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Wednesday August 28         Cycling Day 46

 

       Wade Lake (Mont) to West Yellowstone (Mont)

Distance:  (Km). 74

Time:  3:46

Average Speed: (Km/ hr). 19.6

Ascent:  (m). 532

Heart Rate: (beats / min). 101

Cumulative Distance:   (km). 5029

Cumulative Ascent :  (m). 41,986

Punctures so far : 2

So, I’ve broken through the 5,000 km mark. Only another bit to go.

A nice short day finishing in great heat.

Turned very cold during the night. The cold woke me up at 4am; not as cold when we were packing up but still I’m told it was just 2deg. But those degrees kept upping and upping as the day progressed.

Washboard.

First item on the agenda after breakfast was to retrace those rough 10 km of gravel out to Highway 287. Almost half of the group opted to take the van for that section. I actually found it felt shorter than yesterday evening although it started with a stiff 100m lift around gravel hairpins straight out of camp. Once up there we were open to the early morning sunshine (straight into our eyes). Corrugations helped to settle down the breakfast along the stretch!

Once out on 287 we headed into a narrow valley (10 to 17 km) and the headwind was thus magnified but we reckoned it was just a local phenomenon. We were ascending again with the Madison River below us.

Present outlet.

We were now at Earthquake Lake created as recently as 1959, August 17 to be exact. On that night a 7.5 earthquake, the strongest ever in the Rockies, shook this valley which had the Madison River coursing along through it and many campgrounds packed with summer holiday crowds. Happened just before midnight and campers just felt the earth shake and the splitting of trees. A complete hillside of rock and trees slid down and blocked the outlet of the valley causing this 6km lake to form. 28 lost their lives either from the earthquake, landslide or rising water. The area of the landslide is still so plain just across from the Information Centre and the remains of trees still rise from the water.

River flowing from bottom to top.

Blockage caused by the slide.



We had cycled up over the blockage at the outlet. The complete episode is well documented at various points along the road utilizing photos taken before and after. Amazing to view part of the earth’s surface that has been shattered by nature in our own lifetime.

It was a quiet enough road that carried on with a few rises to another lake further up the Madison...Hebgen Lake, a much larger lake  artificially created in 1910 when the Hebgen Dam was constructed for hydro power. It was damaged by the 1959 earthquake but held fast. Just to think if it had collapsed and released its waters down that valley!

The road skirted around this lake for 8 km and then returned to one of those long straight featureless lines to bring us to lunch stop at 47 km where the road met the busier Highway 191.

Very relaxing at lunch knowing only a little over 20 km to go and a break in the middle of that. The 13 km from lunch to West Yellowstone was another straight stretch only made interesting by the Council man trimming the edges. 

West Yellowstone is a town of 1300 just outside Yellowstone National Park, often referred to as ‘The Gateway to Yellowstone’. Here we are approx 7000 ft above sea level and halfway between the North Pole and the Equator (44 deg North). We will not be cycling into Yellowstone Park although some of the cyclists are arranging cars to go there this evening or tomorrow. I’ll not bother. Some other time!

A small town but plenty of outlets to tempt the tourist to the Park. Motels, souvenir shops and cafes. I toured around the town, nothing much for the tourist off the Main Street, Canyon Street, and eventually parked up at McDonalds for an ice-cream cone and to upload yesterday’s blog. In all I spent around an hour in West Yellowstone.

A change of direction here in town as we headed westwards on Highway 20 for another 10 km. It was very hot at this stage (12:30) and a strengthening breeze facing us. Trees on either side for most of the way dampened it’s effect and by m I turned into our campsite and located the TDA section at the back corner. Again I was one of the first in (other dallying in West Yellowstone or gone to the Park itself) and found a great spot in the shade of one of the trees. At this point of the cycle it’s vital to get the tent up in the shade with the heat building right into the evening.

And I succeeded in getting a shower in the nearest block before they closed it for cleaning (1:45 till 4:00). Even got two sets of gear washed and hanging out in the hot breeze. Will be dry in no time.

Plenty of time to relax before Riders Meeting at 6 followed by dinner. Such a relaxing day.....just half of yesterday’s distance. Enjoying the good weather while I can.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.