Today's Report: 

Everyone got on the road anticipating a spectacular day of scenery, and they weren't disappointed. Every cyclist dreams of a day like this. Even though it was an 88-mile day with climbs to 9,800 feet, it was almost like a rest day...at least the first part. We cruised easily from photo op to photo op all morning-- Tetons, balloonists, cyclist pacelines, wildflowers, group photos against mountain backdrops, antelope, elk, ground squirrels and chipmunks, bison, and osprey.  The sky was a bit cloudy so the Tetons weren't as radiant as usual, but they were still spectacular even in the morning mist.

The route on departure was spectacular...oops, I used that word again. We rode out on highway 89N/26E on a nice smooth shoulder. After clearing town, passing the National Elk Refuge, and climbing a small grade, we rounded a bend, and wham!  The Grand Teton Mountains smacked our senses silly. I've been all over this beautiful country and seen lots of beautiful sights, but none makes such a powerful impact as the Grand Teton . . .perhaps because these rise from such a flat plain and are so close.  As Kumalo says in Cry the Beloved Country, "It is lovely beyond all singing of it."  On our right we had Jackson's Hole, a grassy plain that supports uncountable wildlife, an Elk refuge, wetlands, and ski resorts.  On our left, we had the Tetons, their gray, rocky peaks mantled with glaciers and towering majestically as they have for thousands of years. 

The range was formed by the Ice Age and by earthquake movement as the mountains were pushed up and the Jackson Hole area sank to form the grassland to the east.  As a result of efforts of Horace Albright (the superintendent for Yellowstone National Park) and John D. Rockefeller (noted philanthropist), the Teton range and six small lakes in the surrounding area were declared a protected area in 1929.  But that plan failed to safeguard Jackson Lake, the Snake River, and the Jackson's Hole Sagebrush Flats.  In 1943, to protect the valley resources, Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Jackson's Hole a National Monument.  Finally in 1950, President Truman united the two plans into The Grand Teton National Park to protect this vital natural resource from urban development.  These leaders realized this raw beauty should not be marred by houses, street lights, and tourist traps dotting the slopes?  Thanks to their foresight these wonderful natural phenomena were protected for all to enjoy. 

Our route today took us over the Continental Divide and included a major climb to 9,658'. Actually the climb was in two parts with a 3 or 4 mile respite as the road traversed a high valley before the final ascent. The slope wasn't as severe as yesterday's ascent to the Teton Pass, but it was a good challenge for most. Someone said that it almost seemed like a downhill after yesterday. Nah, I wouldn't go that far. Climbing any slope at 9,000 feet for miles at a stretch gets the heart pumping and sets the muscles afire.  The Wyoming DOT has been working on this stretch for the last couple years and will not complete the project until 2011 so we had to work our way through a couple construction areas...they hauled us through one area.  The part that was all dirt last year on the descent down from the divide was sweet and made for a great descent to the valley floor at Debois.

When the riders crested the Divide talk was of it being all downhill to New Hampshire.  I hate to break it to the riders, but they've still got the Black Hills in South Dakota and the Berkshires in the east plus a few "bumps" between here and there.  Maybe riders will be so seasoned and strong they won't notice...think?  But whether down hill or not, the terrain on the east side of the Divide was again spectacular (sorry, I just don't have a varied enough vocabulary to use anything else), albeit different. The mountains turned to big rollers and were covered with sage instead of the fir trees that were abundant on the initial descent. We also picked up some pretty nice tailwinds as the afternoon warmed up and the riders started to level out after the descent.

About 10 miles out of Dubois, there is a memorial to the Scandinavians who once worked this area making ties for the nation's railroads during the mid 1800s. They were called Tie Hacks.  According to the memorial, they were professionals who hewed ties (from Lodgepole Pines) precisely 7 inches X 7 inches X 8 feet as required by the tie inspector. They were paid $0.10 a tie and on a good day they could hew 30 ties . . . that's approximately $3.00 a day. By the way, their room and board was about $1.50/day . . . leaving precious little for their hard efforts.  It took 2,500 ties to build 1 mile of railroad...that's a lot of Lodgepole Pines!  And a lot of work, but in the 1800s, their efforts supplied ties for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, which required tracks across Wyoming.

As we neared Dubois, it looked like two different worlds on either side of the road.  On the right were green mountains with ranch houses, horse corrals, and the romantic Wind River, which we'd been following most of the latter part of the day. On the left, the landscape was identical to the painted desert. The mountains were multicolored with shades of red and yellow. It was amazing how the difference was so stark with just the road dividing the two landscapes.  

Dubois is a small western town with rustic buildings common to this area. They have planked sidewalks, each plank branded with the names of the person or organization who paid for the particular board. Riders scouted up the America by Bicycle plank, which we purchased in 2003 and 2006. Although the town's population is only about 900 residents, they have several motels and seem to be a bit of a tourist town with several gift shops, art studios, and many cafes.  One motel on the way into town is definitely unique to this area.  They include a free horse corral with the room when you stay at the Best Western.  I'm not sure it will catch on in the east but out here it's pretty neat.

We see several things out here we don't see back east.  Today we saw signs warning of grizzly bears in the area.  One sign indicated that food storage was required...meaning don't leave food out unprotected.  After seeing these signs, several of the smart riders started pairing up with someone slower than themselves, reasoning that they didn't have to try to outrun a grizzly, they just had to be faster than the other rider.  I warned the riders they should pick their "bear bait" carefully since they may ride a lot faster than normal if a grizzly was chasing him.

Well, it's time to put an end to another day.  These pages are getting too big to do in a day.  I hope you are enjoying following our progress.  See you tomorrow when we get to Riverton. We are looking forward to more adventures.

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