Ridge of the Rockies - Jackson WY to West Yellowstone MT

This was advertised as the toughest day of the tour, and it lived up to that assessment.  The demanding route called for another early parking lot breakfast and 6:30 departure.  I  wore some lobster claw gloves to keep my hands warm.  They (along with vest and arm warmers) came off shortly before we started up Teton Pass about 9 miles from Jackson.  There is a very nice bike trail most of the way out of Jackson, and then an old, car-free road that goes up to the summit of the pass.

We climbed about 3,000 feet in 4 miles, with grades of 10-12% and several switchbacks.  Thankfully the road surface was pretty good.  Riders were greeted with cheers as they made it to the top and rolled to a stop next to the support van and trailer, parked in a wide pull off area next to the main highway.  We then had to put back on warmer clothes for the long, fast (40+ mph) descent in cool air.

Jack and I arrived at the next rest stop (41 mile point) and were informed that we needed to get to the third rest stop 16 miles away in just a little over an hour, and the lunch stop two hours further.  That kind of set the stage for the rest of the day - no time to relax and enjoy the ride - just chase the clock.  It was an aggressive day (135 miles total), and by lunch at 85 miles I had decided to end my ride early and take a van into the motel.  We encountered a very strong crosswind for about 25 miles, as well as a series of big rolling hills, so Jack and I were both pretty well spent.  We were satisfied with successfully getting over Teton Pass and completing most of the course.  As it turned out, traffic was very heavy on US 20 into West Yellowstone, so we didn't miss much by skipping that part.

Early morning breakfast in the parking lot.  Retta and I are sitting on the far right plank.

View from the bike path bridge of the Snake River

Rumble strip on shoulder did not leave much room for bikes

This grass was being blow like ocean waves by the stiff crosswind