I made a big drive back to WI for some family time. Of course there is lots of good riding between Spokane and WI. On the way there I made four stops at trails with easy access off the freeway. This let me get some riding in and still put some drive time in each day. It's a long drive but my van just about drives itself down the road and provides some comfy accommodations along the way. When there's great fall weather like for this trip I'll even stop for days.
The Maay daay Hey in Medora is an IMBA Epic and the views don't disappoint. There's views of the Missouri River from the cliffs above and unique branded fence posts marking the way. Even though it's an out and back ride I don't miss putting some tracks down when passing through. This time a 1 hour out caught chasing the daylight on the way back. I finished in the dark and luckily brought a headlight. Thanks to the NFS for a campground with hot showers at the trailhead.
My time in the badger state was bookened by a couple favorite WI rides while there. Levis/Trow and a gentlemanly paced 4hr Kettle Moraine loop. There was some inclement weather so I gave my lungs a rest and found a climbing guy for some strength work pulling on plastic. My return west route took me to WY and a IMBA Epic I hadn't done in Curt Groudy SP. The trails here are technical as can be with lots of slippery decomposed granite to navigate. Granite is great to ride on when there's some moisture. When it's dry like this though it traction is hard to find. Granite also means good rock climbing. I thought I might do some of that after riding but there were fish that needed catching before the daylight ran out again.
My last stop before making a push back to the spoke was Jackson, WY. Being an outdoor town there is tons of great riding in every direction. Also being an outdoor town there are Sprinters, camper vans and the like. All loaded up with gear and stealth parking overnight on the streets. The morning I left was like a mass exodus of vans. Like everyone was watching the same weather report. The mild fall weather we had all been enjoying was going to end that afternoon. Winter was on!
