July 14, 2020
Cameron - Sheridan, MT
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2,117 elevation gain
It was 39 degrees when I woke up this morning. The temptation was to tuck right back in with the covers up to my nose. Then I remembered the wind . . . yes, better to ride and be cold than to fight the wind again. It was a bright sunny day when I was out the door at 7:45. Jacinto allowed that it was warm outside, he'd be leaving in 15 minutes. Sure thing, Jacinto!
My outlook on the day was completely different without the wind pushing me backwards. I averaged 17.1 mph all the way to Ennis on a slight downhill. My legs were a little sore from yesterday's battle. I appreciated the 10 mile warm up before making the turn and starting the climb. Ennis was a charming tourist town. There were many large homes before and after Ennis. Vacation homes? As far as Ennis, there was zero usable shoulder because of the ill placed rumble strip. I rode in the traffic lane. Traffic was very light. I watched my mirror. If a vehicle looked like it was moving way over, I gave a large wave of appreciation and stayed where I was. If they didn't move over far enough, I bounced across the rumble strip to the 6-8" usable shoulder. Thankfully, after Ennis, the rumble strip disappeared.
After making the turn, I knew I had a sustained 2,000 foot climb. There were a few miles of rollers that I had difficulty with. First, my legs let me know that this was cruel. Second, I've had trouble the past few days shifting into the granny. Trouble to the degree of stopping to place the chain on the granny. I think part of my leg issue was riding in the wrong gear because I couldn't get down low enough. Thus, I struggled on those rollers. I couldn't just get the right gear and stay there, I had to keep shifting. Finally I hit on the thought that I should try adjusting the barrel. I could have done that a couple of days ago! Bicycle mechanics are not my specialty, but I believe the cable has stretched out, so I want to take up the slack, which would mean turning the barrel to the right? Someone knowledgeable, please confirm. Of course, after trying the adjustment, I did not have to shift into the granny again.
Update - Buddy gave me a helpful guestbook answer and I called guru Jim. There was no counter clockwise turn left in the barrel, so we have adjusted the set screw. Riding in front of the motel, I made eight good shifts into the granny in a row. I'm hopeful.
By my Garmin, I had climbed 1,000 feet when I hit a big curve and guardrail. That was a positive number, I was halfway up the climb. Even though I was struggling, I felt I could make the other half. I stopped at the guardrail and considered my supplement options. Anything to put a little fire in the engine! I had a couple of Anti Fatigue, one Perpetuem, and pulled out the big gun - a Hammer Gel. Some part of that combination worked (that and being able to stay in the granny gear) - the last 1,000 feet to the top were far easier than the first 1,000.
At the top I could see a pickup with someone waving an orange flag. It looked like a cattle drive. There were cowboys and cowgirls on horses, with dogs and cows and the whole wild west thing. I had timed it well, they were just getting off the road into pasture. I saw the evidence of their passing for ten miles of downhill. Have you ever hit a fresh cow pie at speed? Me either! My imagination is vivid on that one. I watched the road carefully in front of me!
I was crossing over from Madison Valley to Ruby Valley. All of the Valleys along the way have been well marked. I had seen a couple of mentions of Virginia City. It wasn't until I got to town that I considered it might be 'the' Virginia City' of the wild west days. The entire town was made of old, old buildings. There was a tour car ready to give tourists a tour and a fair number of people walking around town taking photos. It was difficult to say which businesses were real and which ones were store fronts. I did see a burrito place that said closed, but the door was open . . .
Next was Nevada City - it wasn't as large, but was more of the same. It was fun to cruise through both towns and see the sights. I don't know if lodging/food is available, but it could be a great overnight stop.
After Nevada City, I lost the cow pies. I wonder how long it takes to drive cows ten miles uphill?
I had 20 miles from the top to town. Riding through the wild west area was entertaining and ate up some miles. I had half of my Pond's Lodge leftovers for a snack somewhere along the road. I'm starting to be like Jacinto, carrying food for days. I wasn't really hungry and thought I could get to town for fresh food. I pulled out my apple instead. It was huge. I felt obligated to eat all of it and felt slightly sick when I got done. An apple half that size would have been perfect.
I had the slightest of headwinds the last 5-7 miles to town. That almost made me smile with happiness. I beat the wind today!
I rode past our motel to see what restaurants were open. We did internet research last night. It appeared there were several restaurants, but they all closed after lunch. Perhaps I should get lunch now, just in case. The can of chili from last night wasn't good enough to make it a two nights in a row experience. I saw two motorcycle riders getting on their bikes. I stopped to ask them if they'd eaten somewhere and if it were good. They recommended the place down the block. We talked about their trip. They were headed to Yellowstone and then north somewhere. They were from Washington. They were planning to stop in Virginia City for a beer. My rig received sufficient admiration to stroke my ego. The motorcyclists agreed that they also like motels and were not carrying tents.
We said our goodbyes and I walked over to the restaurant. Bread Zepplin - isn't that a fun name? Today was Taco Tuesday, $3.00 each for a generous taco. I bought four and carried two back to the room for Jacinto.
The Moriah Motel has well tended grounds with flowers everywhere. The room smelled fresh when I opened the door. They have coffee and muffins in the morning. They have ice!
It is 68 degrees right now and I"m a little chilled. I believe I'll go sit outside in the sun. My sympathies to those of you sweltering.
I feel validated - Jacinto said the climb was hard today! My average speed was better than his. I couldn't believe that until we discussed our different approaches on riding the first miles into Ennis. I was earlier in the morning and traffic was light. I rode to the left of the white line for the most part. Jacinto balanced in the skinny area between the rumble strip and the edge of the pavement. Jacinto said he had to ride sitting down to keep that straight of a line.
There was a pizza place or a hamburger joint open tonight. Neither are wheat free friendly. Sometimes if I go to a restaurant that serves fat hamburgers, I can get a bun free burger on lettuce that is good. I've tried that at fast food burger places and it's a pretty skimpy dinner, eating a skinny patty on limp lettuce. We ended up at the grocery, buying chicken strips (these were home breaded and easy to peel the breading off), potato salad, and coleslaw. While we were checking out, the man behind us asked if we were bicycling. He said he is also, his clothes are outside at the motel getting dry also. We were holding up the only line, so we moved out of the way. We purposefully ate outside so we could chat with the other rider, but he never came back. Even while we were working on the bike. Maybe he's over at the brewery? We did find out he's going the opposite direction, into Yellowstone. I've looked out the door a couple of times to see if his clothes are outside. Then I decided I feel like a stalker, so I quit looking.
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 1,859 miles (2,992 km)
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