Day 9: Mon 6/27: 73 mi: 2697’ climbing: 612 mi total

Easy day!  I mean… It was still hard but it’s easy because it’s 5:45 pm and I’m laying in my tent already with two dinners and two beers in my belly and the first shower in 11 days already done.  I’m gonna read my kindle tonight and pass out early.  Yay for simple things.

Last night was chill and quiet.  The river and its life kept my ears busy and nothing messed with my shoddily hung bear bags of food and smelly things in the spindly willows along the river.

As usual, rising at 6 and putting on warm layers, I sensed this time that I did not need to wear EVERYTHING to stay functionally warm.  Out into the beautiful grassy meadow I bounded rocking my stripped long underwear once again.

This mornings miles took me above the Lima Dam and into the Red Rock Valley.  Probably 10 or more miles across and a good 50 miles long, I felt like I could see forever.   It was quiet most of the morning, not seeing a single car and only one NOBO rider, who looked and sounded to be in a lot of pain from saddle sores.

The route wove its way along the northern bank of the reservoir, then cut further along the northern edge of the valley, avoiding the lower, boggy areas that were filled with herds of cattle. The suns rays slowly intensified as the burning orb of energy climbed higher over the eastern end of the valley.  Pronghorn sheep dotted the landscape, one even approaching while I took a rest break.

The roads were ok.  You could tell that the rains a week prior had done quite a number on both bikes and cars.  Navigating the deep muddy ruts and loose gravel kept my mind busy and off my sore and tired legs, neck, and arms.  The prior two days’ high miles were wearing on me.  Throughout the day I stuck to a pretty consistent schedule of 50 min cycling and 10 min off the bike stretching and eating.  

The great thing about being in this valley was that you could see so much.  The bad thing about being in this valley is that you can see so much.  As in, why is it taking me forever to get over to that spot that I see?!   The rough road and rolling nature of the landscape made for slow miles.  There is nothing here- no towns, stores, gas stations.  A few homes, a ranger station, and that’s about it.  With the beating down sun I was nervous about making it with only the 2.5 L of water I had left.  Luckily, as I was passing a house I saw an old woman getting her mail and struck up conversation with her.  Eventually, she was cool with me filling up my water with her garden hose.  Win!

By noon I was more than halfway.  Sitting on the side of the road I ate a high calorie packaged apple pie while staring at snow covered mountains above me.  While behind me lay the Red Rock Wildlife Refuge, which housed crazy large numbers of birds easily seen and heard even from quite a distance from the shallow flooded valley.

Coming to the end of the valley finally and starting to gradually climb towards Red Rock Pass, I met the arch enemy of all gravel riders… the grader.  Too powerful for this world, churning up hard packed gravel like it is cake frosting, while somehow finding every large rock 4” or bigger and placing them along the top of the newly formed surface… I cringed and nearly cried seeing the mayhem laid before me as I approached the steep push over the pass.  

Slowly passing the grader I summoned my MN nice wave and greeted the driver, who responded in kind before continuing in the other direction wrecking all the cake frosting.  Playing dodge boulder while going uphill in loosely tilled dirt… I gave up and just started walking.  Overjoyed though doesn’t describe how stoked I was to see that the grader’a carnage had stopped at the top of the pass, which was short and took only about 10 minutes of walking to arrive at.

Creating the pass, I officially went from Montana into Idaho. 

Descending into Idaho, tailing a pickup truck who didn’t want to go as fast as I did down the rough, potholed road, the winds increased and blessed me with a tail.  Eventually reaching pavement, then leaving it for some wild two-track through the forest, I make it into Island Park in the early afternoon.

It’s weird setting up so early in the day, but it will be good for my body to step back a bit.  I showered, the showered the shower because I left it all gross from so many days and layers of dirt, sweat, sunscreen, and butt paste.  Then was the first customer at the restaurant when it opened at 4.  I ordered two dinner and ate every single bit of both.  And two beers.  Cause calories are important for my growing body.

It’s only 6:18 and I’m gonna do what ever I want.  Really though… I’m gonna read, then hike to the convenience store to prep for tomorrow, and then go to bed.  Because that’s how old people live it up.