17 - Ten Sleep, Beartooth Pass, & Wind River Canyon

Coming down from the beautiful, cool Big Horn Mountains was shockingly hot.  I'd been drinking water all day and was still in a heat induced stupor.  I walked into the Saloon to get some shade and relief from the sun.  While talking to the owner, the people sitting behind me overheard bits of the conversation and said hi.  We never made introductions, but they invited me to join them at the Lake at the top of the mountain as they walked toward the door.  The owner, Rita from Chicago, told me how great the three of them are and how I should definitely join them.  So Rita gave me the lowdown on the people I soon to be swimming with.  Wes, the local celebrity paleontologist had just discovered a fully intact dinosaur and was on cloud nine, after two years of very hard work.  Jilaena, a photojournalist for the Northern Wyoming Daily news, described Meadowlark lake as an enchanting place; my curiosity piqued, I decided to go. Gita, Rita's sister visiting from Chicago, agreed that I should join them.  Backtracking to the top of the mountain wasn't a big deal, as the views are great.  I turned down a gravel road and wound back into the mountain and rounded the corner to see a beautiful lake, and Wes & Jilaena's trucks.  I'd found it.

 

 

There were about a half a dozen or so people there and we made introductions.  Everyone was so nice and conversations flowed freely.  The lake was cool and swimming rewarding.  One of the guys, Chris, had a jet ski and let me take if for a spin.  The day just kept getting better.  I love jet skis.  My philosophy about those machines is that they were made to wreck.  It's so fun to push the limit to the edge and get catapulted into the lake.  My pride aside, I rode concentric circles and then attempted a 720.  The watercraft went 720, I only went 710.  Mission accomplished!

For the next few hours, I couldn't wipe that silly grin off my face.  The jet ski ride really made my day.

 

 

 

 

  Jilaena had never ridden and she went next. 

What a great three hour break during a very hot day of riding.  I'd met great people earlier during my trip, but hadn't hung out with people my age for any length of time.  Gita had stories about coming from Chicago to live in Ten Sleep for the summer.  Jilaena travels the region writing stories for the paper and had lots of adventures to share.  Wes had been working for so hard for so long and, though he's had several finds, the most recent was quite significant.  If you're into dinosaurs, check out the story: Head-to-tail dino find an 'extreme rarity'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wes, Jilaena & Gita

 

 

Anyhow, it was a great day.  As I left, Gita mentioned that her big going-out-of-town party was the following night and I should come back and hang out.  The last few hours had been great, but I didn't seriously consider backtracking, so I headed toward Cody to make the rodeo.  Before dark, I rode another 200 miles and set up camp before going to the rodeo.

The next morning, as I rode the beautiful Chief Joseph Highway, I checked my phone and found a voicemail from Jerry Lee.  He'd made it back to Chicago and called to recommend two roads for me to ride.  One was the Chief Joseph Highway, the other was Wind River Canyon near Thermopolis.  I checked the map and Thermopolis would put me back near Ten Sleep.  It was a sign.  I decided to ride all day and end up in Ten Sleep to hang out with Gita, Jilaena and Wes.  I rode 350 miles that day during ten hours before ending up in Ten Sleep around 8:30 pm. 

Here are some pictures from Beartooth Pass: I was over 10,000 feet for a couple of hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,000 feet

There are many lakes high in these mountains.

While stopping to photograph the lake, I put my foot down in tiny pebbles on the gravel shoulder and I must have been careless as this was the outcome.

 

Walking down the mountain with his dog, I saw a hiker and waited for help.

 

Tom and his 14 year-old Border Collier, Cammy Dog, were from Red Lodge and just out for a hike.  He gave me a hand and headed on down the road.

In the mean time, these folks had pulled over to take pictures and I had to get a look at his very nice Indian Motorcycle and sidecar rig.

 

 

 

 

 

It was 105 degrees at the bottom of the mountains, but nice and cool up top.

 

 

I rode down from the mountain and had to log some flat-miles back to Ten Sleep.

The roads may have been flat, but the scenery was cool. 

 

 

I walked into the Saloon and was excited to see Wes & Rita.  Within minutes, Wes was on the phone trying to arrange a place for me to camp in town.  Being able to walk from the Saloon to my tent was a must.  His friend owned a coffee shop right down the street and she said I could camp out back.

 

With camp set up, I was back in the Saloon by 9:30 as the place was filling up; the whole gang was there.  My friends from the day before were great at making introductions and soon, I'd met just about everyone in the place and was immersed in a great party with a great group of people.

Kudos to the person who named this place.

The party was a blast.  I bought a couple of drinks for people, but nowhere nearly as many as people bought for me.  Everyone was great and it was nice to hang out for hours.  I met "Just Randy," a nice guy that goes by Just Randy.  Aaron, from Grand Rapids, had worked at the ski resort.  Betsy was there with her little dog.  Janna, the coffee shop owner. We shut the place down for sure.

The next morning, I didn't take Wes up on his offer to go see the dinosaur.  I had to be in Jackson by 6:00 p.m.

Time to hit the road.  It was 95 by 10:00.

I made it to Thermopolis and prepared to ride the Wind River Canyon.  The roads were fun to ride!

 

 

 

I rode from the Canyon to Jackson.  After a couple hundred miles of flat roads, I made it to the Tetons.

It rained the entire time, and I rode over 50 miles of gravel during three patches of road construction.

Finally, I made it to Jackson.  What a great place after so many days on the road.  I got cleaned up and prepared to go out to a nice dinner with my hosts.

The last 48 hours had been epic.  The offer to swim, the jet ski ride, the call from Jerry Lee, and the big party in Ten Sleep, and hanging out with great people, the combination of events made for the highlight of my trip to-date.

 

 Next:  18  -  Jackson, Old Faithful and Idaho