Day 11: A different kind of difficult
Tuesday June 29
Deadwood Gulch Campground to Upper Red Rocks Lake Campground
68.9 miles, 2632 ft climbed, 714 total miles
The howling wind shook our tents overnight and we hoped that the stakes would hold. It was a bit tricky to take our tents down and pack up without the wind getting hold of them.
A 13-mile gradual downhill and pavement ride into Lima for Jan’s breakfast was a nice way to start the day. Sarah took half her pancake to go.
The morning sun was hot and didn’t let up all day. Cattle ranching all around us. The sagebrush eventually got taller than us. We zigzagged across the dusty road to avoid washboards and in constant search for more hard packed gravel among the loose rock. We followed Lima dam road all the way along the Lima reservoir and hoped to get some water from it but it was full of algae. Luckily we found a creek where we could filter the water and fill up. The beta that we had on this section had limited water so we filled up extra bottles. Irena tucked one bottle along her back into her shorts.
We experienced a brief sand storm so now we know what that feels like. We tasted the sand in our teeth for several miles. No cars for hours except for the four wheelers spraying herbicide to prevent the spread of weeds. When the cars did go by they created their own dust storm but most drivers were nice and slowed way down.
Suicide prairie dog ran under Irena’s wheel and scurried quickly across the road. We have seen many of them and just as quickly as they appear they disappear on the other side of the road. We watched a hawk hunt its prey. Maybe a prairie dog?
We are starting to see more and more cyclists doing the Great Divide heading northbound. The longer people have been out on the road the more weathered they look.
The gravel road is loud so it’s hard to have any sort of a continuous conversation. Sometimes we goof around or share our observations or briefly discuss the route and the next stop but this afternoon our miles were quiet and hot.
At about 69 miles, we found the Upper Red Rock Lake campground. A quick assessment and we were in agreement that we were staying. Although the campground had ice cold spring water piped into a small pool, secure bear boxes, pit toilets, and nice sites, it was a hot place and there was little shade at 6 pm when we pulled in. Mosquitoes also showed up and that meant that Sarah put on her mosquito guard - rain pants and rain jacket. We thought we’d have the place to ourselves until a van and a trailer pulled in with a group of 10!
Clouds started to roll in and we heard thunder in the distance fully expecting rain but the storm went by just north of us and the evening light was stunning.
Goodbye Montana. Idaho tomorrow.
Published July 1, 2021