33 miles, 3:48/5:00

We follow a rail-trail all day today, which means they removed the rails and ties from an old small-gauge supply train track. It’s mostly used in this area by 4-wheelers and the base is about eight inches of volcanic sand, but the grade is easy and generally flat or downhill so we cruise along at a slow but steady speed. We come across several creeks and a few wide open views of the Tetons to the Southeast. The last few miles we descend a canyon with steep walls and the Warm River below.

Within a mile or two of the campground Dave stops ahead of me and points ahead to a bear cub on the trail. He’s small, this year’s cub, and he looks at us for a few seconds before running up the hill. We look around for mama but don’t see her, so we move on.

The Warm River campground is described in the route book as one of the nicest Forest Service campgrounds we’ll ever see. It’s pretty big, and there are many tent sites right on the river surrounded by grass and trees and bushes. We find a site pretty close to the river and set up. Then we go for a swim to clean up. The river may be named Warm, but warm it is not. It’s not glacier water, its not 50-some degrees, like we swam in a few times earlier on the trip, but I would not call it warm. However, we’ve arrived with just enough time to get a wee bit of sun while we swim around and once we’re dry and changed into our warm camp clothes we’re cozy. Every evening it’s like this – we get to camp and bathe in some crazy cold water making a noisy fuss the whole time, but afterward it feels great. I’m tougher than I thought I was, and probably getting tougher. But I do still enjoy a hot shower now and then at the nicer campgrounds, don’t get me wrong.

34 miles, 3:28/5:30

We make our sixth Divide crossing today, but it’s a fairly easy day overall. When we get close to camp there’s a small store and we do a little shopping, including a nice pint of Ben & Jerrys. We sit outside eating our ice cream and watch the people on 4-wheelers go by. Two older people here, four there. A couple younger guys. Some have cute little flags sticking high up on the back. We see one flag with a mug of beer on it. A couple have baskets for little dogs, while others have big dogs balancing on the back. Dave tells me they’re called ATVs or quads now, that “4-wheeler” is an archaic term. I refuse to call them quads. They’re ridiculous and not cool enough for the name. And they’re noisy. I don’t like noisy motorized things. Kind of weird for a girl who grew up going to drag races to watch my dad and brother. They must be shaking their heads right now reading this. Anyway, I’m wondering when these things got to be so dang popular? They’re everywhere in this area. Dave calls them motorized Lay-Z Boys.

We finish our ice cream and head to the camp ground a couple miles further. This is the first campground on our ride so far where we are allowed to have had a legal campfire (though we don’t make one). While it’s called Big Springs campground, there is no river to bathe in and we can’t go in the springs area. So we walk into the woods and take a dromedary shower before setting up camp. It’s a beautiful campground, and we chat it up with our neighbor who is helping mark the Continental Divide hiking trail. We get a bit of a rain shower just as we’re heading to bed, which always makes for a good night’s sleep.

We have moved on to map 2! We’re making progress! Here’s where we’re headed next: