Day 16 West Yellowstone to Madison Junction

29 miles (47 km) – Total so far: 764 miles (1,230 km)

The third mechanic I have had look at the bike and they say different things. The woman from Free Heel and Wheel says the derailleur was bent, she bent it back and adjusted everything and it should be fine. No mention of needing new shifters. It makes sense also, as it did fall off the guys stand in Seeley Lake.

This morning was extremely wet. It had rained since the early hours and looked set in. Forecasts showed a break in early afternoon, and I gambled on that, had a lazy morning and left in the rain just after 1 pm. At Madison Junction it has cleared a bit, but the forecast is for rain all week, albeit thundery showers.

Once the entry fee of $12 is paid to get into Yellowstone National Park the major difference is that there is a lot more traffic on the road, and less shoulder to ride on. That doesn’t really make sense, in a national park it should be the other way round. There are no shuttle buses here like Glacier NP and it would certainly benefit from them. Once the road quietness it will be quite peaceful (a rarity), and the scenery as the Madison river climbs is magnificent.

Distance 29 miles Ride time 2 hours 10 minutes Average Speed 13.7 mph Max speed 18.2 mph Departed 1 pm, arrived 3:45 pm Altitude 2098 metres