It's been a busy day. Woke up warm thanks to sleeping on the ground per Jeff's advice. Left the Ennis RV park this morning with the goal of getting to West Yellowstone, 71 miles away. Hermann and his family gave me a sendoff. I cruised through Ennis, stopping to find some camp food, but no luck since everything was closed on account of the holiday.
The road south through the Madison Valley started off fairly humdrum since the road was arrow-straight for miles and I couldn't see much. The smoky haze blotted out the peaks except for faint silhouettes. Trucks and RVs ruled the road, but the shoulder was very wide so all was good. After awhile, the valley narrowed, bringing the scenery closer. I rode close to the wide river, where lots of people were fly fishing. I can imagine that fly fishing is pretty good around here, because there are certainly plenty of real flies. I'm talking about the six-legged kind that fly into the gaps in your helmet or up your shorts.
It was time for a break so I pulled off the road and took refuge under a shade tree. As I was sitting there, a girl on a horse walked up behind me. She said hello and I figured she was associated with the nearby ranch. Turns out her name is Katie and she's a modern-day Sacagawea who is out for a ("short") 12-day excursion on her horse, Flint. She had a tiny bedroll and minimalist saddle and a few little bags. Most of these items she made herself, since she is an accomplished tanner. She was on her way to teach her craft at a primitive skills rendezvous in Idaho. Her website is www.wilderbabe.com and it's worth a look.
Flint decided that I needed a bath, so he licked the salt off of me for quite some time. After about 10 minutes of horse licking, I was salt-free!
I said goodbye to Katie and continued south through the valley. The traffic died off; I think everybody was going home from their vacation. Some big vistas opened up to the south but I turned east into the park, where I had to ride up the canyon of the Madison. I passed an enormous rockslide that was triggered by a big earthquake in the 1950s. Several campers are still buried under it. The debris blocked the Madison and formed Quake Lake. Further up, I rode along beautiful Hebgen Lake and then into West Yellowstone. I must have taken too many pictures because I didn't get into town until about five minutes before sunset. I took a room at an establishment run by a Chinese lady, who seemed to like me more after I haggled for the price.
West Yellowstone is like Manhattan. I don't think there is a town with more cultural variety between here and Seattle. Tourists from every nation are walking the streets, and everybody is speaking a different language. I ate at a Chinese place and was waited on by a Russian girl named Olga. The kitchen was on the ball and I was shoveling food into my mouth within minutes. I think it was good, but I didn't slow down very much. She came over a few times to ask if everything tasted OK and I answered "Mmmph! Iff gurph!" through a mouthful of rice.
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The road south through the Madison Valley started off fairly humdrum since the road was arrow-straight for miles and I couldn't see much. The smoky haze blotted out the peaks except for faint silhouettes. Trucks and RVs ruled the road, but the shoulder was very wide so all was good. After awhile, the valley narrowed, bringing the scenery closer. I rode close to the wide river, where lots of people were fly fishing. I can imagine that fly fishing is pretty good around here, because there are certainly plenty of real flies. I'm talking about the six-legged kind that fly into the gaps in your helmet or up your shorts.
It was time for a break so I pulled off the road and took refuge under a shade tree. As I was sitting there, a girl on a horse walked up behind me. She said hello and I figured she was associated with the nearby ranch. Turns out her name is Katie and she's a modern-day Sacagawea who is out for a ("short") 12-day excursion on her horse, Flint. She had a tiny bedroll and minimalist saddle and a few little bags. Most of these items she made herself, since she is an accomplished tanner. She was on her way to teach her craft at a primitive skills rendezvous in Idaho. Her website is www.wilderbabe.com and it's worth a look.
Flint decided that I needed a bath, so he licked the salt off of me for quite some time. After about 10 minutes of horse licking, I was salt-free!
I said goodbye to Katie and continued south through the valley. The traffic died off; I think everybody was going home from their vacation. Some big vistas opened up to the south but I turned east into the park, where I had to ride up the canyon of the Madison. I passed an enormous rockslide that was triggered by a big earthquake in the 1950s. Several campers are still buried under it. The debris blocked the Madison and formed Quake Lake. Further up, I rode along beautiful Hebgen Lake and then into West Yellowstone. I must have taken too many pictures because I didn't get into town until about five minutes before sunset. I took a room at an establishment run by a Chinese lady, who seemed to like me more after I haggled for the price.
West Yellowstone is like Manhattan. I don't think there is a town with more cultural variety between here and Seattle. Tourists from every nation are walking the streets, and everybody is speaking a different language. I ate at a Chinese place and was waited on by a Russian girl named Olga. The kitchen was on the ball and I was shoveling food into my mouth within minutes. I think it was good, but I didn't slow down very much. She came over a few times to ask if everything tasted OK and I answered "Mmmph! Iff gurph!" through a mouthful of rice.
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Hermann and his rental. This is a compact compared to some of the monsters on the road.
Do the Rolling Stones stay at RV parks now?
Katie and Flint
First he tasted my handlebars
Then he gave my arm a good bath
Paddling in the Madison
Everyone was fishing here
Southern end of the Madison Valley. I took a left before those mountains.
Pause at Hebgen Lake
Just outside town
1 comment:
Hi there,
So glad that you stayed warm through the night, coiled up like a rattlesnake it not a pleasant way to spend the night. You expend a lot of energy trying to stay warm.
It sounds like you having a" horse lickin" good time. Katie was interesting, pretty tough gal riding through the country side. Flint was beautiful.
Beautiful country side that you biking through. Somewhat strange that grocery stores close on a holiday, being in a tourist town that embraces every holiday.
So glad for you that the weather is cooperating. Hopefully, Yellowstone will not be so terribly busy.
Enjoy the ride and do be careful!!
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