Day 48: Dillon, MT to Wisdom, MT (66.5 Miles)

So much for that epic 160 mile day I had planned. For some odd reason, I thought I could wake up early enough and have enough energy to conquer three passes and make it into Stevensville by sundown. This, obviously, has not come to fruition. For one, I did not go to bed at a proper time. I hung out with the motel clerk, Cassie, last evening and got into bed around midnight. Therefore, I rolled out of bed at 7:30AM and took full advantage of the continental breakfast. After such a lackadaisical morning, I already resigned myself to a more moderate goal for the day. Looking over the maps, it looked like the town of Wisdom was the only logical stopping point, leaving another 90 miles or so to go for the following day. I had no idea why I thought I could conquer three mountain passes and pull in that many miles. Maybe I've grown too confident?

I initially thought the town of Dillon was rather small and depressing; conversely, I had only stopped just on the outskirts of the town and realized I missed out on the "heart" of the town completely. "Oh well," I thought and I kept on riding. There's not much thinking going on when cycling. I saw this trip as an opportunity to think, but most of my philosophizing occurs when I'm off my bike. I mostly just sing songs in my head or just repeat "wow" when looking at beautiful vistas. For a Monday, the traffic was very light... though I believe this is because I'm riding through very rural areas. The majority of the day was spent riding through Badger and Big Hole passes, with not much in between. I stopped a few times to chew on some old beef jerky and I found a pack of brown sugar and cinnamon Pop-Tarts, which gave me way too much excitement over such a sugary treat...

In contradiction to the local weatherman proclaiming "warmer weather," it was still a chilly day. I sporadically took off clothing during climbs and quickly donned them again on top of breezy mountain passes. I strolled into Jackson, home to more natural hot springs, and found another rider. For the life of me, I can't remember her name.. but we spent an enjoyable lunch together. She was riding from Wisdom and thinking of calling it a day in Jackson. She had originally planned on riding cross-country; however, she's run into so many "side-adventures," (such as boating down Snake River with complete strangers in Idaho) that she's altered her plan to end the trip in Denver, CO. Eager for more company, she begged me to stay in Jackson for the night.. but I had to keep riding and ride I did.

Facing the wind again, I rode on towards Wisdom. This latter section of my trip went by fairly easy and uneventful, with the glaring exception of some insect stinging my neck.. which friggen hurt, man! I arrived into town some time after 4:00PM. I was told by locals that it had gotten down to 29 degrees last night. Realizing that my single season tent would fail miserably at protecting me from these frigid conditions, I began my search for a roof to put over my head...

As it turns out, an Adventure Cycling group of cyclists were staying in town for the night and they had booked all the motel rooms available. A lady then told me to head over to Big Hole Restaurant and talk with Diane, the owner. I met Diane, a lady with an infectious smile, and she threw me the keys to her cabin. Expecting another place to sleep not unlike Guffy, CO... I found really nice lodging and for a cheap price too! - This is a good thing, if this cold weather keeps up, I'll be lucky to have enough cash to buy my bus ticket to Portland!

Now, if you'll excuse me.. I'm gonna go play with some puppy-wuppies!!!