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.
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