Wow, what a nutty day Tuesday was. Most of them are, but yesterday I found a series of unexpected conditions and opportunities, which turned out great but were really challenging.
First off: good thing I decided Monday *not* to ride over Togwatee Pass and camp at the top...! I knew there was construction happening on that road, but it was in much worse shape than I'd realized, and really difficult to ride (gravel, to go along with a really long, steep climb). Not to mention it was unseasonably cold (there was still snow up there!), no bear boxes, lots of bears, and the road to the campground was dirt and steeply uphill. I would have been miserable trying to get there, and being there - not to mention scared all night.
The construction crew wouldn't let bicyclists ride through some of the sections they were working on (note: impossibly big trucks, driving on crazy steep hills - working to widen the road at the pass) - we had to wait for the pilot car/pickup truck to ferry us through those two sections. "Had to" - to be honest, I was glad of it - the whole roadway was gravel, and really narrow, with lots of truck & RV traffic.
The guy driving the truck I was in told me the other day he saw a grizzly bear chase a group of elk and take down a baby one - going right around the truck as it did so. So now I'm really glad I played it safe and stayed down below the pass.
The next unexpected condition was the whole 25-or-so mile ride into Dubois was against a fierce wind - much to my dismay. I rode as hard as I could, racing to get to town in time to watch some of the Uruguay v. Netherlands game. I managed to get to the Whiskey Creek Saloon and catch the last 20 minutes of the game, which was a treat. There were four other people, all older-than-me women smoking & gossiping and completely ignoring the TV, which was funny.
As I sat there recovering from my hectic and strenuous day (nursing a mid-afternoon Snake River IPA, which was great) I decided to call it a Motel Day - after three nights of camping in the cold (frost on the tent!) I was ready for a warm bed, real pillow, and fluffy towels.
I ended up staying at the Branding Iron Inn, across the street from the Jackalope exhibit at the Country Store. Ate a big hamburger at the Cowboy Cafe, too - this trip has turned me ravenously carnivorous. Though also craving vegetables. Today I ate half a head of cauliflower, half a cucumber, half a carrot and a whole bell pepper - for my afternoon snack, before I went to dinner!
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