Great weather continues supplemented by awesome views of the entire Teton mountain range. Also there are large road signs ominously flashing warnings of GRIZZLY BEAR + CUBS IN ROAD NEXT 9 MILES. I ask Harvey how handy his can of bear repellent (pepper spray) is and shows me his handlebar bag and I see it’s right there, inches from his hand, which is comforting. We don’t see any bears, though.
We then tackle the climb to Togwotee Pass (9658ft/2944m) which is quite a chore, although we got a pick-up truck ride the first few miles due to construction. At the pass there are snow drifts on both sides of the road. The views make the climb worth it and the descent is joyful.
I’m supposed to turn off the TransAmerica Route and go south on the Great Divide Route, crossing Union Pass (9210ft/2802m). However, a few miles before the turnoff we stop at Lava Mountain Lodge http://www.lavamountainlodge.com/index.html and ask the locals about the pass…they all say it’s still closed by snow drifts. Umm, this is problematic. The locals say that two days ago some cyclists went up to the pass…and came back hours later saying the route was blocked by snow. After two beers I decide to continue cycling with Harvey (who had already given me his can of bear repellent) to Dubois, 17 miles away, since it was downhill most of the way and we had a very sexy tailwind the whole way. I’ll figure out a detour somehow…either east through Lander or back towards the parks via Jackson.
Once in Dubois, Harvey gets a motel ($69) and I stay at the KOA Campground in town, splitting at $28 tent site with Corey Dalpee http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1r4vFZo&doc_id=8321&v=ZT a westbound TransAmerica cyclist on a recumbent. It’s windy like hell so I cook dinner under the campground pavilion, and then Gordon and Jeff (the two college kids we met in Yellowstone) roll in about 9pm and camp right next to us. The KOA is expensive, but has clean hot showers, free WiFi and even a swimming pool! While sitting in the laundry room charging my laptop I start chatting with Corey and Gordon, and we end up talking to Melissa, who with her husband Mike are driving their 5th wheel trailer to Jackson tomorrow. Melissa offers to give me a ride which I quickly accept, solving my problem of how to detour around snowbound Union Pass.
