Today is my birthday, but that was not going to stop me from riding. I got somewhat of late start. What was supposed to a 20 mph tailwind was a 20 mph headwind for most of the day. No real big climbs just a long one that brought me over 6800 feet above sea level. I thought higher elevations would make if feel cooler but I still hit temperatures of 104 when riding. The headwinds, the heat, the lack food stops, and riding above 6000 feet made for a difficult day. It forced me to make many stops to drink water, or to take posture breaks by standing up.
Today was also the first time I had someone pass me and then pull over to the side of the road within 100 yards of passing me. This happened 3 times and each time I caught up to the car the driver was still inside and made no attempt to get out. It is also the first time a driver of vehicle blasted is horn immediately next to me when they passed. There was no need for that because there was no oncoming traffic.
The ride today had some fascinating geologic information. In 1959 there was a 7.2 earthquake the collapsed the side of a canyon wall and dammed Madison River. The area behind the dam is now called Earthquake Lake. Unfortunately over 30 people were killed by the earthquake. The trees that were growing before the lake was created are still standing but now in many feet of water. They are not alive but grayish white in color. The area where the canyon well collapsed is still denuded of all vegetation.
Along much of this day I felt that I did not have enough liquid to drink or enough food to eat. I am tired of drinking 90 degree water. I came across a campground where I was able to get a cold drink and a little nourishment but the best part of this stop was they had a great stoop with rocking chairs that allowed me to sit in the shade for a while. Back on the road I felt much better. In the last 8 miles I changed direction and had a tailwind into West Yellowstone.
Tonight I am staying in the Historic Madison Hotel/Motel and it looks and feels like it is right from the 1860s. It is a great place actually and was probably a very seedy place 150 years ago. For dinner I found an all you can eat spaghetti place and then capped it with huckleberry ice cream. The nice thing about riding is that you can eat whatever you want because the number of calories burned each day are pretty great.
Today’s stats: total mileage 72.4 miles, average speed 11.3 mph, max speed 27.9 mph, total climb 2526 feet, total descent 1318 feet.
Tomorrow, Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming.