Photo: Tom "The Duke" at handicapped parking site at Chief Joseph Pass ranger station.
We left Sula campground at about 9:00 a.m., and in about 13 miles, biked up chief Joseph Pass with the last five miles gruelingly steep! A guy heard Tom's broken rib story, and commented, "Wow, that guy has grit!" From then on, he became "The Duke"!
We took photos at this 7,000 ft. plus pass with a backdrop of snow. Tom made snow angels in his super sweaty bike togs. The ride down the other side of the pass was nice at first, but then it leveled off a bit too much. The scenery is spectacular here in Big Hole. Big just doesn’t describe this Bitter Root Mountain ringed canyon, which is actually a high desert, but today, it rained a good part of the day. We had lunch at a small town named Wisdom, named for a local creek that has now changed its name, then on to Jackson, MT, in the head wind and sporadic rain.
We visited the Big Hole battlefield where the Nez Pierce were attacked by the US Cavalry, and many native Americans were slaughtered because they did not want to be confined to a reservation. It was a pretty sad story.
We stayed the night at the Hot Springs Hotel, which looks like a western cowboy movie set. Our Alzheimer’s group stayed here too in tents, but the proprietor let them stay in a room due to the cold. They appreciated the beds and hot showers.
Today’s ride 59.44 miles Total 789.81, total pedaling time 6 hours and 39 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment