July 2, 2018
Jackson – Virginia City
138 km (86 miles)
1334 m (4377 feet) elevation
6:42 moving time
2167 km (1347 miles)
Holy headwinds Batman!!!
After a great cup of coffee with Scott and Amanda we started our day with a huge climb straight out of town. The view was wonderful and had a nice easy ride into Ennis where we had breakfast. Met a gentleman who said it was a great day for cycling and hoped we wouldn’t get much headwind but his wishes certainly did not come true for us.
We had the most terrible headwind we have ever had the misfortune of riding and it lasted for the rest of the day (115 km) with continuous climbing. We had a hard time maintaining over 10 km/hour on the flats.
At one point we were coming to the top of a small hill when the gusts of wind were so strong that we were blown into the barricades which prevent cars from going into the canyon below. We had to ride real slow and carefully for a while the gusts were this strong.
As we got closer and closer to Yellowstone the views became more and more scenic. Beautiful snow-capped mountains on one hand and rolling hills in the other.
Signs indicating bison and other animals crossing the roads are becoming more and more common.
Finally managed to reach West Yellowstone where we got a motel room which we feel we fully deserve 😀. Met a young guy who we had passed yesterday. He was walking ‘as far away’ as he could. Real friendly guy in a cowboy hat and boots. Had hitchhiked and made a new friend.
Icicle-Bicycle 
I’ve done a lot of touring since doing the ta in 87 and I can’t remember encountering winds as fierce as I did in that valley. If I remember correctly there’s a big downhill east of Virginia city and you turn into the winds shortly after that. I recall riding 12 miles in 3 hours and finally throwing in the towel in a tiny town called Cameron with a population of less than 20. There was a rv park and I was able to set up my tent shielded by the wind on the lee side of a building. I snuck out at sunrise the next morning and was able to get most of the way to Colter Bay. Congrats for braving those winds. Barring tornadoes this month in Kansas or eastern Co I doubt you’ll see anything like that again on your tour. Unless you have a frontal system come through Wyoming you should be blessed with excellent tailwinds most of the way across! Best wishes for Wyoming tailwinds!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you’re ready for a day off the bikes and you’re budgeted for it you might camp in Colter Bay and then make the short ride to Jackson lake lodge for a morning check-in for a full day at a nice hotel. Another option is to camp at Colter Bay and hitchhike back into the park to check out areas around Yellowstone lake that you’ll miss on the route. I did this with a friend in 89 and we covered a lot of ground and met some interesting folks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for your helpful information Brian!
LikeLike