ROUTE: Idaho Falls to Jackson, WY
DISTANCE: 88 miles
WINDS: Headwinds early turning to tails in afternoon
WEATHER: Chilly in am; sunny and mild later
TERRAIN: Mountainous
TOTAL CLIMBING: 6,123 feet
RIDE OVERVIEW: We ate and loaded luggage early to get a head start on this strenuous day, and riders who had decorated their bikes for the Fourth, had their photos taken and their bikes oohed and aaahed over. Congratulations to Bob and Carol for winning the Fourth Bike Decorating Contest (see pix below). Their prize: being first in the buffet line until Casper. Tim's entry was disqualified when it didn't make it to the first SS in one piece, but it was a standout, too.
Here we are in Jackson Hole, WY and this morning seems only a distant memory. I was riding Sweep and I seem to remember rising early (5:30 breakfast) and leaving Idaho Falls on a route on which they normally hold their Fourth of July parade. Blankets and lawn chairs held parade goers' places and some were already occupied so very early in the morning. One group cheered and waved as we streamed past in our red-white-and-blue jerseys. The first 20-some miles of our route was pretty flat as we were leaving the city (right and above).
Once clear of the city, the scenery today was "lovely beyond all singing of it." As we turned to climb to the first SS, we encountered a stiff headwind that knocked the stuffing out of several of us. We recovered at the SS, however, merely by looking back the way we'd come. The SS was in a rest area off Route 26E, and the rest area overlooked the Snake River and the hills beyond. Across the road stretched vast fields of grain in different hues of green and planted in various patterns. We climbed to and descended into several valleys today, one of which looked to me like something out of a children's fairytale book: Clear stream (the Snake) flowing under a Grandma Moses bridge and then through a green valley bowled by hills and then mountains beyond.
At 45 miles, we started to climb to Pine Creek Pass at just over 6,800 feet. That climb started out gradually for the first 6 or so miles; then the slope started to increase as it neared the top. Probably the last 3 miles were in the neighborhood of 6-7%. As it turned out, this climb was just a warm up for the second ascent to Teton Pass at 8,431 feet. On the descent from Pine Creek Pass, we got our first glimpse of the Teton Mountains--just a glimpse--a tease for tomorrow.
Many riders stopped for lunch at a small cafe in Victor, a small town at the base of the Teton climb. Five miles after we started the climb, we finally departed our second state and entered Wyoming. As Mike took this photo (right) of Sonia, Tim, and Don, he didn't have the heart to tell them about the 10% grade sign behind the Wyoming sign . . . they would find out soon enough. But what a beautiful start to our tour of our third state.
Just after we left this sign, we started one of the toughest long climbs we've ever had on any of our rides. I think everyone would have liked this climb better if they'd had bigger gears. Quite a test--hors category climb for this group--actually even for the Tour de France. Everyone who crossed the summit was spent and glad that the struggle was over, but their sense of accomplishment was keen . . . even the ones who walked some of the way were proud to have made it to the top. As everyone celebrated at the top, taking the obligatory pictures of the summit, we couldn't help but look in awe at the scene before us. The view of the descent and the town of Wilson below was magnificent.
The descent was a screamer (right)! That's a runaway truck stop on the left--one of two. It always gives you pause when you see a sign announcing a runaway truck ramp. Both had to be on the left side of the road, of course, so if a truck ever did lose its brakes, and if a car were chugging up the mountain . . . well, it's not worth contemplating.
It was a wide open descent but it had several turns before the bottom that were marked with a 20 MPH limit. That's assuming that you could get that slow in the first place. Jim had a rear flat on the way down, but handled his bike well and managed to bring it to a stop. Mike changed out both his front and rear tubes at Mechanic's Hour and replaced Jim's rim tape which had several spoke holes in it, all good insurance against tomorrow's climb over the Togwotee Pass and the Continental Divide.
Tonight at Route Rap we welcomed three new riders to the group, two of whom, Larry Dean and Byron Rovegno, are with us for the remainder of the tour; the third, John Litvaitis will ride from Jackson to Sioux Falls. Larry and Byron come to us off Cycle America. Boy are they going to like trading in the mosquitoes and tents for comfy beds and AC.
Jackson is celebrating the Fourth with a big fireworks display over a mountain behind our motel. It began at 10 pm, ten minutes ago. But once again it is late and I'm still tapping the keys. Gotta put the head on a pillow because we have another gorgeous yet challenging day ahead tomorrow. See you then.
HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:
- "Does it bother you when I ride this close behind.?"
"Absolutely not. I've missed the sound of heavy breathing." - "This is the most fantastic day I've ever ridden."
- "I think we are above the oxygen level up here."
- "Can you believe that Jim and Dave, our two recumbent riders, sagged their bikes to the summit while they walked the last two miles? It's not everywhere you get such valet service."
PHOTOS OF THE DAY:
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| Moose cow and her calf encountered by a group of riders on the way up the pass. Jim R took this great photo. |
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| Baa, Baa, Bah . . . These wooly sheep blocked the road to both cyclists and cars for a bit today. |
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| Bob Edmonson, our male first place Fourth of July bike decorating contest winner. His crepe papered wheels held up until the first SS, a qualifying condition. |
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| Carol, our female first place winner, shows off her handlebar eagle and star-studded helmet. She will enjoy her place of prominence in the buffet line. |
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| Matt's patriotic socks. Today Matt (Opie) J. climbed the Tetons twice. As some of us were still struggling upward, Matt came zooming down only to climb again. Astounding! Too bad we didn't have a polka-dot jersey for him. |
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| Now we know why Aldo is directionally challenged, he uses his Route Sheet as a doo-rag...or is he trying to "absorb" the route by osmosis? |
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| Sonia, and Mike & Karen McG share a quart of ice cream-- the aprés ride reward. |
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| Hand shadow bull (or is that a giraffe?) created by someone with a lot of time on their hands at SS#1 |
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