Saturday, August 15, 2009

Sheridan to Ennis, MT

Via Hwy 289. 34.2 miles.
It was a beautiful but very Fall-like day weather-wise. At 8:30 this morning you could still see your breath. We shoved off about 9 (fairly late for us) for a short ride mileage-wise. However, the first 24 miles were uphill, including some steep climbing out of Virginia City to the top of the unnamed pass* that is between the Ruby River drainage and the Madison River valley.

We stopped in Virginia City for lunch, which - like neighboring Nevada City - is a restored (in a non-tacky manner) former gold mining town. A group of motorcyclists were there, who had passed us on the undulating climb into town.** They
were from Jackson Hole, WY and on their way home after a trip to Banff and Lake Louise. We found that we had a lot in common, except that they had been rained on virtually every day. That helps explain why we have never ever had a problem with a motorcycle rider.

On the way into Virginia City, a car passed us (giving us the usual wide berth) after waiting for a moment to allow oncoming traffic to pass. I waved to the driver as I always do, to let him/her know that we really appreciate him/her waiting for oncoming traffic to go by before passing us*** on a stretch of road (Hwy 287 between Adler and Nevada City) with no shoulder. I was too busy concentrating on steering the tandem to notice, but Penny said that the driver was shouting at us as he passed, apparently wanting us to get off the road (the car windows were up the entire time).
We later reflected that, in almost 4,000 miles of travel on this trip, this was the first incident (that we know about, at least) of hostile behavior towards us by anyone. And even that misguided driver had waited for oncoming traffic to go by before passing us (with plenty of clearance). I'm pretty sure that most of you blog readers would agree that ain't bad.

We had originally planned to go to Cameron today (another 11 miles) but learned that all of the motels and campgrounds in Cameron are now closed.**** According to our maps, it would be another 28 miles from Ennis to the next US Forest Service campground. And we would need to carry food for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. So we decided to stay in Ennis tonight and do a very long (75 miles) ride tomorrow to West Yellowstone, the tourist town just outside of the national park.

*Although today's climb was not too bad, we have found that the unnamed passes can be just as hard as the ones with names. The unnamed pass at the top of the climb out of Hell's Canyon and Chief Joseph pass out of Sula, MT were equally tough.

**While Penny chatted about the scenery, etc., I was near "the red zone" all the way in to town. She never seemed to grasp why I was completely silent the entire time.

***This is the second pet peeve of mine - drivers that cannot wait to allow oncoming traffic to pass
before squeezing by us on a road with no shoulder road at the same time that oncoming traffic goes by. Why can't they wait a few seconds? It drives me crazy.

****Closed facilities (campgrounds, cafes, etc.) have been a common problem on our trip. We supposedly have the latest information about such service facilities, but the poor economy has resulted in a very fluid situation. Also, many places have reduced hours (e.g., closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). So we have learned to call ahead in "one horse towns", many of which we have been through. Similarly, we have noticed that many restaurants and cafes have cut back staff to remain open. As a result, it is very common to find a single waitperson (I hate such gender neutral terms, but agree that gender-specific terms are not appropriate) trying to serve all of the tables. It isn't fair to the server or the diner, but that's the reality.
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Which one is Pikes Peak?

Ooops, I forgot. This is Montana, although the distant peak does resemble the famous mountain that towers over our home town, Colorado Springs.
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Ennis, MT

Less than 700 residents, yet there are 3 fly fishing shops. Do you think they take it seriously here?
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Madison River valley pic #2

This may be our Christmas card this year.
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Madison River valley, pic #1

Scene on the descent into Ennis from Virginia City, MT. If this isn't God's country, then God is without a country.
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Adobe Town site

Between Nevada City and Virginia City, MT. There used to be a town here, back in the gold rush days. Ten thousand people and God knows how many saloons. Now Adobe Town is just a pile of old logs and a few stone foundations. Fame is certainly fleeting, isn't it?
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