Trip Two Day 10: 68 mile day. 385 miles total.
I felt a lot of apprehension about this one, feeling it was gonna be a hard day. I did know it involved an 8,600ft pass, road construction, 31 miles from where I was to get out of the park plus another 53 miles after that through the Shoshone National Forest to Cody. 84 miles, two days.
Packed up early, rolled out. As it turns out my decision not to ride up the Hayden Valley the day before was a good one, there were strong sustained winds out of the south that I would have had to fight for 16 miles south to Fishing Bridge.
As it was I got a wind-assisted four miles north to that intersection where I turned right, through four miles of not-too-bad road construction and then east and south in the blustery winds. Big lake, waves, dotted with steaming, bubbling hot springs here and there. I had seen buffalo and elk, but along this stretch I saw two prob’ly young of the year golden eagles squabbling over a dead Canada goose, prob’ly recently delivered by a parent. Meanwhile a flock of Canada geese flew and glided in the updrafts above.
Then aclimb up from the lake through hundreds of acres of dead timber ( from the big fire?). At this point I suffered a first breakdown, a tent guyline was hanging out of a pannier and got wrapped tightly between the spokes and gear cassette on the rear wheel. Took me about a hour to clear with my Leatherman multi tool, I was just happy the deraillieur didn’t get bent.
On up the pass, alternately being helped or hindered by the wind depending on its meanderings.
Finally reached the top about 1pm. Then a remarkable thing happened, the wind was now blowing strongly from the west. It is almost all downhill from the top of Sylvan Pass about 65 miles to Cody. I had a free ride all afternoon 55 miles from the top of the pass to Bill Cody State Park 16 miles short of Cody.
Moreover, just about 5 miles east of the Yellowstone Park Boundary I had come across Pahaska, Buffalo Bill Cody’s original resort, got a great lunch at a good price, I was set.
On through the tiny town of Wapiti and a biker memorial, strong wind at my back the whole time.
I stopped and camped at the State Park, figuring it would be cheaper’n anything in Cody.
