TransAm Day #44 West Yellowstone, MT - Ennis, MT
TransAm Day #44
July 9, 2018
West Yellowstone, MT - Ennis, MT
72 Miles
Ride Time 4:20 Hours
Tour Total Miles 3166
I slept well last night at the Historic Madison in West Yellowstone. I left the Wild West Saloon before Kyle and Sam started dancing Irish jigs on top of the bar, but saw the pictures and videos this morning. Those guys are crazy! Kyle snuck Sam and Steph into our room in the middle of the night, and one of them snored until dawn.
I had been thinking about how to fix my broken pannier, which I did first thing this morning. I swapped the broken clips on the rear right with the front right. I noticed a hole in the rear right, which I duct taped. I zip-tied the front right pannier to the rack, which will hopefully hold. It’s now permanently attached and won’t be able to be removed when I arrive at destinations. My final issue is that I’m missing a sock. Kyle offered to do some of my laundry and it disappeared.
I had a breakfast burrito at the Timberline Cafe. It wasn’t very good. West Yellowstone is a tacky touristy town, and I couldn’t wait to leave it and the throngs of people behind. A lot of Yellowstone visitors are from abroad and I’ve noticed several signs in bathrooms instructing how to use a toilet. All of the signs show a banned symbol over top a person with their feet planted on a toilet seat squatting over the bowl. Curious.
The wide-open spaces of Montana greeted me instantly. I rode down the wide Madison River Valley with snowcapped mountains far in the distance in every direction. After two days in Yellowstone I had it all back to myself.
I rode through a geologically interesting area that was effected by a catastrophic earthquake back in 1959. Dozens of people who were camping in the valley were killed in the middle of the night, buried under avalanches and rapidly rising water from the Madison River that was blocked by falling rocks to create Earthquake Lake. I was warned that there was still geologic turbulence underneath the ground here. It kind of freaked me out. The rangers at the visitors center were extremely friendly, and promised me tail winds to Ennis.
After the tight passage through the hills, the Madison River valley opened up to the Raynolds pass, a long wide green flat, first explored by settlers in 1860. The Madison River Valley is absolutely beautiful. It’s fertile with rolling grass hills, and larger mountains in the distance. The Madison River was named in July 1805 by Meriwether Lewis for U.S. Secretary of State James Madison, who would succeed Thomas Jefferson as President in 1809. There are many features here named for Madison.
Montana secondary highway signs use arrowhead icons. I passed my first #DudeRobot sticker in hundreds of miles. The last one I had seen was in Walcott, WY right before Interstate 80. I had almost given up on Michael Riscica.
The tailwind the park rangers promised was delivered. I flew twenty five miles an hour effortlessly across the beautiful flat. It was fantastic! I contacted Adventure Cycling in Missoula, who are holding a set of pannier clips for me. Everything is coming back together!
I noticed many fly fishermen in the Madison River. Ennis (the E is pronounced like Edna) advertises itself as home to eleven million trout. The large timber ranch gates in Montana rival those in Wyoming. I’m particularly drawn to the bent top timbers that create arches. A couple days ago I saw a gate with only one vertical support to create a T gate, and found it odd.
The pastures here boast tall green grass and lots of cattle. I spotted a field full of large cubed hay bales. The fragrant air smells like wildflowers. Nearing Ennis the wind shifted, creating a cross wind. I had rumble strips on the shoulder that were rattling my teeth loose. Two asshole motorists towing boat trailers honked at me. They’d better pray I don’t spot their vehicles in town.
I’m camping out back of Willie’s Distillery. Kyle left a charger back in West Yellowstone and had to go back to retrieve it. From all accounts, I believe he’s still there. Scott and Eileen rolled into town while I was enjoying a beer at the Gravel Bar Grill. I'm showered, shaved, and my laundry is on the line.
I have your sock in my pannier!
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