Tag: great divide

Day 28: Salida to Upper Dome Reservoir

February 9th, 2016

Heeding the advice from our bartender the night before, we woke up from our stealth camp early to avoid being detected. We found a nice bakery, ate breakfast burritos and ordered bagels to-go. After a few more errands we set off for the long climb of Marshall Pass. The first 26 miles were nearly all uphill. The climb was long and steady while the heat made it hard. The changing Aspens made summiting the climb enjoyable and a few hours later, we finally reached the top. We took a short break to admire the view and devour our bagels, both wishing we had ordered more. The long descent was a nice break and a few miles later we stopped at a small bar/general store. As Brett wasnt feeling too hot, we took another small break and ordered a beer. Still not feeling well we sat outside where Brett rested and I mended my frame bag’s zipper. We then left and rode a few more hours until night came and we camped at the Upper Dome Reservoir.
Day 27: Dillon to Salida

December 14th, 2015

After an amazing nights rest we woke up, ate eggs and said our goodbyes. As we were leaving, Jackson, Jesse’s son, told us that he was a expecting us to have ridden on a tandem, he seemed a little disappointed to find that we each were riding our own bikes, but it was a good laugh! We set off down the bike path from Dillon and rode up and up and then down a short descent into Breckenridge. After 30 minutes of Matt dealing with Post Office shenanigans, Brett discovered the glory of peanut butter on blueberry muffins. We left town and climbed up Borealis Pass. The leaves were finally beginning to change and the views were amazing. The descent was fun and as things flattened out we followed a handful of nice gravel roads before turning onto a stretch of paved highway. A short storm was coming our way and we pressed on a couple miles to a convenience store. During that time something went off in Matt’s Achilles and he was barely able to stand. Luckily we tapped into the science of K-tape, which instantly helped. We cruised along a series of washboarded gravel roads until sunset. We still had aways to go as the path suddenly turned into a hard, steep climb. It got dark as we spun our way up the climb and shortly after summiting, we saw the lights of Salida. We donned our headlamps and started down. It was pitch black outside the illumination of our awesome Dynamo headlights and every few minutes a new corner would reveal the lights of Salida getting closer. Fueled by hungry stomachs, we crushed the descent. We soon found our way into town, and smelled our way into an open bar and feasted on Beer and Burgers. With no rooms available in town and the nearest campsite miles away, we opted for stealth camping down by the river. Sleep came quick.
Day 26: Cow-Pie Field to Dillon

December 14th, 2015

We woke up after a decent sleep amid the field of cows. We ate breakfast and after a short climb, descended down into the small “town” of Radium. We met a local who let us fill up our water bladders and began the long slow climb out of Radium. It was a hot day with lots of hills. We pedaled on and eventually passed Inspiration Point, where we were greeted with uninspiring Headwinds. Eventually we settled next to a lake and ate our delicious lunch, the usual bagel peanut butter fabulous (PB, Nutella and JAM). As we left, our headwind woes continued to destroy our souls and we trudged along the next dozen or so miles. We eventually passed the worst of it and summited Ute Pass. Not many climbs along the GDMBR are rewarded with such sweet descents, but the paved drop to Silverthorne was nothing less that glorious. We rode the remaining miles into town and met up with Brett’s girlfriend’s brother Jesse and his family. That night we ate like kings. Steak, Pesto Pasta, Ice cream, Beers. The night was an epic. Did we mention there was a hot tub?
Day 20: Pinedale to Witches Brew

March 12th, 2015

Per usual, we had a slow start in Pinedale. We packed our things and found a good breakfast down the way. After satiating our appetites, we set off for the days tasks. We had ordered replacement front racks a few days before as Matt’s broke and had been held together by a string for the previous week and they were due to arrive today. Like most times you are waiting desperately for a package, Fedex arrived much later than expected, but that was fine as we had errands to run. We dropped off postcards at the post office, attempted to pickup some general delivery packages, got a new water filter, stocked up on food and supplies for the next couple days and used the public library to back up our photos to hard drives. Once our racks arrived, we set about installing them with haste. When all was said and done it was half past four. Definitely not ideal. We shrugged it off and set out, leaving the small town of Pinedale behind. The ride was nice and windy, with intermittent rain. We trudged on into the night. Eventually we got tired and after a bit of searching, we found a decent spot to camp off the road next to a stream. The rain picked up as we set camp. We got dry and sheltered under the tarp and cooked a nice meal of rice, zucchini and sausage. We ate the delicious meal under the makeshift awning as the rain let up and the clouds scattered, exposing the full moon’s light on the eerie landscape. A couple pulls of whiskey and we were off to sleep.
Day 17: Warm River to Colter Bay

February 18th, 2015

Today was a little tough. Our legs were sore and the heat was on for most of the day. We rode by Idaho Potato fields on pavement, then entered Wyoming on the Ashton-Flagg Ranch road. The road became severely washboarded as we wound our way through the Targhee National Forest. We eventually made it to Flagg Ranch, after what felt like forever, and stocked up on food. We turned right onto US 89 and enjoyed a glorious golden hour descent down to Jackson Lake. We were told that there was a great pizza place nearby and we found it. Leeks Pizzaria and Marina was a most welcomed spot. We drank a couple beers and ate a couple pizzas. Our worries and soreness soon washed away. We then rode a few short miles down the road to Colter Bay, where we camped and met a great family. They invited us to use their campsite, as they had a nice RV, and we chatted and ate smores.
Day 14: Grasshopper to Lima

January 21st, 2015

After a good nights rest, we powered up in the morning with a hot breakfast of oats, nutella, and pb. We probably threw pop-tarts in the mix for good measure since we knew today was going to be a long one. We set off, continuing down the second half of the descent we had started the night before. It was fast and fun. After bottoming out, and sending off a package at the post office in Polaris, MT, we continued on paved roads. About 40 miles in, we turned onto a gravel road, The Big Sheep Creek Back Country Byway, where we almost immediately encountered a headwind. The road was decent, but it was a slog, slowly leading us through remote wilderness where we gained elevation for the next 25 miles. It didn’t help that this was the first hot day of the trip and there was no shade to be found. We pushed on, cursing the headwind and finally, after a short steep climb, we crested the Medicine Lodge – Big Sheep Creek Divide. We stopped for lunch and after talking to a hunter, began the descent. Having said some pretty awful things about the wind all day, we were forced to eat crow (in the best way possible) as the wind shifted and became a tailwind. We were now cruising, averaging well over 20mph for the next hour or so. The road followed down a narrow canyon with epic rock outcroppings. As the sun began to set, we could see the lights of Lima in the distance. We took a right turn onto a dirt frontage road and right into a slight headwind. The next hour was a slow grind and we eventually entered into town, found a cafe just before close, and chowed on delicious Bacon Cheeseburgers. We then rolled across the street and set up camp behind a motel. Sleep came pretty easy that night.
Day 10: Lost Llama Lodge to Helena

November 13th, 2014

We woke up and ate a helping of warm oatmeal with PB/Nutella and drank coffee. Afterwards, we slowly gathered our things and said goodbye to the other riders, and to our new llama friends. We took one last look at the beautiful cabin and its surrounding landscape, and set off towards Helena. The sky was bright blue and the sun was hot. Our first climb of the day was long and intense. We stopped in Lincoln, a small ‘town’, grabbed some supplies at the grocery store, and ate sandwiches. As we continued onward, we began another long grind and finally descended towards Helena. The last 7 miles of pavement into Helena, on paper, looked like a nice gentle descent. Instead, we were greeted with an intense headwind that slowed our pace to a crawl. When we finally made it into town, we stopped and ate bacon cheeseburgers. We had to run a couple of errands which, per usual, took much longer than excepted. With it being late in the day, we decided it was best to take it stay the night in town. We enjoyed our first hotel room in a long while, ate pizza, drank beer, and soaked our aching bodies in the hot tub.
Day 4: Pollock Creek to Eureka, MT

October 13th, 2014

Today was intense. We left camp at 9:30am and arrived in Eureka after 10pm. We did about 90 miles and 7k elevation. We started with a big pass called Cabin Pass that was 12 miles long. After the climb we gradually dropped down into the wigwam valley, the clouds cleared and we stopped to eat lunch and shed our layers. We continued on, slowly gaining elevation, until we reached the turn off to the infamous hike-a-bike. After some rugged singletrack, we saw the wall ahead of us. A nearly vertical wall of mud, rocks, and roots .25 miles long. We slowly made our way up, pushing our bikes inch by inch. We finally made it to the top, expending way too much time and energy. We took a breather and then continued the climb up Galton Pass a 7 mile climb that gained close to 2000 feet. After cresting the summit, it was a gnarly descent that dropped 3500ft in less than 9 miles. We made our way to the border and camped the night in Eureka, MT.
Day 2: MT Engadine lodge to Elkford

August 26th, 2014

We woke to the sound of rain, never a pleasant sound, and solemnly packed our bikes. We headed back up to the lodge to seek warmth and coffee. As we were about to leave, a worker decided to feed us leftover eggs, which were absolutely delicious. Finally, after our fill, we set off. Nearly right away we saw a big black wolf run across the gravel road! It was huge. We continued on the day to Elkford through a misty fog and dense evergreens. Every so often, the land was scarred from logging and coal mining. It was a long day, 72 miles with plenty of elevation. Along the ride we also saw more wildlife,two moose and one bear! As we finally rode into Elkford, we were nearly depleted. We found a store, bought whisky, and camped out at the campground across the street.
The Bikes

August 6th, 2014

Preparing for the GDMBR we decided that the Surly Ogre would be our bike of choice. The Ogre is a no-nonsense steel 29’er off-road do-anything bike. It has eyelets for days, its tough, and is built to take a beating. After choosing the frame we went ahead a got it built up with a smattering of Shimano XT/SLX components. XT hydraulic disc brakes, Alfine dynamo to power our light and electronics, and Velocity Blunt 35 rims to tie it all together. Our saddle choice was easy, we decided on the new and comfy Brooks Cambium. As our ride at times, will be punishing, we needed all the spring we could get, and the Cambium was the obvious choice. Below is the complete build specs for each bike.

Matt’s Ride
Frame: Surly Ogre Medium
Fork: Surly Ogre
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Stem: Thomson Elite X4
Handlebar: Salsa Bend
Shifter: Shimano SLX
Grips: Ergon GC1
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Saddle: Brooks Cambium
Seat Clamp: Blue Salsa
Front Hub: Shimano Alfine DH-S501 32h
Rear hub: Shimano XT 32h
Rims: Blue Velocity Blunt 35
Tires: Maxxis Ardent 2.25
Cranks: Shimano SLX 36/28
Pedals: Shimano spd
Bottom Bracket: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 11-36
Chain: Shimano HG54
Brakes & Levers: Shimano XT hydraulic
Light: Supernova E3 Triple

Storage
Frame Bag: Surly branded Revelate
Seat Bag: Revelate Pika
Handlebar Bag: Swift Industries Paloma
Salsa Anything Rack

Brett’s Bike
Frame: Surly Ogre Large
Fork: Surly Ogre
Headset: Cane Creek 40
Stem: Generic
Handlebar: Salsa Bend
Shifter: Shimano SLX
Grips: Giant Grips
Seatpost: Civia
Saddle: Brooks Cambium
Seat Clamp: Green Salsa
Front Hub: Shimano Alfine DH-S501 32h
Rear hub: Shimano XT 32h
Rims: Blue Velocity Blunt 35
Tires: Maxxis Ardent 2.25
Cranks: Shimano SLX 36/28
Pedals: Shimano spd
Bottom Bracket: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 11-36
Chain: Shimano HG54
Brakes & Levers: Shimano XT hydraulic
Light: busch and muller

Storage
Frame Bag: Surly branded Revelate
Seat Bag: Revelate Pika
Handlebar Bag: Swift Industries Paloma
Trunk Bag: Axiom Robson LX 14
Salsa Anything Rack