Missoula, MT to Boulder, WY – Miles: 586 | Elevation: 27,277 feet
DAY 11 | 8.11.2017
66.2 mi | 1,470 ft
Missoula, MT to Darby, MT
We headed south out of Missoula, on the paved Bitterroot Trail and a portion of the Transamerica Trail.
DAY 12 | 8.12.2017
57.3 mi | 3,533 ft
Darby, MT to Wisdom, MT
DAY 13 | 8.13.2017
73 mi | 2,405 ft
Wisdom, MT to Dillon, MT
Gravel is 2-3x more rigorous and slow-going, and we felt it right away. But it’s also infinitely more interesting, and why we are here.
After a mapping snafu and another day of unexpected “bonus” miles, we wild camped on BLM land . . . in the middle of spectacular nowhere, with no cell service whatsoever. After a communication snafu, we awoke to no water, ahead of a 60 mile ride through absolutely remote terrain. So we learned how to use our filter and pumped water from Medicine Lodge Creek.
DAY 14 | 8.14.2017
60 mi | 3,025 ft
Dillon, MT to Lima, MT
Today’s ride was the most awesome on gravel any of have experienced. Difficult, including an ascent up to 8000′, but jaw-dropping. We made coffee alongside the trail mid-morning, and then lunched on Mountain House on the porch of a vacant hunting cabin overlooking a canyon. Rain, hail, and mud arrived for the final 10 miles, but it failed to dampen our spirits.
DAY 15 | 8.15.2017
56.2 mi | 2,280 ft
Lima, MT to Red Rocks Lakes, MT
Cattle herding, sudden squalls and a double rainbow
DAY 16 | 8.16.2017
64.33 mi | 1,864 ft
Red Rocks Lakes, MT to Targhee National Forest, ID
Crested the Continental Divide again
DAY 17 | 8.17.2017
64.27 mi | 4,167 ft
Targhee National Forest, ID to the Tetons!
Enter Wyoming!
DAY 18 | 8.18.2017
51.32 mi | 3,645 ft
Tetons to Dubois, WY (Lava Mountain Lodge)
3rd crossing of the Continental Divide at 9,600 feet with a rip-roaring descent to the first proper shower in 8 days
DAY 19 | 8.19.2017
60.60 mi | 4,094 ft
Dubois, WY to Cora, WY
We huffed up 10 miles of loose gravel to the top of Union Pass at 9600′, dodging throngs of eclipse seekers driving by in all manner of vehicle, kicking up dust that we inhaled all day through barely functioning lungs. One guy said as he passed “you’re only going 6 miles an hour.” If I could have replied, I would have said “dude, that means I’m flying.” The effort paid off. The top of the pass rewarded us with views in all directions of snow-flanked mountains. The wildflower filled meadows were scattered with tents and campers, everyone waiting for the eclipse. It looked like a scene from the Tour de France, except for a celestial (not cycling) spectacle.
DAY 20 | 8.20.2017
45.71 mi | 794 ft
Boulder, WY to Pinedale, WY
DAY 21 | 8.21.2017
We’re just finishing up a rest day in Boulder, WY, where we enjoyed the eclipse.
