Two Mates, Two Bikes, & 2800 Miles to Mexico : Day 17 - Elkhorn Hot Springs to Clark Canyon Reservoir

Trip Overview

This blog will follow two totally inexperienced bikepackers, Geoff and Cam, and their journey from Banff to Mexico via the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The route follows the Continental Divide, exposing riders to high altitude, diverse wildlife, and solitude. To learn more about the route, check this out. Randy will be the official bookie so get in touch with him if you'd like to place a wager on how far we will actually make it.

In the mean time, you can track our progress here thanks to our SPOT device.

This will be a site where we will try our best to post some pictures and stories along the way. Happy reading!

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Day 17 - Elkhorn Hot Springs to Clark Canyon Reservoir

After another short day, we were once again eager to pound out some mileage. But wait.... The world cup final is on today. Hmmmm. After looking at the map and charting out a handful of alternatives, we decided it was best to stay put at the hot springs and watch the game there...... After gorging like Romans (eating until we puked) for breakfast, we tried to get the channel changed to the soccer match.

"Sir, would you mind changing the channel to ESPN? The big game is on today"
Man with cowboy hat on - "What game?"
"The world cup final"
"What sport?"
"Umm soccer"
*looks confused, says nothing, and hands us remote*

We watched the game with a few other couples, one of them also riding the divide. After a few beer and celebrations by Cam (go Deutschland), we took a little wobbly ride down the rest of the hill and eventually to Bannack State Park.

I won't bore you with details, but Bannack was the first Capital of Montana when it struck gold. It used to be a mining town riddled with money, mischief, thieves, vigilantes and prostitutes. It is now a restored ghost town.

We took a few minutes exploring and then pedaled off to our campsite for the night. All in all, we covered about 45 mile or so after 4pm. We were pleased.

Bannack State Park

In the unlikely event that any of Cam's 4 Prospect roomates are reading this, this ones for you. Finally found a house with a similar style build. The house isn't actually on a hill... it's just crooked.