Special big THANKS! to Paul, Kay, Tom & Edel for a trip planned perfectly. Another to Eric for his amazing trip books. Lastly to Joe and Janet for driving the bikes all that way. You all made the trip a wonderful experience for the rest of us.     --  dede

Montana/Wyoming Tour 2000 Report
by Tom Mayer

Chile Peddlers MT/WY Tour 2000

The second annual Chile Peddlers summer tour took place in early August in  the stunning country in and around Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and  Montana. We met in Jackson, WY, with eight tandem teams joining the tour: Paul  Matthews and Kay Dwyer, Tom and Edel Mayer, Dean and Lee Marvin, Eric Russell  and Carol Meincke, Dennis Cooper and dede Collins, Joe and Janet Vertrees,  Michael Kantner and Laura Needels, and Greg and Michelle French. Michael and Laura came from Pasadena, and had ridden with us in Oregon last year. Greg and  Michelle were new acquaintances from Las Vegas. Paul chose the route and  recommended a few places to stay and eat along the way, while Kay and I made the  arrangements. Joe and Janet pulled the bike trailer from Albuquerque and they and Kay and Paul provided their vehicles for sag support during the tour. Eric  made up a great tour book for us, including maps, mileage, elevations, and  notable things along the way. We even had three altimeters in the group. While  they didn't often agree, we got a general idea of how much climbing we were doing each day.

Day 1.  Shuttle to Chico Hot Springs.

To get to our starting point of Chico Hot Springs, north of Yellowstone, we hired a van and guide to shuttle us up there from Jackson. Our driver turned out to be a stereotypical WY mountain  man, who regaled us with stories of Yellowstone, the dos and don’ts of living with grizzly bears, and the hazards of swimming in 200 degree hot springs, while we toured Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Despite his overwhelming  aroma of stale tobacco, he was a quite knowledgeable and personable character.  We all enjoyed the ride through the parks, and learned a good bit about Yellowstone history, geology, ecology, and the devastating fires that roared  through the park in 1988. 

Chico Hot Springs is an old hot spring spa about 40 miles north of Yellowstone, along the Yellowstone River. It’s pretty out of the way, and maintains a rustic, but comfortable feel. It attracts  a rather diverse crowd, and is reputed to have one of the finer restaurants in this part of Montana. One clue to its isolation became apparent as we approached  the place. We saw a windsock along the road and figured they must have an airstrip for small planes, however there was no evidence of a runway along the side of the road. Then we saw obvious paint markings and tire tracks on the road  that let us know we were driving on the runway! Luckily neither the car or plane traffic is heavy enough to bring about many unwanted encounters.

After  getting settled in, we gathered for dinner in the wine cellar (actually a small  stone out-building) which they had set up especially for our group. Menus  personalized for the Chile Peddlers graced our table, and indeed the kitchen was every bit as good as Paul had promised. Our trip was off to a calorie-filled start!

Day 2. Chico to Mammoth Hot Springs; 39 miles, 1900 ft. climbing

Our first day of riding was to be a relatively short one,  to loosen the legs and leave us time to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone NP. The road from Chico ascends along the Yellowstone River through sparsely populated pastureland, with mountains rising alongside and looming in  the distance. The gentle grade and leisurely pace gave us the opportunity to watch ospreys fishing in the river, and read some of the interpretive signs about the geology and ecology of the river valley. The famous Roosevelt Arch  marks the entrance to the world‘s first National Park at the small town of Gardiner, MT. After entering the park, we faced our only real challenge of  the day - a fairly steep, four-mile climb to the lodge at Mammoth Hot Springs. We all got there by early afternoon, and spent the rest of the day hiking around the springs, checking out the visitor center and shops, and  entertaining the tourists who were curious about all those strange bikes lined up in front of the lodge.

Day 3. Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke  City, MT; 56 miles, 4000 ft. climbing

Today would take us across the northern edge of Yellowstone, up through the broad valley of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek, and out the northeast gate. We began the day with a nice climb through unburned forest, past Undine Falls, over Blacktail Deer Plateau,  then down to Tower Junction. Most of the group took a side trip to Tower Falls, about a three-mile detour from our main route, but worth every bit of the bad road and heavy traffic. The falls plunge an impressive 200 ft. through towering  lava formations along Tower Creek. Early descriptions and paintings of the falls and lava formations were among the many outstanding features of  Yellowstone presented to Congress to justify its designation as a National Park.  Just downstream of the falls, the creek tumbles into the Yellowstone River in a canyon displaying the distinctively yellow volcanic rock that gives Yellowstone  its name. Getting to the falls required a pretty steep hike down the canyon wall  from the road to the river. To reward our efforts we had to indulge in some of  the excellent Wilcox ‘s ice cream, which was waiting for us at the store at the top of the hill.

Along the road to Tower Falls, we also experienced one of the common occurrences in Yellowstone. A mother black bear and two cubs were spotted alongside the road, precipitating a “bear jam“ of cars and scrambling tourists with cameras. The bears made it  across the road and over the hill on the other side, hopefully without too much disturbance from the overeager spectators.

After our detour to Tower Falls, we began the long, gradual climb through the Lamar Valley. This is prime  wildlife viewing area, and although the large animals (bison, elk, etc.) were pretty scarce in the valley at that time, if you kept your eyes open there was a  lot to see. The ponds were full of ducks and other waterfowl, hawks were everywhere, Kay and Paul were “stalked” by an inquisitive coyote,  and a few folks saw a couple of grizzly bears in the distance. This area is  where many of the reintroduced wolves hang out, but we weren‘t fortunate enough to see any. \

We were pleasantly surprised at the condition of  the road through Lamar Valley. The entire road from Mammoth to the northeast gate had been repaved last year, and was in excellent shape. Coupled with the relatively light traffic in this corner of the park , our apprehensions about riding in the park were thankfully dispelled.

We ended the day in Cooke City, MT, about five miles outside the park gate. Cooke City is a typical  little western mountain town - sort of like Red River without the Texans.  Played out mines have given way to tourism, and the single street is lined with old miners’ houses, gift shops, motels, and bars. Our motel afforded us the chance to hang out and shoot the breeze on the porch most of the afternoon,  while watching the town life go by. Most of the town life seemed to be of the canine variety. They were a neighborly sort, however, looking for a handout wherever they could get it. Somewhat surprisingly, Cooke City was endowed with at least two good restaurants and an espresso stand/bike shop combo, so civilization was not abandoned entirely.

Day 4. Cooke City to Red  Lodge, MT; 64 miles, 5400 ft. climbing

For the previous two days, smoke in the air from forest fires in Idaho and western Montana created a  distinct haze, giving us itchy eyes and scratchy throats. This morning the smoke  was so thick you could hardly see the mountains surrounding Cooke City. But despite the smoke, the weather promised to be fine as we set out on the big climb to 11,000-ft. Beartoooth Pass. The first 10 miles or so was a nice descent along the Clark’s Fork River, but we knew we‘d have to regain every foot that we descended. Finally the grade changed directions, and  we worked our way up to treeline and the Beartooth Plateau. The Beartooths are not mountains, per se, but rather a high plateau cut by deep, glacial valleys.  Once we got up to about 10,000 ft. the landscape opened up to a wonderland of  rolling tundra and alpine lakes, with just a smattering of spruce trees able to grow here and there. The final few miles of climbing took us up a series of switchbacks across barren talus to a windswept ridge that passes for a ‘summit’. The road rolls across this ridge for a few miles before beginning the descent to Red Lodge. The scenery was spectacular all about, but  the smoke was so thick, we couldn‘t see much of the surrounding mountains. Despite that, Paul took pictures of us all with the famous Beartooth in the hazy background.

The descent to Red Lodge is one of the most exciting we have ridden. The road plunges almost 6000 ft. in 25 miles into a  tremendous U-shaped glacial valley, first in a series of long switchbacks, then in a straight downhill cruise for what seems like forever. From the top of the plateau it is nearly unbelievable to think that you‘ll be at the bottom in just a few minutes. The wind made the upper section a bit squirrelly and Eric and Carol had a face-to-face meeting at 35 mph with a deer that jumped out in front of them on the way down. Luckily, they managed to avoid each other. We  were thankful for a rest area about 1/3 of the way down, where we stopped to catch our breath, gather our nerves, and make sure the brakes were working  properly (for those of us that were using them).

The previous day in Yellowstone we had been sharing the road with hundreds of motorcycles, on their circuitous way to the big Harley-Davidson rally in Sturgis, SD. The Beartooth  Highway was obviously a favorite with them as well, and we were passed by many more hundreds of the roaring beasts going in both directions all day. The streets of Red Lodge were lined with parked Harleys from one end to the other.  Aside from the din, the motorcyclists were invariably courteous and friendly  toward their human-powered two-wheeled cousins on the road, and we enjoyed their  presence much more than the ubiquitous RVs.

Except for the smoke blanketing the mountains, the Beartooth Highway gave us some of the most  beautiful and exciting cycling to be found anywhere. The climb was long, but  never very steep, the landscape was simply stunning, and the descent was a gas.  Not even Rocky Mountain National Park in CO provides such a spectacular ride.

Red Lodge is an attractive town combining the character of the mountains to the west and plains to the east. It is mostly driven by tourism these days, but retains much of the local flavor of the area. We stayed at the elegant Pollard Hotel, a restored brick building from early in the century, which has long been the focal point of Red Lodge. It was very tastefully appointed and provided all the amenities. However, we got the feeling they were trying a bit too hard to be upscale in rural Montana. I think it is the only  place in MT where you can get a FAXed summary of the Wall Street Journal slipped  under your door in the morning! Red Lodge has a good variety of places to eat,  including a candy store and soda fountain straight out the 1950‘s with old Pepsi Cola and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. Unfortunately they were out of the advertised huckleberry ice cream we all went there for.

Day  5. Red Lodge to Cody, WY; 65 miles, 3000 ft. climbing

We got a late start on today‘s ride due to the gluttonous breakfast provided at the Pollard. Included in the price of the room, anything on the breakfast menu was fair game. Eggs benedict, ham, fruit, and blueberry muffins are not my usual cycling breakfast. But we struggled through it nevertheless, while wondering if any of us would make it up the hill we had to climb to get out of town.

A short, steep climb out of Red Lodge over a glacial moraine put us at the  top of a straight, smooth, long descent on the other side - a great  opportunity for new speed records! We hit 58 mph before a sweeping turn made us think better about going for 60. I guess the eggs benedict provided some  momentum at least. The rest of the day was pretty much flat riding through ranch and farmland at the foot of the Beartooth range. Again, a heavy blanket of smoke obscured what should have been spectacular vistas of the mountains. We could only imagine the scenic views that the roadside signs were pointing out  to us.

After yesterday’s big climb, today‘s ride was pretty relaxing, with few challenges, good roads and little traffic. It was starting to get quite warm by the time we reached Cody, however. Cody is the  main eastern entry point to Yellowstone, and was filled with traffic, RVs, and  fast food places. After a few hassles with the motel (they wanted to put us in  smoking rooms) we got settled in, did some domestic chores and hung out in the hot tub for a while. The highlight of the evening was riding lessons for us all on Paul and Kay‘s recumbent bikes. We all took turns riding around the  motel parking lot on their travelling lawn chairs, to the amusement of the other motel guests.

Day 6. Cody to Thermopolis, WY; 87 miles, 3000 ft.  climbing

Today‘s ride took us through wide open, rolling terrain of mesas and buttes, reminiscent of much of western New Mexico, devoid of towns, trees, and much of anything else. Meeteetse, the only town we went through all day, came early in the ride, so a few of us stopped at  Lucille‘s Cafe, for a real country breakfast of eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns and weak coffee. Most of the Meeteetse’s residents seemed to be at Lucille‘s, and the average age must have been about 65 - a typical  western farm town these days. Meeteetse also boasted a real bike path that paralleled the road for about half a mile, ending at a fence line with no obvious destination in mind.

 The ride was quite scenic, and didn‘t seem difficult, but the accumulation of miles, rolling hills, and the increasing temperature left us pretty beat by the end of the day. Approaching Thermopolis, we began to count down the remaining miles from the mile markers along the road  - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3\'85 Whoa! Wait a minute. Somebody in Wyoming can’t count! Dede was incensed that we had to ride an extra mile, and was considering lodging a complaint with the highway department about the two 4-mile markers. Thankfully the last few miles into Thermopolis were downhill. The temperature at the local bank read 104 degrees as we rode into town.

Thermopolis’ reason for existence is the presence of a large thermal spring. Originally part of the Shoshone Indian reservation, the area surrounding the spring was appropriated in the usual fashion after Americans got the idea that sitting in hot springs was a pretty neat thing to do. A few health spas and sanatoriums sprang up to take advantage of the “healing power” of the hot mineral waters. Today it is tourists that come to relax and play in a number of commercial pools and spas fed by the spring.  The spring itself is an impressive travertine formation on the banks of the Bighorn River, with cascades of multicolored mineral deposits flowing down the hill from the spring. The hot mineral water indeed provides a good soak and a  relaxing way to end a long day. Kay and dede couldn’t resist the  attractions of the long water slide at one of the pools, while Dean and Lee opted for a far more civilized massage before dinner.

Day 7.  Thermopolis to Lander, WY; 80 miles, 2000 ft. climbing

Today‘s ride was a gently ascending course along the Wind River to Lander, at the south end of the Wind River Mountains. The highlight was the section through the Wind River Canyon, a narrow gorge that the river has cut through a 2000-ft.uplift for nearly 15 miles. Although riding generally uphill, the layering of  the rocks in the canyon gave the distinct illusion that you were going downhill the whole way. But gravity wasn‘t fooled; you had to work to do it.

During a stop for rest and refueling at the crossroads town of Shosoni, we were delighted to find a drug store that serves “the best shakes and malts in Wyoming“. Of course we had to check them out. They certainly serve a lot of them. A board on the wall held a tally of shakes served for the past few years. It was truly impressive, with about 50,000 served so far in 2000, well on the way to breaking last year‘s record of 64,000. I think their claim was justified, for the shakes were great, made with premium ice cream, whole milk and fresh fruit.

The second half of the ride was through some pretty monotonous scrubland, but the map showed an alternate road along the river that promised less traffic and more pleasing farmland.  Unfortunately all of us except Paul and Kay missed the turn for the alternate route, including the sag drivers, so we rode the busy, monotonous road after all.

Lander is something of a schizophrenic town. It is primarily a jumping off point for hunters, fishermen, and backpackers heading into the Winds, yet it was surprisingly full of upscale clothing and gift shops, along with the hardware and outfitters shops. I‘m not sure who goes to Lander,  but it’s obviously not just the hunters. The motel had a barbecue and  some picnic tables available, so about half the group had a big cookout, while the rest went to an excellent Italian restaurant in town. A very pleasant  evening all around.

Day 8. Lander to Pinedale, WY; 140 miles, 4000 ft. climbing

We didn‘t really expect anyone to ride the whole way to Pinedale, but thought we‘d give it a try if the  weather cooperated. Kay and Paul started at about the halfway point, never intending to ride the whole thing, while Dennis and dede went with the sag up to Pinedale, then rode from there. The rest of us started out from Lander to see how far we could get. The first third of the route was a beautiful climb up onto the southern flanks of the Wind River Range, toward South Pass - the famous  route of the Oregon Trail. Once into the South Pass the terrain flattens out and  rolls through open sagebrush prairie at the foot of the Winds.

The  Wind River is aptly named, we found out, as the wind picked up to about 30 - 40 mph as the day went on. It was mostly a crosswind that made riding very tedious after a while. The lead group of Greg and Michelle, Michael and Laura, and Dean and Lee made it about 75 miles, while Eric and Carol, and Edel and I gave it up after about 50 miles. We were very relieved to see Joe in the sag coming to rescue us. We all got cozy in the sag vehicles and headed to Pinedale, happy for the beautiful climb to South Pass, but happier still to be out of the wind. Kay and Paul finished their ride into Pinedale before the wind got too strong, while Dennis and dede had a beautiful ride along the lake outside Pinedale. I think they were the smart ones.

The lead group had an interesting wildlife encounter along the way. A few pronghorns were  grazing uncharacteristically close, between the fence and the road. It seems they were pretty used to having cars go by and were generally unconcerned, but people on bikes were another matter. As the bikes approached they would run up the road ahead of them. For some reason pronghorns won’t jump fences, and  they couldn‘t figure that if they just stopped, the bikes would go by.  After about 10 miles of chasing the poor things up the road, the group was getting concerned about needlessly exhausting the animals. About this time one of the sag vehicles came along, so they devised a plan of using the car as a shield between them and the pronghorns, since the animals apparently  didn‘t mind the cars. As the car drove slowly up the road, the bikes rode alongside, trying to keep out of the sight of the pronghorns. Sure enough, once  the animals couldn‘t see the bikes, they stopped and let the car go by,  with the bikes alongside.

The Lakeside Lodge in Pinedale is actually on Fremont Lake, about 4 miles from town. Paul stays here regularly on his trips  to WY, and highly recommended its rustic cabins and excellent restaurant. Again, his judgement was reliable. The accommodations were indeed “rustic”, but the setting on the lake, looking toward the mountains, was awe-inspiring. The food was excellent, and Joe and Janet got out the marshmallows and treated us to a number of childhood camp songs around the fire.

Day 9. Pinedale to Jackson, WY; 85 miles, 1000 ft. climbing

The last day of our tour promised to be a pleasant, mostly downhill ride back to Jackson. We were reminded of how high we actually were at Pinedale when we headed into town for breakfast in a chilly 38 degrees. No one had dressed for the cold and we were all pretty frozen by the time we got to town.  We quickly warmed up with coffee and a big breakfast, but it was still quite chilly when we got on the road. After about 30 miles of flat prairie, we headed  into the Hoback River canyon, a 35 mile scenic descent along the river. The road had pretty good shoulders, but thankfully there was also little traffic. It  seems that shortly before we got there a large cattle truck had gone through. At  every outside bend in the road, all the slop from the bed of the truck would slosh out the side, leaving a big patch of slippery-looking cowshit splattered all over the shoulder. Even the most timid of cyclists would not have taken the lane under these circumstances.

The smoke from the forest fires had  returned again, smelling stronger than ever. About half way down the canyon we came upon what appeared to be a very orderly Boy Scout camp at a picnic area  along the road. As we got closer, we realized it was a fire crew camp. Apparently there was a pretty good fire going not far from where we were, but we could not see it from the road.

After about 70 miles we came to Hoback  Junction, where we joined the main highway into Jackson. We stopped for a snack and rest, not really wanting to get out on the busy road, but only 15 miles from the end of our long tour. About 8 miles from Jackson a bike path starts that promised a welcome escape from the traffic.

After a long trip with no  problems and only minor mechanical difficulties, our luck was bound to change.  About five miles from town Dennis and dede crashed pretty hard on the bike path.  Kay and Paul came upon them on the trail. It was pretty clear that Dennis was hurt and that both of them should go to the hospital to get checked out. At the time, Edel and I were waiting for them on the bike path at the edge of town, and getting concerned that they had not come along. We heard the sirens of the  rescue squad and joked nervously to ourselves that we hoped it wasn’t for  them.

It was hectic and disconcerting end to a great tour. Half of the  group had planned to leave Jackson that afternoon, while the rest were staying  until the next morning. But no one wanted to leave while Dennis and dede were sitting in the hospital. There wasn‘t much we could or needed to do for them at that point, however. They remained in Jackson a few more days until they would let Dennis travel and they could get a flight home. In the end we concluded that we were fortunate to have a week of marvelous cycling, marred only by one mishap so near the end. It could have been much worse if a crash had occurred in the middle of nowhere.

We covered about 400-500 miles of spectacular and varied landscape, on good roads, with little traffic, and in good weather. What more could you ask for? This year’s tour provided many contrasts to last year‘s Oregon coast tour. In Oregon we had relatively short cycling days, but many towns, parks, shops, beaches, lighthouses, and other attractions to check out along the way. In WY we had  wonderful scenery and wide-open spaces, but nothing to stop for between the very  infrequent towns. So the longer days in the saddle did not take away appreciably from other attractions. Oregon was dominated by water - the ocean, the fog, and the drizzle, with the weather generally cool and damp.  Wyoming was dominated by rocks - the mountains, the canyons, and the mesa and butte country, with the weather generally warm and dry. They both offered  abundant pleasures for cyclists. What kind of tour should we do next year? Any  ideas? Any volunteers to set it up?