Old Fall River Road - Elk Jam + Descent

Flashbacks to Yellowstone and the Bison Jams. The bison graze a bit, and then the herd just takes over the road, and everything comes to a halt.

In this case, we had just ascended the Old Fall River Road by bike. We took a break at the visitor's center and began our ride back down into the misty fog.

We could see half a dozen very large bull elk adorned with huge racks grazing just off the path. We were close enough to them that we could easily see the velvet on the antlers, but not so close as to be worried about slipping past them. That is until we got just a little further down the path. --- when the second group appeared. This group was on the path with no way around them.

We had to wait for the elk to decide to move on. But they were in no hurry as they were lapping up the ice melt that ran down the side of the path. Not wanting to startle them, we waited about 30 minutes before we could pass, occasionally looking over our shoulder to ensure their friends weren't coming to join them.

The Descent

After a brief stop at the top, it was time to ride back down - coasting and braking for 9 miles. Weaving the switchbacks and curling the curves. Caution with respect to the soft spots. The ride down was exciting. Even though we had geared up on layers, we were riding to the warmth of the lower elevation.Read more