Location: - Dillon MT Miles = 107, Ave MPH = 12.0 Cum. Miles = 1248

Tuesday August 5

Quote of the Day: "It was a small chain ring day."

To make up some time (I would like to be to Yellowstone by at least Friday) I hope to travel from Sula on the left side of the map to Dillon on the right side. This involves 3 passes the first one being about 2700 feet and into the thinnest air I been in yet at 7400 feet. Should be fun:):)

This has got to be the coolest grandfather ever!! Fred (69 yrs young) and grandson Sam are doing the Trans American route eastbound also. They got a head start on me by 1.5 hours as I used the hot tub and attempted to upload some photos to the blog.

I can imagine my Grandpa Ed doing something like this if we had conceived of such an idea back in the early 70's.

This was the view during breakfast which was a huge omelet cooked by Chef Lori. Note the hot tub on the right. Some of the patrons mentioned to me that 10 years ago it would have been impossible to get a cabin at this spot and then the trout contacted whirling disease which is a parasite that makes the trout swim in circles. It is 100% fatal and is carried from one stream to another by birds or prey. The fishing is just now coming back in the last 2 years.

Half way up Lost Hole Pass:

Ski slopes at the top of Lost Trail Pass:

The Lost Trail Pass was a 6.5 Freebird climb and 8.6 miles from the chain-up area.

This is a Vet with his service dog who is with his wife Carol who works at the rest area at about 250 feet below the pass. This is Steve and his dog Millie he found Millie at a dog rescue service and she was already well trained to be a service dog.

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Seeing about 20% dead evergreens in this area - will have to find out what's going on.

From blog reader RP we learn .... ""The red pine trees are due to pine beetles. A totally red tree is dead"

This is Digory a westbounder originating in New Orleans. We had a nice chat:

View of vastness just prior to arriving in Wisdom MT.

A snowmobile and Sno-Cat junk yard along the way. Look at the size of that Yamaha in the foreground. I wouldn't want to get that one un-stuck:

Great restaurant in Witness:

I saw several of the contraptions on the horizon (they're as big as a small barn) and was told by a local that that was the "old way" of collecting hay. He called it a Beaver Slide.

       
About 20 miles down the road in Jackson I began to see these huge loaves of hay.....

Apparently in Jackson they still do things the old way. I will have to look up on the Internet how these things work:

Church converted into artist store in Jackson:

At about 60 miles into the day I caught up with Sam and his grandpa Fred in Jackson. They were staying there at a camp ground but I was feeling strong yet and even though it was 6:30pm I wanted to see if I could do the final 2 passes and get to Dillon about 45 miles more. These were the scenes I was rewarded with in the evening light.

Received the ugliest barn award of 2012:

Crested Big Hole Pass at about 8:15pm:

Needed to suit up for the cold descent and to climb Badger Pass:

Sunset looking back:

Badger Pass was a 5.3 Freebird climb while Big Hole had seemed like nothing. It was dark at this point and a woman asked me if I wanted a ride about 3 miles from the peak. I told her no that I was on a charity ride and had to do the miles. Crested Badger at 9:40pm and then....

I took the night flight down into Dillon - it was a wild ride.

This is a photo of Dillon's very beautiful new hospital:

I stayed at the America's Best Value Inn. Comfortable clean room for $65 with the worst continental breakfast:):)

The Usual Disclaimer: 

  
And finally please remember the cause -   soldiersbestfriend.org  I will go into this in more detail and perhaps some level of haranguing later on, but for now here is the link .... and an additional link for donation   SoldiersBestFriend - Donate Please :):)   Oh and I would be a lot more comfortable if you use the "honorarium" option vs the "memoriam" option - you'll understand when you click on the link:):).   

As you donate please enter my name in the "In Honor of Spot" so the folks at SBF can tally the results to encourage me and let me know WE are getting something done TOGETHER. I recognize we are really trying to honor the Vets but this is the only way SBF can tally the results of this drive (tour).

  I will be inserting this call-to-action in all of my blogs so I hope you don't mind.