Lewis and Clark Caverns Mountain Biking

I certainly didn't expect to do much riding on dirt this early in the Spring. It's been warmish here but two weekends ago brought a fresh 2 feet up high and we just had a 5" shot of wet, heavy snow in town. Folk keep telling me about Pipestone which is about 45 minutes west of Bozeman and a lot drier, but last weekend there was a huge MX race happening out there; so I decided to check out Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park instead. The Caverns themselves aren't quite open yet, but the park is open for riding and hiking and has about 10 miles of single track. I decided to make the 45 minute drive to check it out. The drive alone is completely worth it - along the Jefferson River, through wheat fields, with the Madison mountains in full view. I stopped in at the visitor center and they gave me a trails map and a bit of advice. Apparently some hikers are sensitive to mountain bikes so I was cautioned to take it easy and be polite. I started at the lower visitor center and mostly climbed for 45 minutes up the east side and topped out at the upper visitor center and cavern entrance. It's a lung-burner this early in the season, but nice and steady. Then I pointed pointed it west for the downhill back (you can ride it clockwise or anticlockwise - I like the wide open, fast descent on the West side). The trail had a few squishy spots but was 95% dry; it's a mixture of wide open, twisty single track and side-hill bench cut (yes, with the cactus and the bench cut I had to actively remind myself I was not riding SMT - the similarities are eery). The grades are nice for climbing and descending; could be single speedable if you have iron lungs; very nicely built with a backslope that's not too obnoxious and with nice grade reversals. Mostly smooth with a couple rock features - one in particular on the West side that is really fun and rewarding. Folks put some time, love, and thought into the design and layout. The only bummer to report is the switchback construction. They are tight. I pride myself on being able to get around the tightest switchbacks even on a 29er, but I could only make a couple of these on my 26" bike. It really interupts the flow of the trails - but, they are beautiful trails in a beautiful spot that was ice/snow free...so thumbs up. I can't wait to go back. The park gets great southern exposure and I actually climbed in short sleeves!I saw some bike tracks, two hikers on the way up, and three hikers and a dog on they way down. Not too crowded for a Saturday.

YNP Road Ride

Yellowstone National Park does a really cool thing for cyclists during the transition from Winter to Spring. While the road crews are out plowing to allow for maintenance and supply vehicles to get in, they let folks run, skate, ride, roller ski (or whatever form of human powered transportation you choose) while the roads are closed to cars. We had a lot of snow, cold temps, and generally unsettled weather during this time. I kept chickening out when I saw snow/rain in the forecast or temps below 40 degrees. The magic time period came and went but I did get the consolation of riding on the first day the Park was open for the "summer" season. It was on a Friday so the traffic was minimal. I saw maybe 30 cars, most of them pretty friendly; I sensed that they were employees getting to their seasonal posts.

I parked in Gardiner and climbed up to Mammoth Hot Springs, then on to Swan Lake Flats toward Old Faithful. It's a steady climb that took a few hours with lots of stops along the way for pics. The ground and road were clear all the way until Swan Lake Flats, where there is a definite snow line around 6500 ft. It was a pretty special experience. What an amazing way to see YNP. No Bison jams or half-mile lines of RV's. Just lots of solitude and scenery, miles of good road, and tolerable temps.

You may be admiring dogwood flowers or watching little green shoots pop out of the ground; I think I'm a long way out from that, but the consolation has been blower pow.

First Ride

Got on the bike for the first time since November. All systems go. Made it home 10 minutes before a torrential storm. The roads around town have been mostly dry for a week or so, but the temps aren't always cooperative. The Bridgers have a ton of snow. Full coverage at the ski area with nearly continual snowfall above 7,000 feet for the past few weeks





MOA Inspired Shot

Snow!

This is what an inch in a half hour looks like. The flakes are quarter size. Tomorrow morning is going to be sick!