Day 46: Twin Bridges to Jackson

Our pre-breakfast ride was slightly chilly (in a very pleasant way!), mostly uphill, scenic, and educational. The highway we've been following is part of the Lewis and Clark Byway and, as such, includes informative "historic sites" every 10ish miles. We've been thoroughly enjoying these semi-regular stops, and are rather tickled by the broad definition of historic, literally including everything from the geologic formation of the landscape to the preservation of rangeland and wildlife for future generations. One sign even included philosophical musings on the meaning of life and the responsibility of an individual to contribute positively to society. Awesome.

View from an historic point

We had an extended brunch at Safeway (gas points should be on some Nuechterlein card!) and filled up our waters for the upcoming desert. Two passes, 48 miles, a crazy headwind, a brief rainstorm, a dearth of trees/tree diversity, and a few historic sites later, we arrived in Jackson, MT. Population 38. As a cyclist had warned us the previous night, there wasn't even a gas station in the tiny town. There wasn't much besides an expensive hot springs that charged you to camp there. However, there was an elementary school (with an outdoor spigot and a beautiful view of the mountains!), which we ended up camping behind. Before we ate dinner at our campsite, we stopped at a little cafe and enjoyed a glass of iced tea on the porch.

That night, each of us stumbled out of our tent to pee and were met by the sight of a million sparkling stars, milky way and all. The sky was so big that it was like being at sea! Alix even saw a shooting star. Overall, we were rather pleased by our stay in Jackson.