Adventures

Day 12: A Grand Welcome to Wyoming

Island Park, ID (25 June 2019)Idaho bites -- or at least the mosquitoes in Idaho do. This was the only day on the entire Tour Divide I was seriously bothered by mosquitoes. This problem with mosquitoes would eventually lead to my biggest error on the Tour Divide -- but that comes much later.

After a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal and hot coffee in the cabin, we started out on the Idaho Trail as a group. Much has been written about the Idaho Trail by those who have raced the Tour Divide. There's a lot of agreement overall that the trail makes for some difficult riding and there are several references to mosquitoes. However, there seems to be no agreement on what to call the darn thing. Usually it's referred to as the rail trail in Idaho or more simply, the Idaho Trail. However, you'll have no luck looking it up by that name, outside of Tour Divide descriptions. The MTB Project and others list this trail as the Yellowstone/Grand Teton Rail Trail. The entire trail is actually three sections of trail connected by roads and stretches 104 miles from West Yellowstone, MT to Victor, ID. It's also called the Yellowstone Branch Line Trail and follows the abandoned rail-bed of the Oregon Pacific Railroad. If you want more information on this trail, your best bet is to search for, the Grand Teton Rail Trail, and skip using the name used here, the Idaho Trail.

The Idaho Trail cuts though a wet grassland

It took us three hours to complete the 25 miles of the Idaho Trail remaining on the Tour Divide route. Two things were wonderful about riding the trail; 1. it got easier after about 10 miles and 2. the last portion was spectacularly gorgeous. Despite having raced cyclocross most years since 2008, I struggled. Mikki and Larry seemed to do well and motored ahead, occasionally stopping to check on the rest of us. After falling several times, I felt frustrated. By my estimation, the typical sand pit in a cyclocross race was significantly more difficult and yet this loose gravel defeated me repeatedly. There were a few long stretches of success where, in one instance, the bike was balanced on the crown of the trail where the gravel was thinnest. When riding the crown of the trail was managed, the bike rolled right along. Once, in the flash of a moment, the front wheel slipped off the crown turning the bike sideways and flipping me to the ground. Once dusted off, the attempt to ride the path was resumed with increased caution.

Fortunately, the surface improved after about 10 miles. The trail started in trees while cutting through the neighborhoods surrounding Island Park. After a time, the path entered an open area of wet grasses. The perfect place for mosquitoes of course. The knee high, bright green grass shimmered in the morning light as I dejectedly walked my bike through a particularly think and loose section of gravel. Surprisingly, the mosquitoes failed to capitalize on my misfortune. The trail was mostly flat but after ten miles or so, trees appeared, the surface improved and it started to head gradually downhill. Our pace increased considerably once the surface improved, powered by gravity and the feeling of joy that came with renewed confidence that the risk of being ejected from the bike was at an end.

Bill approaches on the rail trail

There was a dark scary tunnel ahead on the trail. Unfortunately, it was all closed off so we couldn't explore inside. The tunnel marked where the Idaho Trail becomes absolutely wonderful. It felt like a special reward for not letting the first section of the trail send me home in tears. The trail was on the edge of a hill which stood tall on our right. On our left was a river canyon with trees, tumbling rocks and rushing water. The main danger at this point was keeping to the trail, as it twisted high above the river canyon and did its best to distract us with its magnificent beauty.

The trail continued a gradual decline to the fast moving blue and white water of the Warm River below. Before reaching the end of the trail, I stopped to talk with an angler. He must have been in his 70's and was out fly fishing. He was working his way up river and intent on finding a familiar path down to the water. We did not talk long, however, because the mosquitoes were quick to find us.

The small park at the end of the our time on the Idaho Trail was quiet. Immediately, the left over pizza from last night was consumed while sitting at a picnic table in the shade. A pair of cyclists departed the trail for the paved road which headed away from the confluence of Warm River, Henry's Fork and Robinson Creek. A light breeze seemed to keep the mosquitoes at bay for a time. As others arrived, the mosquitoes got busy so we filled water bottles and headed out on to the paved road toward Wyoming and the Grand Tetons.

The Idaho Trail turns gorgeous

As we pedaled uphill away from the river on a paved road, Francis Southerland was spotted, confidently pedaling smoothly ahead. It took a good effort to catch him and discover that he started with us in Banff. I hadn't met him before despite riding a similar pace over the last 12 days. Francis was a strong climber and we had fun yo-yoing back and forth on the climbs leading to Flagg Ranch. He would put in a longer day than the rest of us today and it would be a few days before I saw him again.

It was fun to come upon another Tour Divide rider. Unbeknownst to me at the time, several others were closing in on our group and would overtake some of us in the next few days. There were several among that group of racers coming up from behind that I would enjoy riding with in the coming days and weeks ahead. This group included Jim Raddatz, Adam Kiem, Joseph Rafferty and Max Bloomfield.

It wasn't long before we found lunch. The Squirrel Creek Ranch was definitely on the to-do list today. When researching the route, it can be hard to glean important details about some of the places. In my reading, the Squirrel Creek Ranch was seldom mentioned, yet it comes at probably the perfect place for an overnight. Questions divide riders have that a resort webpage might not make obvious include, hours of food service, is camping allowed, how many are allowed to share a cabin, and how late can one arrive? At the time of this writing, I noticed that the Squirrel Creek Ranch website has been updated to answer many of these questions but when we were there it was a discovery.

The western side of the Grand Tetons as viewed from the end of the Squirrel Creek Lodge driveway

Being slightly ahead, I stopped on the road where the long driveway to the Squirrel Creek Ranch emerged. A look down the drive revealed a young woman on a cell phone as she walked toward me. She waved as if to say, yes, we are open. Perhaps because the ranch buildings were set far back from the road behind a row of tall pine trees, she thought it necessary to flag us down. Because of the race, the website TrackLeaders shows our position and many businesses along the route keep an eye out for riders in need of services. It's one of the advantages of being part of the race even if you aren't in it for your absolute best time possible.

Squirrel Creek Ranch turned out to be one of my favorite stops on the route. The people were fabulous and happily fired up the kitchen just for us. The food was excellent and the environment comfortable. My only regret was not taking pictures there. We lingered for nearly 90 minutes. Lunch was topped off with coffee, sipped on a comfy chair and would have been followed by a nap under different circumstances. They have cabins, and for Tour Divide riders, allow camping. However, it was too early in the day for our group to stop for the day.

Welcome to Wyoming

The Squirrel Creek Ranch is on a high plain surrounded by a pine forest. Across from the pine forest enclosing the ranch, was a long view of the Grand Tetons across a grassy field with a layer of pine forest in between. We have all seen pictures of the east side of this iconic range in advertisements. I was interested in seeing the Tetons from the west and was not disappointed. For anyone who hasn't been, the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area truly is a magnificent part of the world but, perhaps as a result, has seen too many visitors in recent years. It was pleasing that the west-side was quiet and felt remote -- we encountered almost no traffic along our route from Squirrel Creek Ranch to Flagg Ranch. Although still distant, the Grand Tetons were still stunning. Not since Canada have we seen such sharp rocky peaks covered in snow. The fresh coffee and magnificent scenery infused me with an energy and joy that was in stark contrast to the frustration of crashing on the bike path earlier in the day. It was a good reminder that when on the Tour Divide, things are constantly changing. Hours or even days of difficulty will eventually be replaced by joyous riding and natural experiences.

Not far from the short fence along the road, a large elk with tall antlers was spotted standing among a few pine trees. It turns out that Squirrel Creek Ranch is surrounded by part of the Yellowstone National Park and elk are residents of the area. They are common enough residents for the ranch to offer elk tours in the summer.

After leaving Idaho for Wyoming, the climbing began. I climbed energetically and came upon Francis again. Not long after passing him, he charged steadily uphill past me. This play continued for a couple of sections before Francis went ahead. Finally we dropped down to Grassy Lake Reservoir where I stopped to eat. Soon after, Mark, Bill, Larry and Mikki appeared. Mark stopped to eat as well and the strangest thing happened for the third time today, mosquitoes appeared. Prior to Mark's arrival, I was comfortable, sitting on a rock looking out over the water and enjoying a snack. As soon as he stopped nearby, mosquitoes descended upon me. When this occurred earlier today on the Idaho Trail, I didn't think too much about it. I wondered if perhaps treating all my clothes with permethrin before the Tour Divide was paying off except when other attractants are nearby in the form of riding companions.

A short stretch of single track led us directly to the Flagg Ranch Convenience Store. Except, I went the wrong way, turned around and found my way there by following a foot path through a tall stand of pine trees. Being the last to arrive, I rushed to get a coke, chips and some mosquito repellent. The repellent was applied right away, placed in a plastic zip lock bag and that was stored in the outer pocket of my backpack. After downing the coke and chips we all headed out in search of pizza and camping for the night.

The paved road contained all the traffic one might expect in bustling Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. The road rose steadily and the reasonable shoulder provided a token of refuge from the traffic which steadily approached from behind. The climb seemed significantly long as it carried us through a pine forest past Reid Mountain on our left and the Snake River which flowed into Jackson Lake on our right. We dropped down off this ridge and the road met up with the Jackson Lake shoreline. As we streamed past, tourists were enjoying the day on rocky beaches along the lake shore.

Grassy Lake Reservoir

Earlier we agreed to stop at Leek's Marina and Pizzeria for dinner before heading to the Colter Bay campground. I stopped at the road to the Marina and realized it was about a mile downhill off-route to pizza. I wasn't entirely sure the rest of the gang would still be on board but without hesitation everyone made the turn to have dinner by the lake. Leek's was very busy but everyone was in a good mood and I enjoyed chatting with tourists waiting in line to order pizza. I don't exactly recall what the problem was but one of the managers of Leek's became upset. We were all in such a good mood this was more entertaining than annoying for us, which probably didn't help this poor manager's meltdown any. Leek's was recommended to me by a friend who toured the Great Divide Route a couple of years prior. I felt it was very much worth the stop as I devoured a salad, appetizers and a giant calzone.

After dinner we headed down the road toward for ice cream and supplies before setting up camp for the night. It felt weird, being among a crush of people as we navigated the store in search of supplies for tomorrow. We biked up a hill to check out the cabins which were all taken and then to the campground where we had trouble finding campsites in the dark. We didn't realize the bike camping area was completely separated from the regular sites and ended up touring the entire campground before finding the entrance to the campground specifically for bikers and hikers. After settling into an out of the way spot, my food was stored and shortly after entering the tent I was out for the night. It was another fun day but with a rough, frustrating start. Once the trail was behind us, the Grand Tetons welcomed us to Wyoming with gorgeous vistas, good riding and great food. Here at the National Park camp ground after twelve days on the route and 1,100 miles from the start, it's a surprise I'm still on pace for a target finish of 30 days. So far, my problems have been managed, glorious days of riding have been enjoyed and all without having to push myself to ride into the night. This style of riding suits me while at the same time not being what I expected before lining up for the Tour Divide. Perhaps this is another good lesson from the Tour Divide -- expectations are best forgotten.

Bikes wait patiently while we have dinner

Elevation Profile for Day 12

On to Day 13