Yellow Stone - Grand Teton

Nevada City Mansion, Fountain Flats, Old Faithful, Isa Lake, Jenny Lake / Tetons

Last several days have been truly amazing. 30 miles or so after last posting I was in Nevada City, MT an old mining town that in 1890 swelled to 10,000 people now about 50 but wonderfuly renovated, the shops are filled with period gear and such. Next up and over Virginia pass. I spent Thursday night camping along the Madison river at Missouri Flats, I donated blood to I think every mosquito in MT while pitching the tent and ended up just jumping in and going to sleep...that was a mistake as no dinner left me with little energy the next morning. From Missouri Flats it's a gentle uphill ride towards West Yellowstone passing Earthquake Lake formed in 1954 (I think) from a landslide blocking the Madison. West Yellowstone is the northern entrance into Yellowstone, I watched the IMAX movie on Yellowstone (they had A/C). Riding into Yellowstone is needless to say scenic. Quite a conflict for me as there's much to see but this trip is a bike trip across America not a trip to Yellowstone so I stayed on course and somewhat raced through stopping at Fountain Flats, Old Faithful, and Upper Geyser Basin, onward going over the Continental Divide twice once at spectacular Isa lake (8261ft) where water from the east side flows into the Missouri and Mississippi and water from the west side flows into the Columbia and Snake. Camped at Grant Village, all spots were full but luckily they never turn away a biker or hiker, pretty difficult to get camping spots in Yellowstone...only so many and there are a lot of people. Sidenote, Yellowstone is swarming with Europeans taking advantage of the US Peso....some are driving RVs, no offense but a bit scary as they're more accustomed to smaller vehicles on the positive side they're more accustomed to dealing with cyclists so on balance just fine. Woke up to a very cold morning I think around 35'F, I really don't have the right warm clothes (only needed for about 6nights so figured I would just suffer a bit as I didn't want to carry more gear, sleeping bag is warm enough) so took a bit of time getting going. Day 15 of this trip was from Grant Village to Jackson where I am now resting at a friends house. Crossed the CD again yesterday (4th time so far, shame it doesn't run straight). Final highlight of Yellowstone was Lewis and Shoshone lakes. Bit of new gravel being laid on oil on the way out of Yellowstone making for a miserable and dusty ride. Into Grand Teton which riding along Colter Bay looking at the Tetons for hours just may have been the most beautiful mountain / lake landscape I've ever seen. Coming into Jackson I was tormented by brutal 40mph winds directly in my face, I recall flying into Jackson it's always windy but I never came in on a bike before, it took me an hour to go 10miles and it was slightly downhill. Last night festivities began at the Million Dollar Cowboy where if you sit at the bar you're sitting on a saddle. I greatly appreciate Mark and Zach lending me their couch but one more night is all my ailing spleen can handle so leaving Jackson in the morning for what will be the highest climb of the trip thus far and once more over the Continental Divide at Togwotee pass 9,658ft and onward to the metropolis of Crowheart, WY population 163 smack in the middle of the Wind River Indian Reservation, I hope it's not windy but figure they got the name from somewhere. So far 1260 miles with 15 riding days and one day rest, today, roughly 1/4 done with some serious mountains coming up in remainder of Wyoming and Colorado.

Continental Divide - Take 1

Spent the remainder of Saturday in Missoula relaxing. I met a paraplegic that was headed to the Olympics in a few days to compete in Adaptive Hand Cycling and got invited to his going away barbeque. Also got to ride a 3 wheeled recumbant with 81 gears, could pulla house up a mountain with it. Missoula is a great town quite a bit like Boulder CO w/out the "fruitcakes", yet. From Missoula I traveled south 93 miles to some Lost Trail Hot Springs where I camped at the springs. Very hot day at 100'F. Passed an excellent antique car show in Hamilton. Early Sunday was up and over the Continental Divide for the first time of the trip, I'll go over it several more time in the next week or so. This time was at Chief Joseph Pass at 7,200ft followed by two more passes yesterday both right around 7,000ft...it was a day of ups and downs. Somehow yesterday was turned out to the first day I broke 100miles in a day. Smoke from CA is drifting into MT and blurring some of the views which at any rate are spectactular. I've been following both the Lewis and Clark trail and the fligth of the Nez Perce Indians east out of OR for the last week or so. Yesterday I passed by the Big Hole Battlefield where in 1877 a group of Non Treaty Nez Perce that didn't want to live on a reservation and were headed east to the plains being followed were massacered in the early morning where they slept by a river. Some made out of that situation and continued east. Eventually Chief Joseph one of the Nez Perce Cheifs spoke to the Supreme Court in Washington DC. It's really a terrible story! My lower lip continues to fall off from sun burn as the rest of me bakes. Just finished a massive biscuits and gravy with chicken fried steak for a late breakfast....I'll be burping that up for the next severaly hourse as I head towards Yellowstone.

Big Beautiful Climb To Big Sky Counrty

I'm today in Missoula, MT at the headquarters of Adventure Cycling a non-profit promoting bike touring and doing much work mapping new routes (they're hiring). The scenery and weather over the last two days has been epic. Till this morning, a short 30 mile downhill into Missoula, I'd been riding uphill pretty much non stop following a series of rivers --> creeks that flow into the Salmon, (Middle Fork, Clearwater, Lochosa)some part of the original Lewis and Clark trail too. The scenery in the canyons is incredible quite a bit of elk, deer, all sorts of birds pulling fish out of the water. I'm giving up on listing the National Forests because I rarely leave them just go from one to the next. The last two nights camping spots I've gone to bed listening to rushing water and waking up to birds having some sort of orgy. Spent a few hours yesterday with several biology students surveying the return of Bull Trout to the upper Lohosa river. They were led by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. Amusing, they put on wet suits and snorkels and anchor themselves to the ground forming a line across the river counting what swims or floats by. When they come up to early to talk or something the game warden tosses rocks at them and laughs. I learned quite a bit! I'll being doing laundry, minor bike repairs, and relaxing rest of today.

Keep Your Powder Dry....

....you're going to need it soon because the 2nd revolution is coming. That's the type of thing you over hear in White Bird, ID population 106 the smallest town in the largest least populated county in ID about 20 miles north of Riggins ID the "white water capital of the world". Both towns are on the Salmon river and everyone ties their own flies walking around with microscopes attached to their hats. Some of the nicest people I've ever met they've got absolutely no use for government and figure the NAACP and ACLU have run their course and are no longer necessary just another waste of taxes. They've given up drinking up Budweiser. Two flat tires yesterday the 2nd my fault as I didn't get the rock out the tire and it immediately repunctured. Been riding up and down passes and along rivers last two days. Weather has been great a bit of rain yesterday and cloudy....perfect. Trying to get a little north of Lowell, ID this afternoon which sets me for Missoula either Thursday or Friday depending on how lazy I feel, it's a massive climb into MT and I've been going for 8 days now starting to get tired.

Cricket Massacare

Brownlee Reservoir, Cricket, Ace Saloon & Hotel

I'm now in New Meadows, ID close to both Tamarack and Brundage ski areas (doing recon for winter). Slipped out of OR via Hells Canyon early Monday morning to avoid the heat, incredible scenery that I really didn't know existed. Stopped by the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. The surrounding hills are scarred with wagon wheel ruts. That story is pretty incredible. OR is truly amazing! The climb out of the canyon into ID passing the Brownlee Reservoir which is made by damming the Snake river was brutal. Made it to Council, ID yesterday and opted to get a room above the Ace Saloon, first bed of the trip and as it was above a saloon....you know what that means. Pretty funny banter in the bar as many of the patrons had passed my on motorcycles or RVs during the day. The motorcycles wave to me and the RV folks sometimes feed me at various stops. Okay, The Cricket Massacre.....descending into Cambridge, ID yesterday it was really hot and a sun shower came which was great but the sun shower brought out the largest crickets I've ever seen. To begin with I tried to avoid them partially cause I didn't really want to kill them but primarily because I was scared they would take me down (very skinny tires). Really no way to avoid them and every time I squashed one I ended up with cricket juice on my legs, pretty disgusting. First flat tire yesterday, front. Knee is doing much better, thanks for the advice. I'll end up in White Bird, ID later today...roughly another 70 miles so I think today is the first day I'll break 100 miles. Tomorrow will start off with a terrible 2500'ft climb to Grangeville and from there pretty much uphill to Missoula. Lots of hot springs along the way which I think is helping my knee. The people along the way are turning out to be most interesting and unique part of the trip. Oh, if it's going to happen it'll most certainly be a log truck not an ice cream truck :)

Leaving OR --> Hells Canyon

Camping Dayville, Ochocho National Forest, Mt Hood (reverse order, I'm having technical issues).

I'm now in Baker City, OR where I've stopped and taken a tour of the "Adler House" (really god guy who left a crap load of money to fund local kids scholarships, made it all selling magazines), late breakfast at the Geyser Hotel (excellent stained glass ceiling), ...all waiting for the library to open to get to a PC. Since last post the Warm Springs Indian museum was neat. Crazy that us Euro Americans thought the Americans to be naive since they didn't farm.....of course they didn't need to as food was abundant everywhere. I'd be in a lot of trouble w/out processed goo and power bars. Ended up Thursday in Prineville where I joined the "classic" route across, so now seeing other tourers. Friday ended up in Dayville after biking through both the Ochoco National Forest and John Day Fossil Beds. A lot of climbing! Camped out in the city park in Dayville and got a shower and food and the Presbyterian Church. Saturday was Dayville to Sumpter. Sumpter is an old mining town with a massive dredge boat perhaps named by Confederate symapthizers, it's right below Dixie Pass. Road through both Malheur and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Saturday, several passes seemed like always uphill. Much more hilly in eastern Oregon than I figured (I think I knew). This afternoon I'll check out the OR Trail Museum and head to Halfway which is the last little outpost prior to Hells Canyon which I need to time good as the daytime highs hit 120'F on the floor. Eastern OR is Ron Paul country! I'll try to post some pictures. Knee is manageable just taking a handful of ibuprofen for breakfast. 366 miles so far....it's starting to feel like I'll be at this for a bit.

It's Hot And My Knee Is Swelling

....both in a weird way seem pretty familiar and comfortable. During last years bike trip my knee swelled up for the first few days too. It's mid July in central OR high desert so it should be hot....no surprise on that one. I got a pretty late start out of Portland Wed so only made 58 miles, pretty much uphill and spent the night in Government Camp at the Ski Patrol building. Government Camp is a small town (growing quickly) that caters to adrenaline junkies on Mt Hood....in July and August is the only spot in the northern hemisphere hosting ski/board camps. The Norwegian team was in town. Being familiar with Government Camp I stayed at Charlies at bit too long and woke up with a headache. I'm now having lunch in Warm Springs so rode about 50 miles so far today. Warm Springs has what looks to be a really interesting museum on the three local Indian tribes that got shafted pretty bad. I'm going to go check it out after lunch and finishing this post...the Indians are letting me us their PC. Pretty cool actually I'm sitting in a computer lab full of Indians checking there email, internet, and playing games. --Bill

Ready To Go

I begin tomorrow! Spent more time then I should of pondering if to actually start from the coast or not. Came to the conclusion that if my end goal was to hit the Atlantic starting off by heading west was dumb. So, I'm keeping it simple and pedaling out of the garage up over Mt Hood and should make it to Warm Springs roughly 100 miles although maybe not it'll be a pretty big climb for day one....a bit over 6,000ft. Nothing waxed, please stop asking. No side car for either Guinness or Catherine....sorry. Thanks for the good wishes, encouraging that 45% think I'll get run over. I hope to post again in a few days. Have fun at work tomorrow :) --Bill

Bill's Bike Trip Blog

Hello from Portland, Oregon and welcome to my online blog. My name is Bill Bryant and I'll be departing July 16 to ride my bicycle roughly 4,500 miles across the USA. The purpose of this blog is to provide interested folks arbitrary updates on my progress and to share what I'm sure will be more than a few challenges and funny situations. I'm hoping that I'll be able to post several times a week as computers makes themselves available. Stop in often and please, comment at will! --Bill