Monday, July 16, 2012, 64 miles (plus 3 in a pickup truck bed) - Total so far: 1494 miles*
* Miles ridden on the TransAm route
Odometer miles - Today - 63.9 Total to date - 1557.3 miles
Day's like this are why I rejoined the ride!
It was a beautiful day. The morning was brisk but not too cold and sunny. Perfect weather for riding.
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| Our KOA campground site at Dubois |
We started the ride with a 20 mile relatively flat ride to the base of Togwotee Pass. There we stopped for a break at an RV camp with a store.
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| Teepees along U.S. 287 outside of Dubois |
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| Moran Jct 53, Yellowstone 80 - bluffs beside the road, mountains ahead |
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| Chimney Rock Horse Ranch - with rock formation in background |
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| Climbing our way toward Togwotee Pass |
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| The mountains and the pass getting closer |
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| Reminder that we're in bear country - "Be Bear Aware - Food Storage Required" |
After our break we began a 10 mile climb to the top of Togwotee Pass, 9658 ft. on U.S. 287. The ride was not extremely sleep, but riding was a slow, almost continuous climb with a couple of short flat to downhill breaks. I made the full climb up the pass in 1-1/4 hours without a stop. Then it was a glorious downhill heading towards Grand Teton National Park.
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| Start of the climb to Togwotee Pass |
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| View from the top of the pass |
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| Rock outcroppings on the way down from the pass |
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| Another view going down from the pass |
Just after seeing signs warning of a steep 9 mile downhill we came to a construction zone. A portion of the road is being completely rebuilt and the road condition is too poor for biking. Plus there's lots of heavy equipment at work. We were shuttled through a 3 mile section in the back of a pickup truck. (This job has been going on for 7 years, but it supposed to be completed by the end of this summer.)
The ride through the construction zone was a highlight of the trip. Gina, Wendy and I loaded our bikes and sat in the back of the pickup for our ride. It was bumpy and not very comfortable, but interesting to see the heavy equipment at work right beside us.
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| Steep Grade 6% - Next 9 Miles (Yay!) |
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| First view of the spectacular Teton Range in the distance |
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| Start of construction zone |
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| Wildflowers growing alongside the road - waiting for our pickup truck ride |
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| Gina and Wendy in the back of the pickup (with me, too) |
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| Entering the construction zone - clouds in the distance, the flag shows the wind |
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| Close-up view of heavy equipment in the construction zone |
Just as we unloaded from the pickup it started to sprinkle. We continued down the remaining couple of miles to the bottom of the pass. There the rain picked up. We rode for a couple of miles in a pretty steady rain until we came to an RV park with store/cafe where we found shelter. The cafe section was closed, but we were able to sit there and eat our lunches while waiting for the rain to pass.
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| Closer view of the Tetons (and the threatening clouds) from bottom of the pass |
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| We all got a kick out of this sign - thinking of many hours playing the alphabet game while traveling |
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| Rain and wet roads - seen from the cover of the gas station roof |
After waiting over an hour we decided to press on for the remaining 15 miles in spite of the rain. I figured we'd ride in the rain the whole way. Fortunately, within a couple of miles the rain stopped, although the road shoulder was pretty wet. Then another mile or two down the road it was dry and the skies cleared.
What remained was a fantastic ride with great views of the Tetons all the way to our campground at Colter Bay Village, Grand Teton National Park.
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| Clouds and haze still somewhat obscure the Tetons - but it's clearing |
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| Dry and clear - better view |
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| And another spectacular view of the Grand Teton Range |
All in all it was a spectacular day of riding. One of the highlights of the trip so far.
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