Elite Ridge of the Rockies 2019 Epilogue

It's hard to know where to begin in summarizing a trip of this difficulty and magnitude but I suppose it makes sense to first thank the many people who helped make it a success. This list includes Lon and Susan, owners of Pactour, and the great crew we had that helped us complete each and every day. Besides Lon and Susan, there were eight other crew members that cooked, cleaned bikes, carried bags and perhaps most importantly, were always ready with an encouraging word or sound advice. As well prepared as I was, I could not have completed this trip without them.

Next I need to thank the other riders. To a person they were wonderful to be with for twelve days. I rode a little with all of them and some of them I spent many hours and many miles with. A special thanks goes to my roommate Jon. You're a class act and a great rider to boot. Hope to see you again soon. And to Ed from Indiana; we showed them that we flat landers know a thing or two about riding mountains, didn't we? Let's do it again some time. And Kevin; you're the best. I always learn something interesting every time we talk. I hope our paths cross again soon.

And to those at home following the trip by internet, thank you for the encouragement and support. To my mom and dad, knowing you were waiting for my arrival each day was motivation to get there quickly and safely. Thanks for caring about me in the way that you do. I'm a lucky son. To Michele; none of this would have happened without you. You're the best wingman a person could ask for in life. Thank you for the unconditional support. To Kate; thank you for the well wishes on Father's Day, the first day of the trip. I started things off right hearing from you that morning before trekking through the hot desert. To my brother Greg, wife Andrea and niece Sophie and nephew Luke; I know you did a lot of blue dot watching on your phones as you tracked my progress each day. I tried to move that dot down the road as fast as I could. Knowing you were watching was great motivation. I'll have a Wild Tribe in your honor next time I'm in Jackson and I'm not staring down a ten hour bike ride.

I know many friends were watching as well. I won't try to name them for fear of leaving some out and hurting feelings but thanks for taking the journey with me. The more people that go the more fun it is and boy was it fun. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the stories and maybe it will inspire you to push the boundaries in whatever area your passion lies.

Out of the four Pactours I have ridden, this was by far the hardest. I showed up in El Paso in the best shape of my life and my back was up against the wall on three or four occasions on this trip. It truly took every bit of experience and physical and mental strength I had to complete it. The day from Vernal to Evanston nearly beat me but I decided I was going to stay out there until I either couldn't turn the pedals any longer or until I ran out of daylight. When I arrived at the hotel as one of only four people to finish that day, all the crew and riders in the parking lot applauded me. It doesn't get much better than that. I was one of only three riders out of 16 on the tour to ride every mile and therefore one of only three to qualify to race in the Race Across America, a transcontinental bike race. I'm very proud of that. The past RAAM qualifying events Pactour have held have always had a qualifying rate of well over 50% of the riders and sometimes pushing 90%. Susan told us at the banquet on Thursday that this is the most difficult tour they've ever done. Not only had they never had two snow days in a row but it was the overall coldest trip they've ever done. In fact, she says it was the hardest event she's been involved with other than the Race Across America, an event she won twice. So as a person who has organized hundreds of tours over thirty plus years; you better believe this one was a monster.

I want to close by briefly eulogizing an old friend. We adopted a wonderful cat, Raindrop, in 2003. She passed away from complications from surgery just four days before I departed for El Paso. The veterinarian and we did everything we could to save her but it wasn't enough. Raindrop herself fought valiantly to the very end but unfortunately lost the battle. I was so inspired by her will to live and her fight that I would like to dedicate this ride to her. During the tough times out there I would think of her and I'd keep going because I know that is what she would have done and what she would have wanted me to do. Raindrop, this one is for you. I'll see you on the other side my dear friend.

The little gold plaque on the bottom right almost didn’t happen!

And here it is - the whole route completed

Day 12 - Missoula Montana to Kalispell Montana

As if the challenging weather conditions we have had to date were not enough, we had some more cold and rain today that was not forecasted. Most of the 148 mile ride was very cool with temperatures in the upper 40's to lower 50's and probably 50 miles were in the rain. Then as a final insult, as we were packing our bikes in boxes in the parking lot to ship, we had a violent storm with high winds, rain and hail. Everyone had to come inside to take shelter and drag their partially disassembled bikes with them.

I had hoped to take lots of pictures along the many lakes we passed today but between the rain and fog and the fact that my hands were so cold, it wasn't possible other than just a couple of quick pictures after the rain stopped. Today was so different than this ride in 2014 when the weather was perfect.

So we have no ride tomorrow. Today was the final day of the trip. Normally I am sad about that but this trip was so grueling I'm really ready for it to be over. I ride Amtrak east toward home tomorrow and will post an epilogue of the trip from the train. I want to sleep on this one and gather my thoughts before I post. There are many thank you's and kudos that need to be said and I think I'll do a better job of that when I'm not so tired. I'll post that some time during the day tomorrow.

Day 12 - route profile Missoula to Kalispell

Some of the lakes on the way in to Kalispell go for many miles along the highway

Just after the rain stopped

Day 11 - Butte Montana to Missoula Montana

Today was one of the easier rides of this trip. At only 135 miles, little climbing and plenty of tailwinds, we were here in Missoula by 3 pm. The better scenery is closer to Missoula as you begin to follow the Clark Fork River for many miles through many canyons and forests. The highlight of the day for me was coming around a curve in the highway and finding probably around 100 cattle being marched down the road by ten cowboys and two border collies. I had to proceed very slowly because for a while there was nowhere to go without hitting a cow or a cowboy. In addition, I was a little worried my bike might spook one of the horses and I didn't want any of the riders to take a spill. But the horses seemed really sure footed and not affected by either the few cars that were around or me.

The riding seemed easier today than in 2014 when we did this exact course in reverse. Again, the only thing I can think is I'm better prepared now than I was then. It certainly makes the trip more fun because you can enjoy the experience more and not have to constantly be distracted by aches and pains and fatigue. I feel about the same now as I did when I landed in El Paso twelve days ago other than chapped lips and some windburn. The chapped lips are from the wind and also I think from the plastic end of my water bottles scraping against them. I'm not sure what can be done about that but that's about the only discomfort I have. My energy level is still high which is nice.

Tomorrow is the last day of the trip up to Kalispell. I've ridden this day in reverse as well. I remember as we get to about the halfway point there are several really nice lakes that we follow. I'll focus on getting some pictures of those plus I think there will still be plenty of snow on the mountains as you look north up toward Glacier National Park. At 148 miles we should be in Kalispell by 5 in the afternoon.

Day 11 - route profile Butte to Missoula

Westbound train along the highway heading for Missoula and points west

Lots of cattle, about ten cowboys and two border collies have the road blocked!

Another cowboy moving the cattle along

Cowboy getting ready to lasso a calf

Cattle roundup along the highway

Roadside lake west of Anaconda

Morning skies leaving Butte

Day 10 - West Yellowstone Montana to Butte Montana

Today was the last of the longer days at 158 miles. There were afternoon thunderstorms forecast for here in Butte after 5 pm. So my plan leaving West Yellowstone this morning was to ride to Butte as fast as I could because I'm tired of getting wet. So I rode as fast as I knew I could maintain for that distance and arrived here at 4:45 this afternoon. About 5:30 it started raining here along with some lightning. The day was scenic especially in the first few hours as we left West Yellowstone. You follow Hebgen and Avalanche Lakes and then follow the Madison River all the way to Ennis. The Madison River starts up in Yellowstone National Park and is a favorite of fly fishermen. At one point we saw two cowboys on horseback herding cattle across an old metal bridge over the river. After Ennis you climb up and over a pass and then descend in to Virginia City, an old town that now caters to tourists. Then the rest of the day was long valleys followed by a climb up and over Pipestone Pass and down in to Butte. I rode most of the day with Ed Pabst from Terre Haute Indiana. He's a great rider and made the day much easier and faster.

Tomorrow we start the second to last day of the trip by riding to Missoula. It's about 135 miles and not a lot of climbing. Assuming the weather cooperates it should be one of the easier days of the trip. The weather forecast is good. This route is the same as the one we did in reverse in 2014. I remember the scenery as being better closer to Missoula so I'll try to take some pictures to give you an idea of what the area looks like.

Day 10 route profile West Yellowstone to Butte

This is Avalanche Lake which you can see really well from the highway

Riding in to a layer of clouds on the way to Ennis

In the area of Hebgen Lake

Just north of West Yellowstone

Day 8 - Addendum

Michele, again.  I had no intention of blogging for Steve, except things got to be a lot to manage.  And, well, photos help to tell the story.  He's got you covered for Day 8, which was the ride to Jackson on Sunday.  But these photos had to come from the PacTour crew.

These are pretty self-explanatory.  Just shots of Steve and the group he rode with to Jackson.

L - R: Kelsey Friedlander, Jon Batek, Steve Marshall, Ed Pabst, Mark Greenwald, 
Greg Cox, James McKee

Day 7 - Addendum

This time I have express permission to add photos to the blog on Steve's behalf!  Since Day 7 to Evanston (Saturday) was so rough, he wasn't able to get many photos, but PacTour posted several, though there was a delay in getting to them.  Here we go!

Skies like this hint at the headwinds and cold that were part of the day.

I'm guessing this is the photo they will put on the plaque that Steve will get at the completion of the miles. 

I'm not sure where this stop was, but the white stuff blurring the photo is, indeed, snow.

Oh, look!  Pretty snow.

And yes, that's snow.  

Switchbacks like this are all part of the riding fun.

But then, there is the Flaming Gorge.

And a bear!  Yup, that's a rider (not Steve) coming around the corner, on the bear's side of the road. 

Totally bemused by two-wheeled humans.  

Again, these photos are courtesy of the PacTour crew.  Steve said that they cheered him in to the hotel when he finished the miles on Day 7.

Day 9 - Jackson Wyoming to West Yellowstone Montana

Today was as close to an easy day as we get on this trip. The distance was moderate, there was not a lot of climbing and the weather was good. The climb from the hotel this morning to the top of Teton Pass took about two hours. Once completed, the rest of the day was rolling hills with favorable winds. We followed the western edge of the Teton Mountains so the view of the snow capped peaks to our right was spectacular. There are many potato farms and low trafficked roads to enjoy in Idaho.

This is the first of these bike trips I've done where I'm not getting weaker as we go. I trained more and differently for this trip, including a lot of back to back long days. I think the lack of doing that before was a problem. I feel about as strong now as I did on Day 1 which is good considering the number of miles and weather challenges we've had.

Tomorrow is nearly 160 miles up to Butte Montana. I've ridden this route before in reverse as part of a shorter day several years ago. In fact, tomorrow is two of my 2014 tour days combined. There are several climbs and then between the climbs are very long valleys that you traverse. If we can avoid the storms that are forecast up in Butte for tomorrow afternoon it should be a good day.

Day 9 route profile - Jackson to West Yellowstone

Fields of green in Idaho with the mountains in the distance

This is from the summit of Teton Pass

Moose on roadway!

Now on the bike path climbing Teton Pass

Early morning sun over the mountains

Climb up Teton Pass

Day 8 - Evanston Wyoming to Jackson Wyoming

This time last night I really didn't think there was any way I would get to Jackson in a manner that did not involve four wheels. I doubt I slept more than two hours last night. I was so sore and my body temperature was really messed up from going back and forth all day yesterday and the day before between too hot and too cold. But when I started riding this morning I didn't feel terrible and that surprised me. It just so happened that a group of six other riders was riding at about the same speed I was. With the exception of about twenty miles we rode from the hotel this morning to the hotel here in Jackson together, leaving at 5:30 am and arriving here at 6:20 pm with 216 miles. We had perfect weather that included tailwinds. I'm still in shock that we pulled it off because it just seemed very unlikely based on how things were looking last night.

We went from the rolling grasslands of southern Wyoming to the snow capped peaks of northern Wyoming. One of my favorite parts of this route is where you follow the west shore of Bear Lake for probably twenty miles. I took some pictures to try to show you both the massive size of the lake and the beauty of it. Jackson is nice but the traffic has gotten bad here over the last decade or two as the town has grown. There is a lot of road construction going on here all around the area.

Tomorrow we almost immediately begin climbing Teton Pass at over 8,000 feet which will take us to Idaho where we follow the west slope of the Teton Mountains. The west side is mostly potato farms until you get up closer to West Yellowstone and then it becomes thick forests again. At only 135 miles it may feel like a rest day if the weather cooperates again!

Day 8 route profile - Evanston to Jackson

Dark clouds as we head toward Jackson that fortunately produced no rain

Bear Lake is huge and has numerous towns along its shoreline

Riding partners enjoying the morning along Bear Lake

A peaceful picnic area along Bear Lake in Utah

Day 7 - Vernal Utah to Evanston Wyoming

Today was actually worse than yesterday. It's probably the hardest day I've ever had on a bike. It snowed again, sleeted and rained and the 11,000 feet of climbing and headwinds were brutal. I'm just about at my limit right now. It's really hard to describe how grueling this is. Out of the eighteen people that started in El Paso, only three of us have survived to ride all the miles. Many people are now riding in the support vehicles for most of the day. These are generally very experienced and very strong riders. I'm hanging on by a thread, basically just hardheadedness and years of experience are all that are keeping me going. I apologize for the lack of pictures but the visibility was so bad for so much of the day there was no point in trying to take them.

The bad news is tomorrow is the longest mileage day of the trip at 213 miles. I'm going to try it but I'm not optimistic. I'm going to try to start off very slow and then speed up later in the day if I feel okay. We start at 5:30 in the morning and have until about 8:30 in the evening to finish. If we have rain and snow and headwinds again, it's all over. I'm going to give it my best try but I'm also being realistic. After posting this update I'm going to try to get some sleep but I'm just very sore and fatigued so I might just toss and turn all night. I'll let you know tomorrow if I make it or not!

Day 7 route profile - Vernal to Evanston

One of the rare spots where the sun shone today

More bad weather on the way unfortunately

Day 6 - Addendum

Hi, all, Michele here!  Because I knew *I* would want to see the snow photos and the actual conditions that Steve couldn't get photos of, I thought I'd jump in and share some photos taken by the PacTour crew of the conditions a few miles shy of Douglas Pass.  The post is all mine - Steve doesn't realize I'm doing this.  Yet.  The photos are courtesy of PacTour, who provide a Flickr album for those following along at home. 

I think this is the stop about halfway up the mountain Steve writes about. That is not him riding in.

   

You can see that the snow is affecting visibility, but no one was actually up on the pass with a camera. Well, except for the *snow plow driver...*  Remember, this is the first day of summer.  

And then there was lunch at a balmy 65 degrees with scenery like this.

I couldn't resist.  I've seen this ranch entrance sign before and it always makes me laugh!

So, apparently I can do more with one post online via the laptop than Steve can with his phone, which is why my post can have multiple photos and his do not.  But, given he's blogging after an average of 161 miles of riding per day, we'll cut him some slack.  And now, back to your official blogger!