Written by Dave

Day 23 – June 20 – 65 Miles, 2,600 feet climbing (Wisdom to Dillon)

Brrrrrr, it was 30 degrees this morning. We had ice on the tents but our water bottles were not frozen. We agreed to break camp by 7:30 and everyone was on their game. We were “still an effective”, albeit a frozen team, this morning. Brekkie was taken at the Hook & Horn Cafe where a limited menu did not limit the results. Three of us had the “Big Boy Burrito” and no one could finish theirs. Not to worry, they made for nice snacking throughout the day at our stops. Those not having burritos also enjoyed their meals.

For most of the morning we rode gently uphill through the Big Hole Valley. The Bitterroot Mountains on the right, still showing off white caps from last weekend’s snow, kept us more than entertained as we rode.  I probably took too many photos as the view barely changed the entire valley – oh well, everyone else was also stopping and my senior editor wasn’t too stressed. We stopped for morning tea in Jackson, a very small town that appeared to be very well set-up for cyclist – with a cyclist hostel and pub, with and not much more to the town.

One of the unique things we saw a lot of in the Big Hole Valley was the beaverslide hay stacker. It’s a device made of wooden poles and planks used for stacking hay. It helps take lose hay and build unbaled piles up to 30 feet high that is later used for animal fodder. Several plaques in the valley claimed that the beaverslide was invented in Big Hole in 1910 but other references give credit to earlier dates as well. Either way, they are fun to look at, quite large and gave us something to contemplate while riding.

We had two passes to climb today. The first and possibly one of our trip high points, 7,400 foot Big Hole Pass, came at the end of the Big Hole Valley. It was a bit of a slog with grades to 8%. Chris claimed third place on the climb and at the top, we agreed to award him the official “Grey Jersey” for the team. We also agreed that the age limit for the grey jersey should be 65, meaning he is the only team member who is eligible. Throughout the afternoon, Chris reminded us of his jersey and newly found climbing prowess.   He wanted to rename it the “Silver Jersey” – apparently that sounds more sophisticated.

Big Hole Pass had a summit sign. Our second pass, Badger Pass (named for Nancy), had no sign and was much less dramatic. Chris finished 4^th on this climb, once again claiming maximum points for his category. High fives were shared all around. From Badger Pass it was mostly downhill but we had a bit of a headwind. Chris took the lead at the start of the downhill and blasted his way down the valley. I think we may be onto something with the new jersey, it has turned him into a beast. He and Curtis headed out this arvo for celebratory beers while the rest of the team did laundry. To the victors go the spoils I guess.

We are staying tonight in Southside RV Park in Dillon. They are Big Sam park but mostly big rig focused but the gal running the place took kindly to us and gave us a special price on the tent sight. Most cyclists stay out of town in a biker/hiker sight but we wanted to be in town for more food options and of course for Chris to get his victory toddy. Well done mate, you’re on the front from this point forward.