Today was going to be a long ride because it involved three rather long climbs. The first and second climbs were shortly after leaving Dillon. The first climb was not too long but it was steady. Parts of it were steep. The second climb was shorter but the worst part were the mosquitoes. They were everywhere. It was midday with winds over 20 mph, but these blood sucking creatures were relentless. We had to apply mosquito repellant at the base of the second climb. Once that was done it was not so bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we finally made it to Jackson, MT for lunch there was still 60 miles to go to our final destination. After refueling with a BLT we were on a relatively flat road to Wisdom. As we got closer to Wisdom the rainstorms were getting larger. Just outside of Wisdom it started to rain but the hardest rain came once we were safely tucked under the overhang of the Wisdom General Store. Now Wisdom is mosquito central. The agricultural land between Jackson and Wisdom is flood irrigated making it prime breeding habitat for mosquitoes because the water collects and forms pools in depressions. There has to be a better way to do it. Well there is, but these farmers haven\u2019t changed in generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did try to find a place to stay in Wisdom but everything was booked and there was no way we were going to pitch tents and sleep outside. So around 6 pm we left Wisdom for the final 40 miles to Salu. We knew it would be a stretch to make it to Salu before sunset because there was Chief Joseph Pass for us to cross. This pass was at 7300 feet above sea level. For the most part the last 3\/4 of the final 40 miles were uphill and the last 10 were definitely down. We got to the top of Chief Joseph Pass right before sunset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way down to Salu there was a mixture of very cold patches and warm ones. The warm ones where the locations where the sun was till shining. The cold ones were in the shadows and at the top of the pass. We made it to the campground right before it was dark. The general store that hosted the campground was closed for it was close to 10 pm. The on-site manager allowed for us to sleep on the porch of the general store. It was a good location because there was an overhang and a storm was in the forecast for the overnight. The rain did not start until next morning. Before we settled in on the porch a baby black bear cub crossed the road a few hundred feet away and entered the campground behind the general store. The bear was chased away then it was all quiet in the campground and for us sleeping on the porch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s stats: total mileage 105.32, average speed 12.4 mph, elevation gain 4491 feet, elevation loss 5259 feet, maximum speed 37.1 mph<\/p>\n\n\n\n