Island Park, Idaho to Montana

Strava: 55.7 km, 523m, 3:34, 124 shifts, 44.1 kph max, all in rain

It was very nice sleeping in again. We got up around 8:30 and had the hotel breakfast, packed up, then procrastinated until 10:30 when the rain was supposed to be lighter. Daniel bought plastic wrap and he and Andrew used it experimentally on their shoes. I tried a plastic bag inside each sock.

Finally we couldn’t put it off any longer and set out in light rain, temperature 3°C. We had a little pavement then turned off on a rough 4wd track with gigantic puddles. Going around the first puddle I found it so deep that one foot went all the way underwater so the plastic bag experiment was off on that foot. Soon we went through a gate that said ‘Road Closed’ and the trial became rougher. But we had seen two riders coming the opposite way and there were only two tracks visible so it appeared they had made it through. When the puddles covered 100% of the width and you had to ride through it was exciting because it might be shallow or very deep.

After a while there was another short paved section but it ended and we were back on gravel. The climb to Red Rock Pass wasn’t too bad but just then it was quite rainy and cold. At the top we crossed the Continental Divide yet again and entered our last state, Montana. Welcome to Montana, there’s a winter weather warning in late June and it’s snowing just a tiny bit above the pass where it’s 2°!

Just down a little we met some riders who were coming from the Red Hawk Lodge where I had booked us a room. They confirmed the distance and that it was good.

The last 28 km from the pass was pretty trying, between the rain, cold temps and the strong headwind. I was thinking how amazingly much the road to Banff varies from Antelope Wells to Montana. “Hey Andrew, remember how hot it was at the end of the first day? Not like that here, eh?” The km counter did its thing and eventually we rode up the lodge road. I learned a new advantage of electronic shifting: when your hands are numb it’s still relatively easy to shift!

The owner had warned us that they’d probably still be in town when we arrived but said to go on in and described how to find our room upstairs. First we found a hose and washed off the bikes and bags. So muddy. My foot that didn’t get submerged was surprisingly dry. Then we relaxed inside in the warm with our outer clothes drying on a rack. The owners arrived after a couple of hours and are really nice people.

After naps and more conversation it was dinner time. We ate Taco Salad with Mel and Jeanette, the owners. After we finished a pair of SOBO riders appeared and had dinner too. Mel has lived here many decades and told us lots of stories and interesting info about the local grizzlies, moose, wolves etc. There’s been a wildlife refuge here since 1935.

We did some planning and I booked us two nights in Lima. Rest day here we come. From the weather forecast, tomorrow looks like another day where we should not leave early. So we stayed up past 9:30 pm and can sleep in!

Squirrel Creek Elk Ranch to Island Park

Strava: 71.6 km, 656m, 4:17, 160 shifts, 56.3 kph max

I had my ear plugs in all night so as not to hear the rain or Andrew snoring. I didn’t wake up until 7:30! Over 10 hours of sleep! Soon after I woke up there was a brief but strong thunderstorm. We went to breakfast at 8:30 and finally left, in full rain gear, at 9:45.

It only rained a little as we cruised the paved road, then turned onto dirt after seven km. After a climb we descended to Warm River Campground, then headed up the rail trail in rain. At the start we saw a very fresh bear claw print so I enabled my bell.

The rain mostly stopped as we climbed the consistent grade. It was a very narrow double track, pretty and fun for a change. After 20 km of the rail trail we stopped to take off jackets and talk to a somewhat overwhelmed Tour Divide racer. He had even had a day of negative progress due to an extreme navigation error. He will not make it in a month, that’s for sure.

We had another 15 km of dirt roads, off and on rain, and a little hail. We came out on a highway, US 20, which we took to a gas station/restaurant. We went in for lunch but only had drinks, deciding to eat at the next restaurant, the last on our route. We were planning on staying at a campground around 90 km. We headed north to the next restaurant, staying on the highway to save about 10 km. The shoulder was narrow but the cars and trucks were kind. As we pulled into the restaurant, that second a deluge started. Incredibly good timing. The shortcut was so worth it.

We had a delicious lunch and I found a lodge we had missed on the map previously. I called and made a reservation for tomorrow after Wytze rented us a room at the Sawtelle Mountain Resort across the street. Who says we have to camp in the rain? It’s good to be flexible.

We checked in and got clean. Wytze bought us wine, cheese, chips, salsa, grapes, crackers and hummus. The room is spacious and nice and I guess we’re getting used to sharing queen sized beds now. Our dinner party ended before 7, lightweights.

The weather forecast is bad for tomorrow but we’ll survive I’m sure.

Colter Bay Village to Squirrel Creek Elk Ranch, Idaho

Strava: 86 km, 814m, 4:42, 296 shifts, 79.3 kph max

The weather started out perfect. We got up late and rode over to the grocery store to buy breakfast and lunch. We ate by the lake, a super scenic spot.

Then we headed north on the highway. Our turnoff was at Flagg Ranch after 25 km or so. We had some drinks in their restaurant but I wouldn’t go back. The dirt road was a little rough but nice. A little climbing first but mostly downhill later.

We had some lunch on Grassy Lake Dam and it was funny to have fast WiFi Internet there thanks to a van with Starlink parked a ways away.

There were a couple more small climbs which we did listening to loud thunder. Soon there was a brief hailstorm and some rain, but it was over quickly. We paused under a tree and practically didn’t get wet.

As we continued, suddenly it started up again. It was the strongest, most painful hail I’ve ever experienced! My jacket mostly protected me but when a hailstone hit my gloved hand or my bare leg, ouch! It was so powerful! Of course we just kept going and within a “few” minutes the worst was over. We were left riding in plain rain. After a while even that stopped. By the time we hit the end of the dirt road it was drying out. Then the headwind hit just as Wytze got inspired to blast the last few km at warp speed.

We pulled in to the Squirrel Creek Elk Ranch and immediately had lemonade, then they showed us our cabin. Unfortunately it only has three beds, so this time Daniel has the couch or floor and gets a Bed Upgrade Credit. Andrew cashed his in for the big queen size bed. Wytze and I took upstairs. We all had showers and did laundry.

I chatted with Chaice and the owners for a while then it was time for dinner. We ate mightily then dessert wasn’t ready so we had an hour to relax before fresh apple pie with ice cream was ready.

Dessert was great, but we were all tired. It’s 8 pm and time for sleep 💤

Lava Mountain Lodge to Colter Village, Grand Teton National Park

Strava: 87.6 km, 910m, 4:58, 212 shifts, 47.5 kph max

Sharing beds on this trip is not the recipe for perfect sleep but it worked pretty well for me this time. We got up at 6 and packed. Daniel had sweet talked the staff into opening the kitchen at 7 for breakfast. So we had eggs and potatoes and toast with bacon.

We headed out and the long climb we did a little of yesterday continued. We turned off on a gravel road and climbed for a long time. Then it turned into a 4wd road that is not open yet and is not recommended when there’s any rain. We soon found out why.

Andrew’s brake was dragging so he got to the summit some time after us. The rain was just starting as we worked on his bike. We sort of got it working and started down. The rain was coming down and it was shocking how little it took to turn the nice dirt into the most sticky crappy mud ever. We were riding with Chaice, a young Australian, but he had to push. For Daniel it was even worse. He physically couldn’t go. Wheels jammed, pushing the bike just jammed his shoes. Andrew stayed with him. Wytze and I both wrestled with our chains coming off, but when I finally got mine on, I was able to ride. We rode the three km down to the main road and waited an hour at a lake. It was chilly but the rain had stopped. Finally Daniel and Andrew arrived and Daniel rode straight into the lake to clean his bike and shoes. I spent quite a while cleaning my bike with a stick.

Finally we were off and regrouped at a gas station/store 10 km down the highway. We bought lots of snacks and used their hose to clean our bikes. There were many other cyclists doing the same.

The sun came out and we decided to risk the next off-road section instead of bailing to the highway. I am so glad we did. We rode with Chaice down a gorgeous descent, not really muddy at all. It was great. After that it was another 15 km of paved back road until we regained the highway.

The views of the Tetons were stunning in this section, continually getting better. After a long way we got to the Grand Teton National Park entrance station and I was (again) embarrassed for my country. Starting this year there is an extra $100 per person surcharge for non-US residents entering a National Park. “America First” what a load of crap! Luckily I could buy a one year pass for $20 and that gave me and up to three more people, any people, entry. So for us it was ok, but several others I talked to had to pay the surcharge.

We rode to the Colter Village convenience store for ice cream and drinks then to the campground. The cabins were full but there is a special section of the campground for bikers and hikers and we got a couple of sites there. It’s well organized and we soon had our tents up. Everything that remotely has a scent goes in the bear box. The host said grizzlies are in the campground nightly. We rode to the showers and got cleaned up, left the clothes in a washer and had dinner at the restaurant. Tasty hazy IPA, large salads, appetizers and most of us had pasta.

I booked us a cabin in Idaho (!) for tomorrow night, then we picked up the laundry, I wrote this and will ride back to camp, no wifi or reception at the camp. Great day!

Kendall Valley Lodge to Lava Mountain Lodge

Strava: 101 km, 1602m, 7:15, 323 shifts, 46.8 kph max

Today seemed hard but it’s probably mostly to do with getting a late start. We packed up and hung out until 8, when breakfast opened. I had the best omelet of the trip, then they made us lunch sandwiches to go. All that took time and we didn’t start until 9:15, unheard of for us.

The rough dirt started right away, with a 10 km gentle uphill warmup, then a more serious climb.  Then we just continued up and down, pretty much all day. The big excitement was Wytze seeing a bear, so after that, whenever I was riding alone through trees, I had my Swiss bell from Daniel engaged and ringing.

We cruised on and on, past a forest fire that turned the sky a little dark and made the air smell for a while. We stopped around halfway for our lunch sandwiches. For the first time there were quite a few mosquitoes around, but we sat on granite rocks in the wind which worked for a while. When the wind dropped we carried on riding.

There were lots more climbs and we talked to a number of cyclists. It seemed like most were no longer Tour Divide racers, but just people riding the Great Divide like us, mostly SOBO. We rode past some snow over 2900m but very little.

Eventually we had one final large descent and hit a paved highway. It was getting near 6 pm but we only had a couple of km to the Lava Mountain Lodge I had booked a couple of days ago. We pulled in and immediately had a round of Voodoo Ranger IPA. Then to our room for showers and laundry. Dinner after that, very fancy and slow but worth the wait. The salad greens were grown in their hydroponic garden, the trout was absolutely boneless and delicious. We shared a bottle of Chardonnay and drank lots of water and lemonade. I retired early to write this but it was already 9 pm. Luckily we think we have a slightly easier day tomorrow.

Boulder to Kendall Valley Lodge

Strava: 74.3 km, 448m, 3:32, 133 shifts, 42 kph max

Despite being kicked out of the tent cabin he occupied last night by a late arriving bike racer, Andrew said he slept really well on our porch, the cabin being too small for four. He now has one Bed Upgrade Credit.

Today’s stage was an unusual one I guess. We had no stress or doubt or issues at all today. Packing up at 6 was so routine, and we started the ride in great weather, cool and nearly windless, at 7.

We rode back through Boulder (population is 115, so not much more than the Boulder Store we went to yesterday). Then on to Pinedale, the big city (population 2005). It was a very gentle climb, we rode together and suddenly we were there.

First we had to have coffee, chocolate for me. We had seen a few Tour Divide racers and more were in town. After a relaxed time we moved to a café for breakfast. That was really nice too, I think Andrew was getting a suspicious feeling that something was up.

Wytze volunteered to do the food shopping while the rest of us went to the outdoor sports shop. We bought a new filter core for our water filter and more stove gas. We met Wytze at the bike shop where Andrew was hoping for a new saddle. But it was recently shut down so no such luck.

A couple of blocks down we found the park, with Pine Creek, a beautiful, clear, fast moving river going through it. We sat on the shore, shoes off, and ate cherries and banana bread. Breakfast supplement. I went wading. Daniel had a nap and Andrew was getting really suspicious now. This was so abnormal. Just relaxing for no reason! A woman came over to remind us to stop at the Visitor Center for free stuff for bikers. Pinedale for the win!

Finally we woke Daniel up and took off. Out of town the route takes a little gravel detour but then gets back on a smooth, lightly travelled paved road. We took it 40 km to the end of our current GPS track. I had split the original seven Great Divide tracks from Adventure Cycling into 20 smaller ones that fit on our bike computers. They are about 200-300 km each. We finished #11 and started #12. We chatted with another NOBO cyclist and waved to quite a few SOBO racers.

Then we saw a place called ‘The Place’, so we had to stop. It was closed, only open a few days of the week but had a nice porch so we had snacks there. We noticed their sign to bikers and wondered how they could’ve had so many bad experiences as to necessitate that sign. I took a photo and was tempted to have Andrew and his AI go to town but we decided it was best untouched. We laughed ourselves silly pretending to throw turd bags around. I nearly died for the hundredth time.

The last 10 km from The Place was uneventful, up the beautiful valley. Just as the pavement ended we turned off on a dirt road to the Kendall Valley Lodge. We checked in and were given two large rooms, very luxurious. The whole setting is gorgeous and we sort of couldn’t believe our luck. On top of that, their biker discount is substantial, making the cost per person under $50. The normal showers and laundry were done, and it wasn’t even 3 pm!

It might’ve been an easy day today, but we did hit the milestone of 2500 km ridden. Around 5 pm we drifted to the bar for some beers. We ended up staying for over three hours, first just beers and nuts, then for an amazing big dinner. We were the only customers and we had a fantastic time talking to our young bartender, also named Andrew. One of the owners was interested in our story and sign photo of ‘The Place’. She confirmed the owner there is an “asshole”.

When we finally got around to dinner it was salads and prime rib, filet mignon, bison, salmon, amazing meals. There was a bottle of California red wine, various desserts, a round of Jagermeister, and some other crazy drinks like Screwball Whiskey (peanut butter flavored) and Dr. McGillicuddy’s Mentholmint. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves capping off a really memorable day on tour. I love this so much!

Also of note today, Victor Bosoni completed the 2026 Tour Divide race by riding from Banff to Antelope Wells in 11 days, 8 hours and 45 minutes! He beat the previous record by a day and a half and I can’t even fathom how in the hell he did it. That’s one for the ages.

Atlantic City to Boulder

Strava: 121.3 km, 1243m,  6:46, 459 shifts, 63.9 kph max

We packed up early and had breakfast (pizza and apples) at 6 am. In the crisp mountain air, we headed out. Atlantic City has a big climb either way you go, so up we went, getting warm on the 12% grade. We started seeing Tour Divide racers right away. We dropped into South Pass City, a historic gold mine boom city from 1869. Eager to explore on bike, Wytze, Daniel and I neglected to leave an indication for Andrew and he passed by in the few minutes we were checking it out. By some miracle there was mobile reception there, unlike Atlantic City, so our trackers told us what happened.

We continued on, rode a brief section on a paved highway, then turned off on Lander Cutoff Road, unpaved. It was quite pretty and we caught up to Andrew. Around 50 km we all stopped for a first lunch (pizza), then continued.

We finally dropped out of the mountains and stopped at 75 km for second lunch (more pizza). Then we had to turn full-on into the strong wind and it was a little hard. Wytze led but trying to maintain a diagonal draft line on the very bumpy and washboarded road was tough. Luckily it only lasted 10 km and we hit pavement. Now Wytze could really pull us along and we continued drafting, non-stop, until Boulder at 120 km. It’s really good to have a Superman in the group! We must have seen over a dozen Tour Divide racers today.

We had tried to book at the Boulder Inn but it was full. And it turned out the food at the Bar & Grill was not on Monday, so we had many rounds of free refill drinks plus ice cream and nuts, then bought microwaveable foods for dinner. We took everything down the road just over a km to the RV Park where I had rented a cabin.

On arrival we had a giant beer each plus chips and salsa. Then showers, laundry, some relaxing, route planning, and finally dinner. I had a bean and cheese burrito juiced up with a couple of string cheeses and some spicy pickle slices. Others had instant noodles. Reese’s PB cups for dessert.

Bedtime was at 8 pm, which felt early since the sun was very much still up, but we were all ready for another good sleep 💤.

Great Divide Basin to Atlantic City

Strava: 73.05 km, 890m, 5:11, 255 shifts, 47.2 kph max

Cow Camp might have been our crappiest campsite yet, but I think everyone slept well, I know I did. Breakfast was at 6, and in another water-saving effort, our oatmeal had remnants of last night’s tuna and cheese – washing wastes water.

We headed out and initially it was pretty nice. But the gentle tailwind turned into a pretty strong headwind, sometimes sidewind. When we got to Oil Camp, we ran into our first Tour Divide racer, Rhys Clarke. He immediately dismounted and we had a nice chat. His tracker never worked so the map shows him still in Scotland! He had a broken spoke that cost him a day. Racing this route sounds so different from our trip.

We carried on, stopped for lunch about halfway, and ran into four more Tour Dividers. Only one wanted to stop, a 17 year old, who seemed tougher and more self-confident than I was at his age. As we said goodbye the storm let loose some rain but it never poured on us.

We finished the last 10 km to Atlantic City and pulled into the Mercantile for a Father’s Day lunch. It’s a classic place, a saloon and restaurant. After ordering I called to see about a cabin. We were in luck, but had to have a relaxed lunch as it still needed cleaning. No problem at all.

After many drinks, lunch and dessert, we headed two blocks up and moved in. The cabin has two double beds and a cot. To avoid sharing I took the cot in the living room, Wytze the living room floor, leaving bedrooms for Daniel and Andrew. Showers and laundry, so civilized. I was lucky enough to be able to call my father in Elko, Nevada on Father’s Day. Then my son Beau called from Japan! It was so great to see him and Kaori.

Dinner was at the other restaurant in town, the Miner’s Grubstake. We went pretty big then the waitress gave us the bad news that the cook couldn’t actually make us breakfast at 7 tomorrow as planned. No breakfast takeaway tonight either. But I had just had a giant pizza so we asked if we could have two more just like that. Yes! They gave us as much aluminum foil as we needed and we made four packets each with four pieces of pizza. So that is tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch sorted. Time for sleep!

Besides being the longest day of the year, June 21 would’ve been my grandmother’s 122nd birthday. I still miss her and she would love stories of the Great Divide.

Rawlins to “Cow Camp”

Strava: 142.8 km, 991m, 7:50, 324 shifts, 73.4 kph max

Today was a real highlight day. One section of the Great Divide MBR that you always hear about is the crossing of the Great Divide Basin. For us leaving Rawlins at 6:45 it was not really an option to make the whole crossing in one day. There are two places in the 220 km that have water, at about 90 and about 180 km.

A second highlight was getting to 2261 km ridden. This is finally over half of the 4339 we think we have in total to Banff. 52% done (and 63% of the climbing done we think)!

We carried quite a bit of water from Rawlins, enjoying the first 65 km of paved road.

Before the dirt even started, the weather looked a little “exciting” with deep, dark storm clouds right in our path. Thick rain was streaming from them. But our luck held perfectly all morning, with just a few drops and no strong headwinds. At 90 km we diverted slightly to A&M Reservoir. We ate and filtered eight liters. Wytze and Daniel had a swim.

We headed back west and again, straight into a massive storm. After a while it did rain, but we never got truly clobbered. There was a small bit of hail too. But we just kept at it and our luck held. We stopped at about 110 km, halfway across, just to marvel at the view. The Basin is immense. And somehow there was a cell signal there.

We decided on stopping at “Cow Camp”, and kept at it until we arrived. Nearly eight hours moving time today, a full day at the office. The “Camp” is a bunch of blown out old ranching buildings. There is no water. It took a while to find a “good” spot. It was not actually good and reminded Andrew, Wytze and me of semi-ridiculous Bike Dreams camps in the Andes.

But we set up, in pretty strong wind. We had a minor triumph with dinner. We cooked five servings of Mac & Cheese with eight servings of tuna plus two servings of ramen, all with only one liter of water! And it was good! Wytze’s sleeping bag was used for the cooking as usual and after the pasta was done (required two final minutes boiling), there was the perfect amount of water left for two servings of ramen. We had a block of Spanish cheese and a bag of chocolate nut mix as well. Not bad!

Everyone retired right after dinner though, before 7pm. It’s still windy tonight and is predicted to be strong headwinds all morning tomorrow. We’ll see how we fare. I’m not worried but am ready for a long sleep 💤!

June 19, 2026 was our third full rest day.

We had planned on a short riding day today and just one night here but a closed campground changed that. It was a luxury to have breakfast at 8, surprisingly nice in our motel. We worked out a plan for how to cross the “Great Basin”, a vast unpopulated area with great distances between any services, supplies and even water. We’re set to start out tomorrow.

Later in the morning, we rode our unloaded bikes downtown to a coffee shop, then to the Wyoming Frontier Prison museum for a tour. We joined maybe 30 people and spent over an hour exploring the cell blocks, grounds and even the gas chamber. Kind of a depressing place.

Back at the coffee shop, I wrote a postcard and talked to a local professor of Geology who had ridden the whole Great Divide. Then it was laundry and bike love time. I checked out the map again on my Salsa. The next town it shows is Atlantic City, our target for two days from now. I like how the previous places it shows, Antelope Wells, Silver City, Pie Town, Platoro and Salida are now so much more than just names on a map to me.

At 4 we met downtown at the Thai restaurant for an early dinner. Just as so many people said, the place is great. We had a full table of appetizers, then a full table of main courses, followed by desserts. We rode back and I immediately fell deeply asleep!