It was an easy enough ride to West Yellowstone, only 43 miles. The Madison River here is apparently a great spot for trout fishing. Hot water flows into the river from the hot springs in Yellowstone and makes the water relatively warm, which suits the trout. Not far into the ride we met Zac, a young guy from the East Coast who was riding in the opposite direction on the Transamerica to raise money for a Leukimia charity. We passed Quake Lake, a beautiful lake along the Madison River created in the 1950’s when an earthquake severely shook this area. Zac had recommended we stop at the Happy Hour Bar along the route, as apparently their wall coverage was quite amusing (pictures of boobs and bums!), but unfortunately it was closed on Mondays. The huge Hebgen Lake was spectacular and made a nice change to the scenery. A campground/marina was our lunch spot and we ate our picnic lunch on the pier, watching all the holiday-makers bringing their boats in and out. We got to West Yellowstone at about 5pm and had a nightmare looking for a motel. It was 4th July week and obviously very busy in town. All the hotels were so expensive (as much as $200 a night) and we thought we would end up camping – even the RV Park was $30 a night and it didn’t even have a pool. After several hours of searching, Ryan managed to negotiate us a good price at the Hibernation Station cabins (it was still pricey, but they dropped $70 off the price). The cute little cabin was luxurious with a jacuzzi bath and there was a hot tub on site.

West Yellowstone was a strange place, very tacky and touristy. We ventured into town to get a burger and saw more people than we had seen on the trip so far.

Total climb:

2440 feet

Animal alert:

An Osprey hovering above the lake then diving down to catch a fish

Summed up:

A pretty ride but finding accommodation was tricky

Ryan and Zac

Quake Lake

Scenic view

The Hibernation Station

Our cute room

The entrance to the Hibernation Station

Even Dairy Queen supports Rangers F.C. (this one's for you Richard!)

A great shake at the authentic diner

Total Distance:

42.113 mi

Total Time Cycling:

7h 05m 32s