June30, 2017

June 14, 2017

What a day!!  We left Moran Junction about 8:00 a.m.  It was pretty cool, and clouds covered over the tops of the mountains.  Every now and then, the sun would peek through the cloud cover.  From Moran Junction, we had 26 miles to the top of the Togwotee Pass.

  

There are few services in those 26 miles.  In fact, there are few services from Moran Junction to Dubois, where we are staying tonight.  We began climbing almost right away.  The grade was not significant, yet it soon warmed you up.  We would put on layers of clothes, and then we would take off layers of clothes.  The weather was sort of confusing.  In fact, at one point we road through sleet/snow which was really cold.

About ten miles in, the climb really started.  We did not realize that the worst of the climb was in the middle.  We had over 6 miles of over 6 percent grade.  At the 16 mile marker we stopped at the Togwotee Mountain Lodge to refuel.  The clerk at the counter was extremely helpful in prepping us for the last 10 miles.  He also told us to be aware of the Grizzlies in the area. Yesterday a Grizzly was within 75 feet of the store's front door.  Fortunately, we did not see any bears.

Throughout our climb we would frequently stop to look back.  The scenery was magnificent!  We rode though snow-covered mountains all day.  Snow lined much of the way to the top.  The last three miles of the climb were significant.  As we pulled into the summit of the pass, Titus discovered that his rear tire was going down.

Deb had purchased sandwiches for us to eat at the top, so with the wind howling, we soon found shelter in her car.  It was interesting to watch others pull into the rest area at the top and do a double take when they saw our bikes.  Many asked about our ride.  While Titus was changing his tire, another biker pulled up close to us to talk.  He too is working his way across the United States.  He is taking the same route that I am taking.  I suspect I will run into him again along the way.

After eating and changing the tire, we headed down the back side of the mountain. We had 30 miles to Dubois. Most of those 30 miles were downhill.  At one point we were going a little over 40 miles an hour.  That was sort of frightening with an 18 mile an hour side wind.  We covered those 30 miles in a little over 90 minutes.

Dubois is a western town with rustic wooden buildings throughout the town. There are a lot of saloons in the towns.  It should be interesting to find a place to eat.

Titus and Deb will be leaving in the morning.  Just like Michael, they have been amazing.  I am so grateful that they chose to join me for this portion of the journey.

Tomorrow, Jeremy Kauffman flies into the Jackson airport.  He will arrive around 10:00 a.m.  Michael's bike will be there and he will pack everything up and begin riding the 76 miles to Dubois.  He is in for a real treat.  Will you join me in praying for his safety as he covers those miles?

  

Today we saw things that words cannot describe.  God’s creation is stunning.  At one point Titus said “When you are riding through scenery like this, and no one is around, you have this feeling that God created this just for you!”  There really is sense of that.  However, what is most important is that God created it!

The next three days will have spotty cell phone and internet reception, so I'm not sure if I will be able to post to my blog. Thanks for all of you who are reading this and supporting me.

It is good to be alive!