Category: Blog Posts

Today I’m posting pictures of a recent trip into the Beartooth. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/52011470. I think the pass is Daisy and that evening after adventuring all day we did an after dinner spin on our bikes. After dinner spin is funny because what happened was we biked all the way at the top of Daisy pass. So I have two photos for that and posted them in my 2020 album https://photos.app.goo.gl/NbvTXTi6a8uSdu7x6.

Reflecting on this day, July 15th – https://williammartin.com/0000/07/15/

• 2003 I was getting caught up from a trip to Alaska.
• 2004 I was self reflecting after watching an emotional movie.
• 2005 I was working for adventure cycling and taking pictures of one of their cycle Montana events.
• 2006 I am contemplating a race and catching up with my friends
• 2008. I learned that trails are being shut down in Montana.
• 2009 I was tapering and catching up with friends 2010. I was riding a lot and in
• 2012. I was running into private property and then in
• 2016 I was on day three of a Hilgard Basin trip with my Love Mo.

I have pay-day-chores although late and then return to a bike project today. So many tasks.

https://www.facebook.com/Bills-Web-Lodge-103875108068198/ because I don’t like how Facebook filters and allows trolls. Made a page so I can send posts and forget. No longer have to monitor, I think.

Looking back on this day:
https://williammartin.com/2002/07/14/itialian-opera/
https://williammartin.com/2004/07/14/seeking-paul/
https://williammartin.com/2009/07/14/11-days-to-go/
https://williammartin.com/2010/07/14/smoke-on-the-water/
https://williammartin.com/2012/07/14/the-beauty-of-turmoil/
https://williammartin.com/2016/07/14/hillgard-basin-day-2/

And now to look back at some adventure photos …

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c1vU8pktTuy5qboz7 Mo and I tried to get to Mud Lake https://ridewithgps.com/trips/52011468 high in the Absorka Beartooths. We were unsuccessful. It was a good downhill in driving rain though.

Waking up in Buttons (https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi75cEsy7oNhD6TUA) the air is fresh and I start the grinder.

Most mornings I like to brew a fresh cup and walk.

I love to take a gander at the sun and see how the world is waking up.

I like to discover that today I am alive and I have the day ahead.

There is opportunity and adventure. And…… there is beauty.

I love mornings.

Let’s see. I was having a foul day on Thursday. Got into a fight. Broke my phone. Found out the van had a damaged sensor and was hanging from the bottom.

I just had a grim morning and if it weren’t for snuggles. To make us coffee and get us going. I think I’d still be sitting in garter gardener sulking. But once we hit the road, things mellowed. she drove, and we stopped by a friend of ours restaurant. https://www.montasia.ninja

Called Montasia, outstanding food. I would suggest stopping in at Cooke City. And seeing Lee (https://www.facebook.com/MTLeeJohnson) and Yokie, whom we finally met for the first time. You won’t regret it.

Then we went up Daisy Pass Road. Or maybe it was Lulu Pass Road. Yeah, Lulu Pass, that’s it.

The first couple spots were taken as usual. And we proceeded up the mountain looking at every spot. But it just didn’t seem like we could find a spot we wanted with the view of Index and Pilot Peaks in the backdrop. So we settled on an RV spot.

Our van buttons looked so small in that spot, but it was a spot and had a pleasant meadow and even a bison stopped by to welcome us. Once we settled I had one last thing to do to come back to myself and that was a bike pout.

I headed up Lulu Pass. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/52011466

And as the road ride progressed. I slowly felt better. I turned around and a big snow bank probably quarter mile from the top of the pass and with a smile on my face. I descended back into Lulu Valley.

Looks like snuggles did the same thing. I caught up to her hiking on my way down. We meet back up at Buttons the van. Barbecued some burgers, cracked some beers.

The 4th of July vacation has started.

Going for a walk in the morning … https://ridewithgps.com/trips/51733157

View post on imgur.com

Then I am hanging out on the wall of Mo’s condo.

View post on imgur.com

With the others …

In the afternoon. An adventure up on the bench … of course. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/51709251

I am thankful for trails unridden, Gardiner, and Mo letting me sponge off her.

We started from an area Mo calls the bone yard.

A term they use at her job.

Which is Yellowstone National Park.

The hike (https://ridewithgps.com/trips/51770294) started out nice enough, leaving the bone yard and opening out into a drainage with the Gardiner River flowing through it.

Which confuses me.

Why is it called Lava Creek Trail?

Maybe that is where it goes.

And with anything in the Park, the scenery is so beautiful.

Maybe because it is relatively unchanged and native, as the natural process of mother earth created it.

I have to give thanks. I am grateful for the color green and when nature puts it on display. I am grateful for the sun and summer. Also, I am grateful to experience this with my partner Mo.

A “quick and dirty” mountain bike ride after work produces some magnificent views of the land that surrounds Yellowstone National Park. The weather was looking bad, so I did a gravel grinder out towards Tom Miner. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/51659495

But as I was pedaling my way down the gravel road, I kept looking to my left and up Beattie Gulch. Why not just go up there and see how far I can go? Would I run into snow? Would it rain and I’d have to go back? I answered these questions because I accepted the urge and headed up the road.

This is a gut-wrenching climb on a mountain bike, which can be fun if you’re into that kind of thing.

What started out as a grey dreary day turned out to be an epic emersion into beauty and perspective. Thank you Mountains.

I have been living in Gardiner, Montana with Mo who works in YNP during the day. What does an apartment husband to do in a compact border town? Explore, what else?

Today’s learning video over at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSsoVjTgYJ0

Here is to hoping everyone I know has a wonderful holiday weekend.

We just learned last night that the Montana Enduro Series has given up the ghost for the 2020 season. Thanks go out to all those vacationing, antimask brats that have not been socially responsible. I want to rant. I want to find a piece of rope. I have no purpose anymore. If I can’t go test my metal on a mountain what is life for, anyway? Narrow a view, isn’t it? Well, you are not in my shoes so how would you understand. But then I am not worth learning about. I am a freak and really don’t recommend my “ways”. There is much to think about so time for a hike.

Every time I go hiking with Mo, I learn about the plants. And when the hike is new, there is all the sights to process. It imprints the brain with so much new “stuff”… which is what learning is, right? What can’t all the people we share this planet with be just as exciting? As I hike and think about this I don’t feel as lost without biking. I can learn and absorb other struggles which put my little world into perspective. It’s only hard for me because I am an introvert. Which I feel is normal. But it is time to face those that want to suppress folks that are not the same color. I mean, why would we make every piece of nature green. What would Zion Park look like? Yuk! I would never hike.

Learn: https://www.youtube.com/user/Eacho18/videos

There is light at the end of the tunnel. There is so much hope if we can all make sure there is color and diversity in nature. Not being able to ride my bike seems such a minor thing now. Approaching the end of our hike, I feel a new enthusiasm. There is a battle to face now that is much harder. It’s a battle with racism. There are more colors to see. Embrace the differences.

We have done this like 3 times (https://williammartin.com/2018/09/10/off-the-beaten-path-in-the-park-osprey-falls/), but never the challenge (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33087059). What is so different about the challenge, you ask? Well, normally to do Osprey Falls you just bike or hike from Mammoth. Super easy.

The challenge is to ride from the Yellowstone Gate in Gardiner all the way up Old Gardiner Road, through town in Mammoth, then up Bunsen Peak Trails to the trailhead of Osprey Falls. Then just do that super easy hike at the end.

Then ride back. Super cool, right?

Mo was out looking around while I was perching above a cactus flower.

“Bitterroots!”

I heard Mo’s words, and my heart dropped. No more photo of the day for me. She had found a Bitterroot. So rare to find, really. Not because it is rare, but its flowering window is so small and it only grows in specific places. The last time I saw one is in the Bitterroot just below Missoula back in the day. I missed seeing Bitterroots. I ran over to check out her finding.

As a marmot ran off because of my sudden movement across the knoll, it came into sight. Sure enough, a Bitterroot.

“Nice find…”, and after a moment I turned back to the van. Time to ride. This day would be exceptional.

We climbed North of Gardiner through heavy sage and exploding wildflowers. At the edge of some aspen the shade was a welcome addition. Sure we like the sun and everything but the climb was so out in the open our necks showed signs of color. Above the Aspens were ponds and wolf tracks and an expansive road that seemed to get nearer and nearer to the Wilderness as the day wore on.

The climbing never stopped, and we spent an hour deciding on which trail to head up. I always bucked for “UP”. Suddenly I came to the end of the road and turned around.

Where was Mo? I took some photos and still no Mo. She had had enough and headed back. After a ten-hour day at work she was thinking a cold beer and a book in the van was a better choice.

For me, I pretended I was in an Enduro World Series and bombed the downhills – https://ridewithgps.com/segments/1131944-davis-creek-dh. The Eagle Creek Ride is a keeper, and best thing is that one could start from town.

#buttonsthevan is coming along with a better bike mounting situation in the garage. We have learned that the most frustrating thing with living in a van is the bike situation. It HAS to be easy to put them away and get them out. Things like pedals and damage caused by traveling has us pulling out our hair. Nothing matters if we are bike unhappy so I have given priority to the bikes. Maximum room on the sides to prevent the pedals from snagging on EVERYTHING. And nothing rubbing. Protected with a lock. Now we have to dial the wheels in.

Then is the sleeping area. I am 6’2” and I need to stretch out. CHECK! We yanked out the wayfarer van’s walls and put in removable foam covers. Lighter. No more wood grinding the side of the van. And best of all, I can stretch my toes until I cramp.

For Mo the park is back to traffic jams and for me I am dialing into summer mode. Ride more… basically.

I can usually convince myself to attend a picnic if there is a bike park in the neighborhood. And also if there is a once in a chance to meet up with long-lost family.

I must explain that Mo and I are introverts, so if we spend the week at work with other humans we want to be alone on the weekends. Otherwise we go postal the next week. The only way to keep sanity is to avoid crowds on the weekends.

But there are exceptions. Like a sister from Texas and nieces and nephews from Missouri. And a rare visit to Billings Montana to see the parents. And with exceptions, we need to insert the bike rides.

We could do both, one day at Action Bike Park and one in Billings. And the following week at work was no enormous deal. We feel refreshed as ever. It is nice to see people once in a while, right?

I can not tell you how many online battles I can look back at and wonder how I reacted is such a way. One thing does stands out. It is always on a Monday. So years ago Mo and I sat down and created a rule for Monday. Just survive. Just survive and make it through Monday. Talk to no one and don’t start any shit online. Answer questions, yes. But hide under a rock and endure.

I feel Mondays are a readjustment back to reality. Where you HAVE to work. It requires you to be somewhere. You have lost your freedom. You can not just go out for a ride.

It all reminds me of a recent stint at Action Bike Park. It was 107 degrees that day and all I wanted to do was to be riding. But to do so would have been my demise. So I took a run and then rested in the shade. Took time, had a drink. Rested. I just survived.

Before long I could stand back up and go out for another lap… another run. Just survive, if something needs doing, do it tomorrow. Take a break and adjust. Live for another day.

“We will be in Livingston”, Mo read me the text she had received.

“What? When?”. I lifted my voice in excitement.

We don’t get many guests. And with Covid we haven’t been able to go “VISITING”. These are exciting times. And I think of things we want to share.

Spring flowers, baby deer, our alleys, maybe our trails. Our artifacts? Our spirit, maybe. Or just head over to Katibatic for some beers.

For me I think of the times I must preserve. Like getting out to Suce for a ride. I must do that.

And after all my priorities met, “We must party”.

Meanwhile, back at home, I find every occasion to go outside for the approach of spring.

Sure there is the ignition of wildflowers. But what option do they have? Their clocks say spring. Even when the outdoors do not agree.

As the rain pours outside for the third day in a row. I glance down to the alley and look at the pedals of flowers wash down the sewers. I must, must reflect back to a few days ago.

When the MONSTER (what I call the black cloud that never leave Livingston) changes to wild colors for every twilight, when one can identify the skys.

When now I can reach George Lake. When the Yellowstone recedes. When Arrow Leaf returns to Suce Creek.

And now it seems the weather is too grieving for the moments we live in.

There is HOPE. Maybe.