This is the view of some of the switchbacks on the Bear Tooth Highway. Your prayers were greatly appreciated!! The Lord protected them and they did a great job on a really wild road. (Click to enlarge in order to fully appreciate the riding they did today!)
The guys had a great ride from Top of the World, WY (not MT as I previously posted) up and over Bear Tooth Pass and down the Bear Tooth Highway today. Thank you for your prayers. Praise the Lord for His protection!Today started with an 8 mile climb to the summit, into a cloud deck, gaining 1500 feet in altitude along the way. It was 42 degrees and raining when they summited. They rode 5 miles across to the eastern summit where it was 38 degrees with a mixture of snow and ice.
Next up was 16 miles of steep, downhill switchbacks. Lee rode in front to maintain a safe speed for the riders. The guys got really cold, really fast going downhill! They put on all of their cold weather gear. About 1/3 of the way down they stopped at an overlook to try to stop shaking from the cold and warm their hands. After another 10 or 15 minutes of riding they were in the valley and it was 60 degrees.
But not for long! A huge rain cloud was moving in fast so they put their rain gear on over their cold weather gear. They rode the last 8 miles in a rainstorm. Their feet were freezing cold and numb! End of day temps were around 50 degrees. When the boys realized they were within 1 mile of Red Lodge they took off like a shot! They rode at speeds up to 25 mph until Lee told them to slow down and finish safely. :)
I feel a need to share this quote from Lee regarding the cold and freezing temps on Bear Tooth Highway today, "I was very envious of all the cars with heaters."
Zhenya and Sasha continue to impress Lee. They are strong in mind, body, and spirit. He thoroughly enjoys their company and conversation.
DAILY STATS:
39 miles from Top of the World, WY to Red Lodge, MT
9:00 am to 2:00 pm, all kinds of temps and weather!
Total elevation gain of 1500 feet
Peak elevation 10,947 feet
330 total miles to date
Tomorrow is a much anticipated day of rest. They are going to see a movie, find an ice cream shop, do some laundry, swim in the pool, write out some more postcards, and play tons more gin rummy. They are going to try to have their bikes tuned up, also. On Saturday they will depart for Cody, WY, and a tour of the Buffalo Bill Museum. Thank you for your continued prayer support for the great bicycling adventure. They are having an incredible time, thoroughly enjoying God's majesty in the Great West!
