I knew this was going to be a long day from the beginning. I had 140 miles to cover over 2 days to get to West Yellowstone. The day started great with a small descent and tailwinds and I made great time for the first 40 miles. Then I changed direction and the tailwinds were now headwinds.
Today’s journey took me through the 1860s gold rush towns of Nevada City and Virginia City. Nevada City is almost non-existent but for a few old structures. Virginia City has many more buildings standing and has become a tourist town. A wide Main Street has wooden sidewalks, and it is lined with historic structures on both sides. The historic buildings are either being used for current day commercial activities, or house facts of historical interest.
After leaving Virginia City the temperatures were in the mid 90s and there was a 1200 foot climb. It was a difficult climb because of headwinds, the heat, and my lunch was not sittting well. Once at the top the road changed direction and the downhill was impacted by crosswinds. There was no shoulder and the winds were pushing me around the lane. There was one time on the downhill were some idiotic driver made a bonehead move. I am going downhill on a road with no shoulders and strong cross winds. There were a series of cars approaching me from the front and the idiot behind me still wanted to pass me. Fortunately, the car coming toward me saw what was going on and moved to right as much as possible and slowed considerably. The driver behind me kept on going, came very close to hitting me and then when he passed his draft almost forced me off the road. All I could l do was shake my head because I needed two hands on the bike so I wouldn’t loose control.
Eventually, I made it to Ennis and found a mosquito infested campsite next to the Madison River.
Today’s stats: 71.7 miles: average speed 12.8 mph; max speed 31 mph; total climb 2239 feet; total descent 2346 feet.