Two long days was rewarded with a short, relatively flat ride into West Yellowstone and a well earned 2 days rest (or site seeing as will probably be the case). Even the weather gods decided this was to be a good day with the sun shining throughout the ride and the temperature hovering in the low teens. Perfect riding conditions.
The ride took us up the Madison Valley to the scene of a major earthquake in 1959 where a portion of the river was blocked by rock avalanches killing 29 campers in the area. The tectonic plates shifted so dramatically that the nearby Hebgen Lake tilted 19ft exposing one side and sinking the other. The signs of this major quake are evident today with a new lake created where the rock slide blocked the Madison River – strangely enough it is called Quake Lake. All around us during the day were 11,000ft snow capped mountains.
Short, sunny, no wind, mountain views, flattish, geological history – what else but a 10.
The ride took us up the Madison Valley to the scene of a major earthquake in 1959 where a portion of the river was blocked by rock avalanches killing 29 campers in the area. The tectonic plates shifted so dramatically that the nearby Hebgen Lake tilted 19ft exposing one side and sinking the other. The signs of this major quake are evident today with a new lake created where the rock slide blocked the Madison River – strangely enough it is called Quake Lake. All around us during the day were 11,000ft snow capped mountains.
Short, sunny, no wind, mountain views, flattish, geological history – what else but a 10.