Snow Conditions are Biblical

Snow pack up North is severe and without a real warming trend happening fast it sounds like there may be a reroute or two.  An adventure it will be!! 

Crossing the Continental Divide 29 times means many high passes and unless snow conditions retreat in the next couple weeks there will be lots of pushing and slogging through snow, and melting snow and mud.  Parts of the Flathead received more snow in the month of April than December through March combined.   Not surprising considering a week ago we had a bunch of snow dump in our foothills and blanket Bogus and Brundage.  I can't even get down the other side of Bogus at the moment because of the level of snow!

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This is a great article on the '08 Tour Divide by Outside Magazine.............enjoy.

The World's Toughest Bike Race Is Not in France

Along with the myriad of logistics and details associated with Divide racing, another element to add to the equation is the tacit understanding that you will be riding for many, many hundreds of miles in dense bear territory.  The Divide route goes through the thick of bear country in Alberta, British Columbia and Montana.  In Montana, the route skirts just east of Glacier only a few miles from Polebridge.  I’ve backpacked in Glacier and they do lots of educating in the park before they issue your backcountry permit. No animal commands as much respect, interest, wonder and fear as the bear.

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I recently purchased a book titled “BEAR ATTACKS, Their Cause and Avoidance”.  This is a must read for all Tour Dividians and was suggested by a few of the veterans and those that live and work in bear country. 

The fundamental premise of the book is that knowledge of bear behavior and ecology can help mitigate the chance of an unwanted bear encounter.

  Some of the highlights: 

• There are two types of attacks: defensive and predatory with different ways to respond to each and you need to understand the difference.
• Playing dead is the best bet for minimizing injury during a defensive attack
• Fighting back using any available weapon (a Fargo, for instance) is essential for a predatory attack  Most serious and fatal attacks have been predatory
• Most serious or fatal bear attacks have happened to single individuals or two people.  There is safety in numbers.
• Activities characterized by speed, not cautious attention to the possibility of encountering a bear, increase your chance of sudden encounters and related bear inflicted injuries.

The bottom line is you need to be alert and cautious; make noise with your whistle, do some yodeling; and be extremely cautious around blind corners.  And understand general behavioral patterns.

A map was created by a Tour Divide guru of BEAR ACTIVITY zones and where to avoid bivying at the end of the day, or night……which is most of the route in Canada and Montana.  There are a few zones that are relatively ‘calmer’.  Banff is at the top where the red line begins and it goes south to just northwest of Yellowstone.  That red, orange and yellow line is the Tour Divide route.

RED = Highest probability of encounters;  ORANGE = Medium;  YELLOW = Lowest

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My personal strategy is to get to Elkford (109 miles) on Day 1 and bivy in the town park.  With a 9:00am Grand Depart that morning it means a late start.  Day 2 will be tough with the mileage from Elkford to Roosville at the Canadian/US border being 144 miles.  I probably won’t have the legs to get the distance, so, decision making will happen en route. 

Gotta be smart about things, especially with food at night.  All food off the bike, out of the jersey, into a bear bag 100 yards downwind, with nothing in the tent that would attract a bear.  Try to grab some shut-eye…………with one eye open and a vigilant ear to the ground. 

Shakedown Ride # 2: Indian Valley Area

The second Tour Divide shakedown ride (Friday the 13th - darn flats!) came together quickly with a 2 day window to get out and explore.  Decisions on which route to take were alleviated when my Dad said I should ride up into Indian Valley - brilliant suggestion!!  With just a sketch of a route planned out I thought I would just make decisions as to specifics when the time came.  The goal was 100 + mile days, test the knee (recent seat and cleat adjustment - thanks Harold!), work on gear detail, and get out and ride in some HEAT!

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The morning was crisp but all I needed were arm warmers since I would be climbing right away. 

Riding some slab up toward Pearl.

Once you get out into the country you see some interesting mailbox standards. In college I did an independent study/photo documentary on the history and folklore behind these things. I am still fascinated by what people come up with and thought this was clever.

Snakes were out in full force for the weekend - a sure sign of spring! 

 This was really a fantastic road.  Blue skies and silver clouds.

 Puncture wound number one.  The rocks on this section were sharp.

But there is always lots of junk on these roads from trailers bouncing around

and parts and pieces falling off.

Plugged and ready to roll. 

 On toward more of the same.  More blue, more sky, more cloud.

 

Bill's hacienda in Indian Valley.  Bill was an intriguing cat; a vet who lives off the grid, a philosopher and a historian.  Sipping Keystone Light and rolling his own smokes as we talked, he gave me a tour, lighting up as he talked about his past 30+ years in the valley.  He pointed out the history of the area (home of the last Indian war in the Northwest), the hiking, arrowheads, his bike collection, the neighbors - what neighbors?

He was a very engaging guy and I plan to pay him another visit and hike some of the country he was pointing out.  And deliver a case of Keystone as well to repay him for the cold and refreshing well water he offered.  

A collection of very interesting rocks.

An effigy in honor of the Forest Service.



Bill is a bike nut and was fascinated by the Fargo

 Home Sweet Home

One of Bill's many collectibles

On into the town of Indian Valley

Rode Cottonwood Creek and the map and GPS showed an old road that looped to the east and then south to the Middle Fork of the Weiser where I was planning to camp that night.  As I got into it it was steep and rutted.  After an hour of pushing and riding I decided that was enough of a cardio workout for the day so turned it around.

Riding a quick downriver pace on Cottonwood Road I had another puncture to the tubeless.  It was hot and I was tired and not in much of a mood to deal with a flat.  Bike strategically placed almost in the middle of the road (no traffic all day!), I heard a car approaching and turned to waive it around and there was Chuck P!!  Chuck had been following my progress with the SPOT Tracker and decided to come up and hang out and camp wherever I ended up at the end of the day.  My reward for a successful tire plug was a cold Deshutes Red Chair, or was it Mirror Pond?  Either way - cold beer with a good friend on a gravel road in the heat under a blue sky in a new place is priceless!  Thank's Chuck - you are awesome!

 

Riding the Middle Fork road to find the campsite.

Always fun to hang out around a camp with fire, water, shelter and beer.  I was sure happy.

Excellent steaks and bakers cooked in the fire.

Happy camper!

 Heading out early morning

One of my favorite images - color, contrast and texture was a sensory overload.

Lunch time in a slight drizzle.  Tortillas, crackers and tuna with trailmix.

Dodson Pass area

Relocated SPOT unit helped a lot!

Some company and cold well water in Sweet

Another day, another cemetery

Chugged two chocolate milks before the climb out of Horseshoe Bend - delicious!

 Another hot one!  Removed helmet to cool down and had tunes going for the long, slow climb

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SUMMARY 

• 206 Miles
• Approximately 10 hours a day in the saddle
• Left knee felt better (made a minor cleat and seat adjustment)
• Rode at a higher cadence - more spinning and less grinding
• Food was exceptional - thanks again Chuck!
• Hydration OK but in heat I was going through water quickly
• Still avoiding the pack on my back

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Very pleased with the ride and the performance of the hardware.  Not happy about two flats but pleased with two successful plugs that held.  Good test anyway.  The relocated SPOT worked flawlessly this round.  Hell, Chuck found me in the middle of nowhere - may have been some luck thrown in there but I was impressed!  Friends in Boise gave the SPOT reception a thumbs up.  And my sweet Eve knew pretty close to where I was at all times.

I feel a step closer but still have lots to get accomplished at the home front, work to bring to closure, and a never shrinking task list of things yet to do.  But it will get done and I will leave on the 5th of June for Banff.

Three Day Shakedown Ride #1

It was essential to impose a deadline on myself for a shakedown trip to focus on assembling final gear, the logistics of packing, and getting in hundred mile days back to back.  The weather was finally cooperating - at least it was not pouring rain!

The early part of the week was spent dialing in gear: bike, packs, tools, replacement parts, sleep/shelter, medicine, clothing, electronics, nutrition, hydration....the list goes on!  All assembled and placed in its appropriate pack, bag or cage on the Fargo.  I gotta say I was happy with some of my organizational solutions learned from years of dual-sport motorcycling.  Here is a brief description with some images of the ride.

DAY 1: UPSTREAM, 107 MILES
ROUTE: From home to Bonneville Point/Blacks Creek to Prairie/South Fork/Anderson Ranch Dam/Pine/Featherville/Camp 1 east of Featherville a few miles.

Late start, around 10:00am or so, and headed out the Greenbelt toward Lucky Peak.  My fellow Fargo friend Chuck (whew!), working in his office on Saturday, had been keeping an eye out for me.  He hailed me down as I cruised by and we had a quick Fargo briefing confirming all systems GO.  I then saw Colby and Casey, a couple tri friends, on their long Ironman training runs and had some conversation - Boise is small!  Rode up to Bonneville Point and the water was rushing down the rocky trail.  The Fargo was feeling good - well balanced and well behaved considering the 20+ pounds of gear.  Lots of climbing to Prairie and had a quick re-supply at the Y-Stop.  Roads were excellent and dropping down to the South Fork was incredible and inspiring.  Zero traffic too!

After a hellish climb out of the surreal canyon there were black clouds to the north and as I crested the choppy road to Anderson Ranch I was hit with wind and cold with eventual rain to hail to snow flurries.  Idaho weather!  Put on my rain gear and rode in warmth and comfort along the west side of Anderson Ranch Reservoir and then had a chilly - and long - descent through some aspen groves as I headed north toward Pine.  Rode through Pine and on to Featherville on pavement in a light rain.  Talked with a couple grumpy old codgers in Featherville and was 'told' I could not head east, which was where I was planning to go.  Eventually we all agreed I was on a non-motorized vehicle and it would be cool and I would not receive the requisite $500 fine for the infraction.  I was expecting spandex comments but was prepared to retort that I was wearing wool.  I bought a three year old Payday to bribe the authorities if necessary.

The campground was on the river and off of the road still closed to motorized traffic for the winter.  It was excellent, quiet and had firewood at hand.  Swiftly set up camp, changed to my lounge wear and prepared a gastronomic delight of fish tacos, a cheese quesadilla and a peanut butter tortilla roll up for desert complimented by a fine drink (Translation: tortilla with sardines; tortilla with parmesan; tortilla slathered with PB; washed down with a packet of REV3 in water).  I was beat, didn't set an alarm and did not wake till after 8am to a cold, cold morning.  Crazy long sleep....I was surprised!

 

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Day 2: UPSTREAM>DOWNSTREAM, 101 MILES

ROUTE: Featherville Camp/Baumgartner/Big Smokey/Reverse course>Featherville/Pine/Anderson Ranch/Camp2 above the South Fork.

Super cold morning, broke camp with numb fingers and toes.  A Starbucks VIA (cold) and a breakfast burrito later I was ready to roll.  Rode the Baumgartner Road along the Boise River and it was beautiful.  The sun was out, patches of snow here and there, the evergreens smelled strong and it finally felt like it was SPRING!  Headed toward the Big Smokey to check on snow conditions.  Had a short-lived thought of hiking up to Skillern Hot Springs, but with only bike shoes and sandals this was not going to happen.  Rode 10 miles or so south along the Little Smokey - it was a soft sandy base and it was brutal and slow going, plus I was climbing again!  Ran low on water and got out the Steripen and treated 3 bottles of water, although the source was fast flowing and clear.

Discovered a real fine mid-day pick-me-up: Starbucks VIA coffee with Elete Electrolyte supplement added.  Tasty and loaded with the right stuff!  I never had to dig into the No-Doze to keep my head propped up and my eyes open.  Retraced my route at this point back to Featherville, Pine, Anderson Ranch and then back down to the South Fork of the Boise.  The goal was 100 miles and my calculations were very close.  I got to the end of the canyon before the climb out to Prairie at a sliver under 100 miles.  I crossed the Danskin Bridge and rode a brutally steep old rocky trail up for a mile or so, eventually finding a very remote and primitive campsite sheltered behind enormous rock formations - no wind, nothing - completely still.  As night came on you could hear the sounds of animals moving and talking among themselves.

The campsite was fantastic and I had a small fire and enjoyed a meal of slow roasted ravioli's, some beans and a small bag of chips.  I gotta say they were some of the best raviolis I have had.........cheesy, cooked el dente and full of flavor!  Was I hungry?

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Day 3: DOWNSTREAM, 103 MILES

ROUTE: Camp2 above the South Fork/Prairie/Long Gulch/N. Middle Fork Road/Troutdale/S. Middle Fork/Arrowrock/Hwy 21/Boise

Woke up to a sub 30 degree morning........shook up some Starbucks and broke camp as quickly as possible.   Frost on the bike, tent and gear with ice chunks in the water bottles.  Had about a 20 mile ride to the Y-Stop, where I was going to grab some grub.  Had an excellent breakfast of a giant pancake, eggs, slab of ham and coffee.  This would prove to get me through a good portion of the day.  I was again the only person at the Y-Stop (and maybe Prairie for that matter) and chatted with Cort, the owner, for an hour or so while I ate.  I was feeling good as I started the multiple climbs up Long Gulch and eventually dropped down Slide Gulch to Middle Fork Road.  The weather again was great and warming up quickly.  I peeled my helmet off on one especially long climb cause I was getting overheated and there was no air.

I rode north toward Atlanta planning an out-and-back far enough to log the necessary 100 miles for the day.  The road was super rocky and rough but once past Twin Springs the road became firmpack with only some potholes and boulders in the road to watch for.  The river was so clear and deep I stopped a couple times and scanned for trout.

Had a front tire blow-out with the tubeless.  Not sure what I ran over but the sealant could not keep up with the wound so I had to decide whether to boot the tire or take the easy way out and just toss a tube in.  I went for the tube and hoped I didn't have another puncture since I only had one tube.  I'll practice my booting techniques in the comfort of my garage.  And by this time my interest was to point my wheels south and to rock and roll for the home front.

The road to Arrowrock was no better - rocky and rough the entire way, but once I hit the pavement of Highway 21 it was easy sailing, except for the grind up to Hilltop, where I got a large Coke at the grill to cool down and satisfy my afternoon caffeine requirement.  All pavement and all downhill into Boise at this point.  As I rolled into town there was a big wind storm and rain clouds brewing and it was starting to spit rain just a few miles from home. 

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SUMMARY

• 311 miles total
• About 10 hours a day in the saddle
• Left knee damn sore and concerning
• Sit bones bruised but healed quickly
• Two toes on right foot numb for two days
• Bike weighed in around 47 lbs. without water and food
• Exhausted the day after both mentally and physically
• Did I mention my messed up knee (Dr. appointment next week scheduled)
• Sleep/shelter system was comfortable and quick to deploy
• Food - need to work on higher calories and more variety
• Hydration - May need to figure out how to carry another 2L or fluid
• Goal of not wearing a pack on my back was met

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All in all I was pleased with the equipment, loved the route, my overall fitness level and how everything worked.  I need to dial in some details still and I have a list in process.  The SPOT GPS was not sending a consistent signal I found out after returning home.  Wingmen John, Darren and Chuck were tracking progress online and it seems like the signal would go out for lengthy periods of time.  Eve was happy to see my dot progress each day as well, even if it was sporadic.....movement is always a good thing.

With 5 weeks until the Grand Depart I feel I am under pressure and still feel under prepared.  I plan to get in another shakedown ride, get the knee resolved, the GPS tracks of the Tour Divide route loaded without issues into my GPS, the cue sheets manipulated, the revised maps studied and fitted in my bar map holder, my cyclometer re-calibrated, parts shipped to two locations, bike torn apart and rebuilt, new rubber and hope to get to the starting line healthy, organized and confident.