NaKeD On ThE DiVidE part 8: SolRaK cOnQuErS the DeSeRt!!!!

what a find!

It was cold that night.

Thru the eve I could hear howling animals in the distance.  Hear Birds that sounded like giggling children flying about.
When I got up, I started a fire

and packed up in earnest enjoying the warmth and eating my food.

I looked out the window and there were numerous deer grazing on the plateau at the top of that mountain.

Beautiful.

I left and decided that I would stop for a visit at the Sky High Lodge and hopefully catch up to Rick Ashton.

It didnt take me long to see the signs advertising the lodge and it was a fast ten miles to the place as it was downhill the entire way and I could just mash gigantic beast mode gears the whole time.

I got closer and I could see a familiar face standing by the road way.  It was the LORAX and it had been days since I last saw him.  IN fact I thought for a moment he was out of the race in Butte due to gps issues, but alas he wasn't.  The LORAX and I had done a lot of back and forth in the mountains up and and back into the states, and up and over Cabin Pass, he got to see me gnar it up, LOL and he was probably the rider that I got to ride closest too for the longest time my entire trip so far.

It was good to see him and as I rolled up to the Lodge I saw Rick.  He congratulated me on finding the warming hut, impressive he said and told me they had breakfast waiting for me.  How cool is that.  I also caught up to the Vegan Australian, it was nice to catch up to him I found his buddy hobbled in
Wise River, and I was looking forward to chasing him down some more.  I went in, ate and then wanted to just stay the whole day.  Not only were they hospitable, but the Lodge is beautiful and priced well.  Its all very reasonable and a must visit location on the divide.

I left.

Immediately Chased down for a parting picture.  Such a nice couple, such a great place.

It was the first time in many years I have ate pancakes and cereal and also the last time.  Not because there was anything wrong with the food, I am just not a big grain eater.

I was out of polaris rather fast. It was a mix of pavement and dirt roads before I went into the Bannack Region.  For the first time in the race I got a visit from the sleep monster.  I was riding rather fast, but contemplating a nap?  Anyways I kept moving, by cattle farms and little houses.  Little streams everywhere but this terrain was very different from the rest of the route. It looked more like stuff you saw in cowboy movies.  Gone where the trees and the green, this was arid climate and desert land.  Strange, LOL.

I am not a fan of the desert, but I was on point today and working hard to get across.  But the distance stretched for miles and miles of rolling terrain.  Nothing big, just rollers.  As I got closer to Bannack Road I could see the dry mud tire marks of the ones who made the crossing the day before when it was wet.  Not a smart choice as that section is infamous for being a pit of wheel stopping mud.

At one point I could See a HUGE  S shaped climb in the distance and sport bikers where tearing down it.   I remember how surreal it looked.  I got closer and it got steeper and eventually, grinding the smallest gears I had, I made my way to the top and took a moment to get a picture of the Bannack Road

historical marker and also look back at the sport bikers, I could still see them, like dirt devils in the distance.

It was more up and down. And more encounters with some Great Divide Tourist.  They actually looked so out of place, with their trailers, orange flags and 70's era gym shorts.

I knew that for the next section it was about 30 miles mostly downhill and at a 20 plus avg I could get there fast so I was hauling.

And it did go fast.

But there was alot going on in my mind.

My "rash" still bled, no improvement, horrible pain, and my ankle was not getting better it was getting worst.  ON top of it all I had another impending issue....

Let's see how can I breach this topic lightly.

Ideally, in my humble opinion, an ultra rider or tourist should try and have 1$ for every mile they plan to ride at the beginning of their ride.  This does not include the trip to the start or anything that you might need right before you start, but right when you roll out on the route, 1$ per mile.  So if its a 300 mile trip, if you have 300$ you should be able to eat like you like, buy what you like, fix what is needed and get as many rooms as you may need in that time period, in theory at 1$ per mile.

Again, Ideally, I like to try and average about .28 cents a mile.  And with good planning, and good speed and no issues a rider can easily do that while touring or racing.

BUT, the Divide is definitely more like a 1$ a mile ride for me and after 800+ miles lets just say I had about enough $ to ride about 400 miles and that didn't include the trip home.

The issues, all of them were piling up fast.

My head was a mess.

I got to Lima.

Got a room and checked my rash, and checked my ankle which now was making a sound similar to dry rubber being forced to move.

I decided with all the things that were happening, it was best that I do what everyone says you should do and sleep on it.  So I got cleaned up, went to dinner, had a steak, had pecan pie with Vanilla.  Chatted it up with some fellow racers.  It was a nice eve.

I limped my way back to my room and rested, feeling
satisfied that I had traversed the desert without issues and made the crossing of Bannack Road.

NK
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