to warm me up and maybe change my mood. I got a burger at the bar, and was glad I opted for the room, as the camping area was just outside of the ‘dance floor’ which seemed to be going strong when I decided to turn in for the night. I was able to dry out my gear, and started plotting my next move.
Knowing the area a little I didn’t want to camp up on Union Pass, as that’s the area with the most grizzly activity outside of Yellowstone. But it was too far for me to push all the way to Pinedale or the Basin. I decided I’d take an ‘easy’ day and stop at Lava Mountain Lodge in one of their hostel rooms, then Pinedale, then make a big push at the Basin. Looking back I do wish I would have pushed on, but in the moment it made the most sense.
