Last Post! The Bike Trip Ends - Friday, June 13

After covering something like 9,610 miles in seven weeks, by bike and car and on foot, we have returned home safe and sound, probably to the consternation of paraskavedekatriaphobics.

To everyone who has supported us throughout this adventure: thanks! Thank you for reading the blog, for your words of encouragement, and for the hard cash so many of you sent so frequently. If you haven't had the chance to see all 89,247 photos from the trip, they are available at picasaweb.google.com/eplosky -- and soon we will be posting more videos, too, at youtube.com/ericandcarson. Feel free to read through all the past postings on this blog, especially since you are required to do so before you ask us any questions!

From Eric: this has been an incredible experience. I've enjoyed every minute and every mile, and I can't think of another way I'd have preferred to spend the time. It's hard to believe we actually did this. Now the next crazy endurance challenge: I've been accepted to the 2008 New York City Marathon on November 2, 2008 - my 31st birthday. Follow the training progress on the NEW BLOG! Carson, you're a great friend, an impressive athlete, a bit of a nut... thanks truly for it all.

From Carson: As we drove back, the "bike trip" began to sink in some. It's pretty mind-boggling - not life-changing - but mind-boggling. I suspect new themes will continue to reveal themselves for some time to come. I give thanks to everyone who supported and provided their interest and (often more than me) enthusiasm for the nutty idea. Next up: A visit later this summer to the Far East for the Olympics and other adventures then on to the Middle East afterwards......longer term: Ironman Arizona, Coeur d' Alene, or Wisconsin 2009? *That* will be true insanity.

Return Trip - Day 48 - Pittsburgh, PA

Avast! -- it's Eric. Carson and I saw the Pirates game today here in sunny, 90-degree Steel City. The mighty Nationals (of Paris-on-the-Potomac) threatened in the late innings, but Pittsburgh pulled through. I'm actually looking at the ballpark through our hotel window as I type this; we had the foresight to book a place RIGHT NEXT TO the stadium (and of course, as Triple Platinum Ultra-Elite Premier Diamond-Diamond guests, we were put on the top floor and allowed to check in at 10:30 AM).

Short(er) drive this morning from Columbus, and we even had time to stroll around downtown before the 12:35 game, stopping for a surprisingly good Indian lunch. After the game, we found some Mediterranean dinner in Squirrel Hill, packed up our stuff, headed out for a sunset run, and are now enjoying the last night of Bike Trip '08. Tomorrow: an all-day drive back to the People's Republic of Cambridge. But first, tonight: will the Celtics win Game Four? As of halftime... doesn't look promising!
[Carson: big news in the final Bike Trip '08 Blog Post tomorrow.......!]

Kansas City, MO



Columbus, OH


Pittsburgh, PA

Return Trip - Day 46 - Columbus, OH

After 675 miles of driving, we find ourselves in the always somewhat surprisingly cool Columbus, OH. with all the hours in the car, there wasn't that much time to goof off around town, but we did get to take in a bit of Columbus' hip and bustling Short North neighborhood. I would say it was reminiscent of some other place, but it had its own character worthy of being the example.

On tomorrow's penultimate bike trip morning, Eric and I head back to Pennsylvania - the state that brought so much second-guessing a few weeks ago (42 days ago to be exact). This time, however, we'll be in Pittsburgh, another often overlooked high-cool-factor city. After taking in a Pirates game and getting some rest (what's that?).....the much anticipated Friday the 13th long haul back to The Hub, home of the Red Sox, Revere's ride, and this increasingly home-missing body and mind. Stay tuned til then, as we plan on making a surprise announcement or two here on the trusty blog. In the meantime, don't forget to visit www.weaddup.com Use the code"carsonanderic" for a discount if you decide to buy anything. Goodnight.

Return Trip - Day 45 - Kansas City, MO

Long drive yesterday here to Kansas City, MO where we plan on taking in a Royals game this evening....if the weather cooperates. One thing we can probably count on is that it won't snow, as it did yesterday in Estes Park. Since it's early and I'm not sure what the day will bring, I'm posting some photos from this past weekend in the Rockies.

Eric's notes: really good day today. Great weather, morning run, a little work, a few fountains, several leafy boulevard trails, the huge shuttlecock-infested grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, absurdly cheap produce at the City Market, the National World War I Museum (and a brief nap in the shade), giant salads-in-the-dark, a Royals baseball game (featuring the World's Largest Video Screen!), and perhaps the most amazing news of the day -- Sara and Mark, our Kansas City hosts, will be having their baby tomorrow! It couldn't have happened to a nicer pair.

Return Trip - Day 43 and 44 - Estes Park, CO

Eric reporting. Carson and Theresa -- who flew to Denver late Friday night to join us for the weekend -- are busy cooking dinner here at the condo in Estes Park, where we have generously been accommodated. Ongoing blizzardly conditions in the mountains thwarted our Rocky Mountain National Park plans, but the weather's been great down here (if you can call 7,500 feet "down here"). Yesterday we explored Boulder and took in a Rockies game. Today we poked around pleasant Estes Park: riding the tramway, racing go-karts, shopping downtown.

Carson and I managed some tennis Friday afternoon, but there hasn't been any biking this weekend, although all three of us ran both yesterday and today... gotta keep up with that. It actually snowed briefly this morning, and again this afternoon. Note to Colorado: this is JUNE.

And now, time for dinner. I must thank Carson (and Theresa) for doing all the cooking throughout this trip. I admit to being rather inept in that department. Friday night I set some rice and water boiling here in Estes Park, forgot (oh, OK... didn't realize) that we're at high altitude, and nearly burned the place down. Yikes.

Return trip - Day 42 - Estes Park, CO

About 10 miles were biked today - but not exactly where we had hoped or planned. True to Bike Trip 08 form, Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road remained closed today due to snow and winds upward to 50 mph. The outlook for tomorrow is uncertain. That said, it was a beautiful day in Estes Park despite paying $4.39/gallon for the first time ever -- a reason to wish we were biking back.

Along those lines, the gas meter in the car decided to stop working tonight and is accompanied by an unnerving, strange smell... Leaving us yet another indication that pedaling is an all around better mode of transport.

Return Trip - Day 41 - Steamboat Springs, CO

Return Trip - Day 40 - Salt Lake City, UT

We found something better than a hotel that has free breakfast. Keep reading...

Eric today's knight at the keyboard. Another few hours on the highway and we found ourselves in Salt Lake City. We stopped at Shoshone Falls on the way... freezing and windy. Is this June? The guy at the entrance station, noticing our Massachusetts plates, said, "We wanted to make you feel at home." Carson said: "Ah, so you've been!" (The guy didn't hear him.) Anyway, Carson and I alternated driving along the way, and we (oh, OK, I) ignored Philip's advice and chatted the whole time about a variety of scintillating subjects. I did at one point bore Carson into unconsciousness, with a long sermon on politics, but he woke up energized. (I was driving at the time.)

Speaking of which, we met a lot of awfully friendly people as we strolled around Temple Square in Salt Lake, giving the Mormon Tabernacle and a couple of other buildings the standard tourist treatment. We drove up to see the Utah State House, and then kept driving, where we got great views down to the city, and since we found a baseball diamond, we tossed the wiffle ball around a little bit.

And where we are staying tonight might just be the best hotel of the trip so far. Of course it was free on our points, and of course it has free breakfast and a full kitchen and free Internet and free garage parking downtown, and of course they gave us free cookies and bottled water when we checked in... but this place also gave us free DINNER. "Herb-encrusted cod." Actually, it was very good. The complimentary red wine helped wash it down. And they call this a straitlaced town.

Today wasn't a biking day after all, but we're thinking that we'll hit the two-wheelers at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado (especially since the visitor center is closed due to some sort of massive structural issue... oops).

[Carson: ps - we're inching closer to filling in that missing little gap in the blue line on the route tracker....]

Requested Superlatives
Most spiritual experience on journey westward: Lunch on Day 2 took place in Canaan, CT. It had been a very windy and rainy morning, and the magnitude of the quest was beginning to dawn on me for real. It was beginning to seem very daunting, and I began doubting the point of the trip. As I sat down in this small grassy patch off to the side of a long, tree-lined valley and opened up my lunch bag/made a phone call, the rain and wind stopped - the sun came out - cars stopped coming by - and things were perfectly still. A calm settled in on that valley, and I remembered that things aren't lived in the years, but in moments like that. I resolved to notice and appreciate the little, peaceful moments during the trip's rides.

Did you dip your tire in the ocean? No. We finished in Florence, OR, which is at Oregon Dunes National Park. The dunes are extremely steep and we decided to climb (read: tumble) down the dunes to the beach. When I wrote "Bike Trip '08" in the sand with a stone, I spiked the stone as a period as if it were the winning touchdown, and I think that was the best feeling of the entire trip - spiking the rock.

Return Trip - Day 39 - Boise, ID

Today, we drove in 6 hours what it took 5.5 days to bike! Of course, in that amount of driving time you could fly to Europe.....buuuuuuuutttttttt, you can't bike to Europe - from here at least. The most interesting item of note from today was that it rained non-stop from Portland to Boise, a distance of over 450 miles. That is a storm 7,920 football fields long (minus the endzones). Tomorrow we're off to Salt Lake City, stopping on the way at Shoshone Falls - the "Niagra of the West." It's 36 feet taller than the New York landmark. We're thinking there will be a little leisurely biking in Utah.

Finally, we've been doing some research on Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road, which at this time is *not* closed due to snow. There is some fascinating information about the road on the Park Service's website: www.nps.gov/archive/romo/visit/weather/scenicdrives.html . Taken from that site: "Covering the 48 miles between Estes Park on the park's east side and Grand Lake on the west, Trail Ridge Road more than lives up to its advanced billing. Eleven miles of this high highway travel above treeline, the elevation near 11,500 feet where the park's evergreen forests come to a halt. As it winds across the tundra's vastness to its high point at 12,183 feet elevation, Trail Ridge Road (U.S. 34) offers visitors thrilling views, wildlife sightings and spectacular alpine wildflower exhibitions, all from the comfort of their car." Well, if things go as planned, I'm going to put the bike trip '08 bike fitness to the test this weekend and try and see the view from the comfort of the bicycle and "time trial" the road...or at least, try and ride it fast. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.

Requested Superlatives
Biggest Roadkill: There was a remarkable amount of roadkill of all sizes seen. Only when we made it to Wyoming did the actual living wildlife become something other than rabid, teeth-showing dogs-off-leashes ready to chase spinning wheels and bright clothing. The biggest roadkill was probably a several point buck - a deer with many points on its antlers. Unlike with most of the roadkill seen, it always seemed as if someone had pulled the deer off the roads, which was a good thing. On an upbeat note, during the next to last day of cycling I saw a giant, living badger sitting in the middle of the road. That was cool. Also rode along side a hawk one morning in Idaho.

Return Trip - Day 38 - Portland, OR

Got up at 6:20 this morning...that's sleeping in for the bike trip! We drove to Newport, OR to see the Yaquina Head lighthouse, eat at an amazing lunch spot on the inlet (the new port?), and then drove to Portland, where our date with the minor league baseball game got nixed by rain. It's okay - we've got Red Sox v. Yankees tickets for later this year, although it would have been nice to see the Portland Beavers take on the formidable Las Vegas 51s (!?!?!?!?!?!).

Tomorrow, we wake super early again to head back to Boise and Mountain Time. The next "big" bike experience is queueing up to be Trail Pass Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It goes over 12,000 feet!

Day 37 (June 1) - Florence, OR

We made it! - There is an ocean about 4 miles from where the bike trip began 37 days ago. There's even a "Carson Beach" there. The funny thing after reaching the Pacific is that, although I've walked there a bunch of times and driven there more, I've never biked to the Atlantic. Guess that's a trip for an upcoming Saturday afternoon.

Notes - (1) Thanks to Eric - who logged an impressive 775 miles - for supporting the trip and enduring challenges of another kind: my bike-trip compromised moods; (2) Thanks to Theresa - who biked to work every day except 2 times over the duration of the bike trip - for convincing me to continue. She got to hear the flux mood du jour throughout the day where cell coverage allowed; (3) Thanks to you blog readers, often giving us something about which to think, laugh, and chat; (4) We plan on keeping the blog going for the return trip, logging thoughts, photos, (and miles?) - so check back!

Superlatives
Best meal: Gernika Basque Restaurant, Boise, ID
Worst meal: Pickle's Place, Arco, ID: just say no to any food with "Atomic" as its adjective
Best snack: Jambajuice, Bend, OR
Best accomodations: 24 way tie among all the free locations
Worst accomodations:Motel 6, Clinton, IA
Biggest surprise: Decrepitating heartland of the U.S.
Worst trip weather: Lightning, flood, rain, hail, snow in Dubois, WY
Best cycling on route: northwestern CT/southern ID/western OR
Toughest cycling on route: Pennsylvania
Best scenery: ID with OR close 2nd
Best interaction: with man in PA general store who sold me gloves
Indispensible food item: peanut butter, honey, cinnamon sandwich
Indispensible clothing item: insulating cleat covers
Biggest malfunction: rubbing break pad for over 90 min on 130 mile day
Longest day: 131.8 miles or 8 hrs 21 min (different days)
Lowest point: tie snow day in Jackson, WY & most days in PA

If you have others about which you are curious, post a comment and let us know!
Requested Superlatives
Best bumper sticker: Eat...Sleep...Go Fish
Best meal ready to cook: vegetarian chili
Favorite License Plate: WY's cowboy plate and ID's "famous potatos"

Day 36 (May 31) - Blue River, OR

Just before going to sleep last night, I decided to follow up on a caption on Oregon's official highway map that had the following to say about one of the roads on today's route: "Road is closed seasonally. Please check on road conditions." Eric and I logged on to Oregon DOT's website and found that Mackenzie Pass was indeed closed for snow.........over 30 feet of in fact! That's not a typo. THIRTY FEET of snow! In case you're interested in taking a scenic drive out there, you need to wait until mid to late July, and then you only have two months before it's closed again.

Needless to say, the "short" course for this morning turned out to not be so short. Such is life on the bike trip across the country. It was, however, a beautiful route, passing through the classic landscapes of the pacific northwest - gargantuan evergreens, snow capped peaks, roads drying from recent rains, and the smells of old forest.

Tomorrow = the ocean.

Day 35 (May 30) - Bend, OR

Throbbing toes, chafed raw skin, severe stomach cramps, and a faulty break caliper all tried to stop 131.8 miles today. I'm happy to report the conglomeration of maladies were ultimately unsuccessful.. Tomorrow, is a 'short' day - if anything can be called short at this point - up into the Cascades, which this evening provided some of the most scenic backdrops of the trip to date. I'm hoping for a good night's rest tonight. If burning 7,000 calories won't get you one, I'm not sure what will.

ps - two days to go

Day 34 (May 29) - Burns, OR

Carson here. On occasion after the day's ride, I don't exactly feel like writing in the blog, so I ask Eric to do it. This evening is one of those times. Due to a mystery flat from taking the road bike off the car rack, I was semi-forced to ride the time trial bike over what turned out to be terrain with several considerable pre-Cascades climbs (not to mention the galing headwinds again). The time trial bike isn't geared up for that kind of riding, making for an interesting day, which ended about 12 hours before the planned longest day of the trip - an epic 131 miles to Bend, OR - giving new meaning to "bend, don't break." In the spirit of climbing with aplomb, Eric found a blog of a novice cyclist who has signed on to ride over the Col du Tourmalet, a mountain in one of the Pyrenees stages of the Tour de France. Each year, the Tour organizers open up a mountain stage to amateurs a few days before the pros get there....his article, "What Have I Gotten Myself Into?" is worth a few minutes. Too bad all this isn't leading to that. Now on to Eric for the real post.

If the word "burns" conjures up an image other than a great conflagration or Mr. Burns, then perhaps you've been to the booming burg of Burns, Oregon, our first stop in the incorrectly named Pacific time zone. (Um... this is Eric writing now. Yeah.) This blog post is on the late side because of the time change, and the need to consume mass quantities, and the various and sundry other activities that take place every night to make the next day's ride possible: laying out of clothes, inspecting of bikes, packing of food and water, examination of route, analysis of weather, and appeals upward for smooth roads, no trucks, and an immaculate hotel, with a showerhead strong enough to fell an elephant.

A freak pre-ride flat, rain, face-sanding headwinds, and the 4,848-foot Stinkwater Pass couldn't keep Carson from logging yet another 100+ mile day. Even I turned in 30, after doing battle with the proprietor of our lodging establishment and his wide-eyed and staring "associate" who were astonished to find a guest showing up at 9:00 in the morning, asking to check in. At least this room has internet access... and the door locks.

And now, we need to get busy digesting the evening meal, which consisted of several selections from a local "American Chinese" bistro, featuring garlic chicken, lo mein, and customers who drink the soy sauce at the bottom of their noodle bowls with straws. Hypertension!

Day 33 (May 28) - Vale, OR

Vale, OR is apparently a town with quite a few murals - more than your average little, hidden town on the western edge of Mountain Time. Since Eric and I made it here in record time (I actually beat the car here - 72 miles in 3:33!!!!! THAT, mis amigos is Fast with a capital F), we went out for some additional riding this afternoon and are about to go photo document some ole fashioned Oregon Trail murals. Unfortunately we won't be able to post any pictures today because we don't have internet.... But soon enough they'll be up.

I can't really wrap my mind around being in Oregon and having cycled here. It's pretty crazy. Four days to go!

Day 32 (May 27) - Boise Rest Day

Eric once again. Why did we call today a "rest" day? To be sure, there was no Ironman-distance biking, but by mid-morning, we'd already devoured the hotel's free breakfast, made lodging reservations for Oregon, gotten in some quality running time, soaked in the whirlpool, had a conference call, answered e-mails, uploaded pictures, scouted out activities for the day, and done about two hundred other things.

Now, Carson is putting the finishing touches on a pasta creation in our fully equipped kitchen, a storm is beginning to rage outside, and I'm trying to remember everything that happened. Great Basque food for lunch in downtown Boise -- yes, Basque. Visit to a giant bike store. And then, in a case of role reversal, I -- that's right, Eric -- biked about 10 miles, and Carson came to pick ME up. More accurately, we met up at a local Y, where we got in some lap swimming. Yes, it was a triathlon day. Carson met a local postal employee, who asked intelligent questions and even estimated Carson's daily calorie intake.

"Dinner is served," Carson says, so that's all for now. Red Sox/Mariners on the local TV here... of course!

Day 31 (May 26) - Boise, ID

A month and 11 states ago today, the bike trip began. As I look out the window here in Boise, ID, where a gorgeous afternoon is greeting the Memorial Day picnic-ers, it is easy to forget the frequent struggles of the journey's first two Appalachian (Ap-uh-lah-chun) weeks and the fallow field doldrums of the third. Idaho has been stellar. My hands and fingers still tingle with the memory of 2,200+ miles, but even that is an overlookable reminder of often hard-fought hours on the road.

With a rest day tomorrow and then 6 straight days to the coast, Eric and I are eager to bicycle Oregon, hopefully free of malapropos mental, mechanical, meteorological and other worries. Since we've not had a chance to post photos the last few days, check these out:

CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT AND PRESERVE


ARCO, ID


FAIRFIELD, ID

Day 30 (May 25) - Fairfield, ID

No Internet connection here in Fairfield, so a brief post....89 miles today in a screaming 5:06! The countryside and mountains in Idaho have been spectacular. There is snow in them thar hills, and it is quite special. Eric got a flat 15 miles in today, but changed it in record time -- foreshadowing the long but quick ride to follow.

We think there is some sort of bike race going on here in tiny Fairfield (Pop. 395) and are about to check that out in the sunny yet still spring, crisp afternoon....but first a few bowls of cereal. Photos later if I can figure out how to get iPhone to do it.

Day 29 (May 24) - Arco, ID

Eric here. Carson is napping; our motel room door here in Arco, Idaho (the first city to be lit entirely by Atomic Power!) is open, and the breeze is blowing in the quiet sounds of a small town.

Today was planned to be about 66 miles, but after 50, we (oh, all right... CARSON) had a brilliant idea: why not trade the last section of monotonous Idaho-way for a bike through the nearby Craters of the Moon National Monument, the "weirdest 75 square miles on the face of the earth?" Well, that's exactly what we proceeded to do, and the result was some of the most fun we've had on the trip. The volcanic rock formations (formed long ago from 'liquid hot magma'), juxtaposed with
wildflowers, spindly trees, blue-white-black skies, a brief downpour, slick roads, elderly tourists, campers, and gung-ho mountain bikers who wanted to know where we started our trip ("Idaho Falls," I said, and then paused, and corrected myself: "Boston!"), made for an otherworldly, but very enjoyable, afternoon. Carson is convinced that the loop road should host a cycling time trial.

The Atomic Burger here in Arco was a bust, and we briefly considered going to the Atomic Motor Raceway but were dissuaded by their web site, which featured an exploding mushroom cloud, flaming radiation signs, and an admonition that, "If you attend the race PLEASE TRY TO GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER." Whoa. Maybe cribbage will be a better way to round out the day.

Day 28 (May 23) - Idaho Falls, ID

The fickle weather held, and the first three hours of today were the best of the trip. There were long climbs (the first was Teton Pass ~ 4 miles at 10% grade over 8,600 ft) and longer, serpentine descents. Imagine the classic mountain stage you may have seen on TV from Le Tour. The remainder of the afternoon had a bit of everything: cold, heat, rain, snow, tractor trailers, empty back roads, hills, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, a calm, people honking and flipping the bird, people waving and giving thumbs up. Now it's time to do some laundry and cook up a quinoa-dried fruit smorgasbord. 9 cycling days remaining - 3.5 in ID and 5.5 in OR....then the return trip will have us hit up several National Parks, where we hope to do a little cycling too, and several baseball games at various professional levels.

Day 28 (May 23) Jackson, WY - PART TWO

Doing a trip like this must have many sub-surface side effects, specifically on one's biochemistry. I don't suppose it's that surprising the whole pro world in this sport is tainted by drug use and questionable IV supplements - especially considering the toll appears to reach beyond the daytime activity itself. There hasn't been much sleep going on during Bike Trip '08, and when I do manage, there have been a disproportionately high number of nightmares and bathroom trips. It is not a glamorous thing, yet inerestingly to me, pretty much entirely different than my experiences at high altitude, another place the body is put under unusual stress. There, I've always - knock on wood - had deep and sound sleep during the continual effort to mitigate the effects of super-hydration. So as I hide here under the covers at 2:52 AM trying to will the clock to breakfast time with my head up trying to avoid the seemingly imminent head cold, I can't help but anticipate a return to familiar pillows and a less demanding calorie requirement.

Day 27 (May 22) - Jackson, WY

Snow, rain, tornado warnings, and flood watches marked Wyoming this afternoon. I went out on reconaissance today on the bike to check on the 3000 ft climb only 4 miles away from here...and got a flat tire 1.5 miles into it -- just long enough to get cold and wet! Empty printer toner after a long wait on the guy checking his fantasy baseball stats hindered any map printing for tomorrow. Shrug and move on. Idaho Falls, ID tomorrow if the snow holds.

Day 26 (May 21) - Dubois, WY

Truth be known, there have been several times along the way where I've been on the verge of pressing the bike trip's red abort button. Today was no exception - the conditions have generally just not wanted to cooperate. Through 50 miles this morning, the goings were great. The scenery was finally beginning to change and become the sweeping landscapes we like to postcard. The things short little notes were made of, however, quickly changed. First came the darkening clouds, then lightning bolts that surrounded causing me to take cover in a thicket of trees (see video), then the hail...after it cleared, I got back on the bike to find 40+ mph headwinds and eventual driving rains. About 6 miles from Dubios, a man in a truck pulled up beside me and offered a ride. I very appreciatively accepted. A few minutes earlier, in fact, I had tried to text Eric the following message: "Meed mercyride - 8miles from Dbs" but there is limited cell coverage in the deep backcountry.

When I got the motel, Eric gave me the bad news - via the National Weather Service - about tomorrow's route:

...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS..TONIGHT: A STRONG COLD FRONT IS MOVING ACROSS THE STATE TODAY BRINGING IN MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED AND ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN, LARGE HAIL, AND STRONG WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONALLY...SNOW LEVELS WILL DECREASE TO AROUND 7000 FT THIS EVENING...SNOWFALL WILL BE HEAVY AND WET THIS AND WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 12 TO 15 INCHES WILL IMPACT SOUTH PASS AND TOGWOTEE PASS...POTENTIALLY MAKING TRAVEL HAZARDOUS DUE TO SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES.

THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: TWELVE TO FIFTEEN INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE BY THURSDAY EVENING. SOUTH PASS AND TOGWOTEE PASS COULD REMAIN SNOWPACKED AND TREACHEROUS.

The snow-packed and treacherous part did us in. We were forced to pack up the car, cut our losses at the Dubois motel and drive to Jackson. As we crossed the continental divide and the Togwotee Pass, the snows were already starting -- and they are reaching Jackson at this moment, along with the impenetrable cloud and fog.
I'm extremely disappointed, as I feel all of the previous rides were preparation for crossing the 9,600 ft pass. With 10 rides to go until the Pacific, here's hoping for no more route thwartings.