Day 58: Sheridan to Ennis, MT; "Somewhere in the Middle of Montana"

August 28, 2015

Notes:

1.) If you select the “Comment” link near the bottom of the page you can leave a message for me. I enjoy getting them.

2.) Climbing Today: 1,931 ft -- Total So Far; 138,048 ft

3.) Average Speed While Biking Today: 9.3 mph

4.) Mechanical Issues Today: none

5.) Miles Remaining to Canon City: about 800

6.) Miles Traveled to Date on This Half of the Journey: 1,200

7.) Money Found Today: 0

8.) Total Money Found: $0.41 (Will I find enough to buy a cup of coffee?)

9.) Current BAR (Bicycle Altitude Record): 7,400 feet, Big Hole Pass

I was very tired this morning and rather sluggish in getting packed and out the door. It was almost 6:30 am before I got rolling, but I only have 33 miles to do today because of the 105 miles I did yesterday. There is a steep climb today after Virginia City, but it seems that I have a lot of steep climbs these days. I suppose that’s a consequence of traveling through the mountains. This is definitely big country, but it’s sometimes hard to tell because of the smoke haze. But maybe it’s getting a little better.

Big Spaces, Wide-Open Country; But It Was Still a Bit Smoky

It’s hard to call Montana “Big Sky Country” when you can’t see the sky. Rolling on, I came across an interesting tale about Robber’s Roost.

Near Alder, MT; The Story of Robber's Roost

I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks myself. But not on the “rong” side.

I Came From the "Rong" Side of the Tracks Myself

I’d love to see a real sunrise again. You know, the kind that doesn’t look like this;

The Usual Orange Sunrise Due to the Smoke

I promise to only make you look at one deer picture today. I really could have forced another dozen on you.

Nevada City and Virginia City both have a lot of interesting history associated with them.

And I just thought these rock ruins were interesting. I wonder what they were.

This Cowboy Church looks like something from the cable TV series “Hell on Wheels;”

The Cowboy Church Looked Like a Scene From The "Hell on Wheels" Cable Series

Entering Virginia City, I want to meet the Cartwrights.

Entering Virginia City, I Wanted To Meet Ben, Adam, Hoss, Little Joe, and Especially Hop-Sing

But, of course, Virginia City of the Cartwrights was located in Nevada. My High Plains Drifter days continue.

I've Been A High Plains Drifter Since I Entered Montana

The Virginia City Café served breakfast, and boy was I ever ready for it. I needed some fuel for the steep climb ahead. The cook was a most interesting fellow and we chatted quite a bit. He asked and I gave him my story of how I had wanted to bicycle across America for 40 years and now I was doing it. Afterwards, I could hear him telling other restaurant patrons about it “he’s wanted to do this for 40 years and now he’s finally doing it!” That inspired me for the hard work that was to come getting over this next big climb. But before I left I took a shot of the barbed wire collection hanging in the café.

Barbed Wire Won the West (Displayed Inside the Virginia City Café)

And here's a bit of history about Virginia City;

As I left Virginia City, two separate vehicles each rolled down their window and gave me an encouraging thumbs-up sign. It was nice to see folks who weren’t mad because I was on “their” road, but instead were applauding my effort. It was serious work getting up the hill. Along the way, a concrete truck had stalled in the middle of a blind curve, and flagmen were diverting traffic around it and only allowing one-way traffic for about ¼ mile. The sign said “Slow” as I approached working hard to even maintain 4 mph on the steep grade, and I told the lady holding the sign “I’ll try to keep it slow.” She laughed at that and radioed ahead to alert the other end that I was coming up.

I proceeded on up the hill, and each time I stopped for a short break I got very sleepy, so I didn’t stop for long. One little piece of the highway at a time, and I finally made it to the summit. The sign at the top warned trucks to gear it down.

My Low Gear Won't Help Slow Me Down, But I Don't Need Brakes Anyway

I don’t need to gear it down, or even use my brakes at all for that matter. I have learned to control my descent speed with aerodynamic braking only. If the grade isn’t super steep I get into an aero tuck, riding down on the drops and presenting a low profile. If it’s a bit steeper I still hold onto the drops but raise my head up a bit to catch more wind. And if it’s really steep I hold onto the hoods and sit up taller for maximum aerodynamic braking. These techniques allow me to keep my descent speeds below 35 mph most of the time. With Harvey fully loaded, crazy fast descents just aren’t wise, especially so since I am traveling alone through very lonely country. If I were to have a deer impact or otherwise crash over the edge of one of these steep cliffs, it might be a long time before anyone discovered me - if they ever did. I like to descend about 30 – 35 mph, and I can do so without using my brakes on most grades out west. It’s a different story in the Appalachians and Missouri Ozarks, where I would often hit downhill speeds over 40 mph unless I used the brakes.

Here’s a view of what I envisioned most of Montana would look like, except for the smoke;

This Is How I Had Envisioned Montana, Except For The Smoke

I was disappointed to also see smoke in the next valley.

Unfortunately, The Next Valley Was Also Smoky; Will it Ever End?

Will the smoke never end? My spirits were lifted by the fantastic downhill ride.

A Fantastic 10-Mile Downhill Ride To Ennis

I was singing “Somewhere in the middle of Montana” as I enjoyed a 10-mile downhill ride to Ennis. Cyclists understand; most of us only dream about 10-mile downhill runs. Out here in the valley-range topography, they are common. Of course, you will have earned the downhill run by the time you reach the summit of the pass.

Rolling into Ennis, I found the Fan Mountain Inn and checked in early. Ennis is a tourist town, and I couldn’t find any place I could eat that night that didn’t have a long wait time, so dinner consisted of peanut butter on bread and an apple and some Doritos chips. Oh well, I ate good earlier today in Virginia City. Life is good, and tomorrow I’m headed for West Yellowstone. Maybe I’ll find clean air, maybe I’ll see a bear, maybe…?

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 3,497 miles (5,628 km)

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