As soon as you enter Teton National Park (mile 6.3) you begin to see the Tetons.
The ride is basically 57 miles up hill to the Continental Divide and 31 miles downhill to Dubois (my least favorite place of all we’ve stayed). There was traffic and construction today. On the construction we got to ride over some rough roads, followed a lead car twice and were also ferried about 3.5 miles in a flatbed trailer by the contractor. The climb was mostly gentle, never more than 7%. We actually climbed more from miles 40 to 48 than we did from 49 to the top at mile 57.
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean (including those which drain via the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea), and 2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems which drain into the Arctic Ocean (including those which drain into either the Arctic or Atlantic Oceans via Hudson Bay) Photo below, right is nightly route review.
Although there are other continental divides on the North American continent, the Great Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along the main ranges of both the American and Canadian Rocky Mountains, at a generally much higher elevation than the other divides.
On to Riverton, WY. tomorrow and then Casper on Thursday – longest day of the tour, 120 miles. That West wind had better be blowing but the forecast is not good. However, Brenda is coming to see me in Casper. This nine days before a break has gone fast.
Oh yes, we passed some riders going the other way today. They were fully loaded, ready for camping and cooking. I talked to one of them, the oldest rider at age 70. He looked pretty weather-beaten. They started from Virginia in May and were headed toward Astoria. He said the worst thing about their trip was the food (that they were cooking) and next the hills. “The wind hasn’t been bad.” They were not looking forward to Teton pass with their fully loaded bikes. My report of 5 miles of 10% grade didn’t help.
Day 16, 84 miles, 3,755 feet climbing, 6.6 hrs. 1,171 miles so far
34 days to go, 2,512 miles to go
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