May 29, Day 23, Ennis Montana-71 miles

Amazing what just one day of rest can do for the body and the mind. I scavenged the hotel breakfast display and took extra food with me as I made my way out of town and started the days' 70 mile ride to Ennis Montana.

The first 28 miles were primarily flat and led to the town of Twin Bridges. I had a nice tailwind pushing me along and my speeds reflected it. In the world of cycling, wind can be a wonderful luxury and a sadistic hindrance,  and sometimes both in the same day. Today I would reap the benefits of the wonderful luxury in the morning, but in Twin Bridges I would be taking a sharp turn into a south easterly direction and quite possibly a strong headwind.

Terrain outside Twin Bridges

I arrived in Twin Bridges and turned south, perfectly willing to receive my comeuppance after 28 miles of biking bliss. The winds however were not what I anticipated and I had a relatively peaceful additional 26 miles into Nevada City and then two more into Virginia City. Both towns reflected the old wild west look and many original buildings from the 1800's were still up and some even functional. Just before the two towns I rode by an area called Alder Gulch. Dredge tailings from early placer mining activities can be seen for miles along the highway. This was a popular gold mining location for many years and some of the ancient mining equipment can still be seen abandoned by the river along with rock pilings and collapsed structures.

Nevada City

After Lunch in Virginia City, I had a nasty 4 mile, 1,500 foot climb to contend with. Tourists eating in the cafe alongside me questioned whether I could physically make it up such a steep pass on a bike. They informed me that their vehicles had a tough time getting over the pass. My mapping indeed provided a steepness warning about the climb but did not give any further indication that it was any more difficult then some of the others. As I got up and left the cafe, I was getting these looks of empathy buttered with pity and it made me wonder a little.

The build up was over blown. It had it's tough spots but they were short and sweet. I made it over the pass in 45 minutes and the next thing I knew I was clocking a trip speed record of 47 MPH descending a hellacious and dangerous steep winding downhill in a gusty wind! I was caught somewhat off guard and immediately initiated downhill survival techniques fine tuned during my experiences descending at high speeds in the Death Ride. It was also today that I discovered for the first time that my brakes are no match for a bike of this total weight on a descent of this grade. Fortunately traffic was very light and I was able to use the entire roadway to maneuver my way to the valley floor 10 white knuckle miles later.

Virginia City

I arrived at my destination town of Ennis and got settled. Ennis is a small but touristy town and is the last town before the 70 mile drive to West Yellowstone and the park entrance. That 70 mile length is my route tomorrow.