Hail Victor! That’s Victor, as in the town of Victor Idaho, and hail, as in frozen precipitation. I’ve been very fortunate with good weather through the first 14 days of this coast-to-coast journey. Oregon offered nothing more than a few sprinkles, and Idaho was mild and dry, up until about 5 miles from the Idaho-Wyoming border.
65 miles into our ride, after successfully climbing and descending Pine Creek Summit (elevation 6764′), a fellow rider and I stopped at the Big Hole BBQ in the small mountain town of Victor to fuel up for upcoming Teton Pass. A couple others soon joined us. While waiting for lunch to arrive at our sunny outdoor table, we noticed ominous black clouds looming over the beautiful mountain valley behind us. Within minutes after moving to an inside table, a thunderous storm flung menus and pine cones onto the sidewalk and soon unleashed a torrent of pelting rain and hail. A few other passing cyclists sought shelter with us as the storm continued. The small BBQ shack suddenly became a very popular mid-day destination.
Like most mountain storms, this one departed almost as quickly as it arrived. Within an hour, the sun reemerged and I continued on up the wet road to the Wyoming Border and over the steep and challenging Teton Pass (elev. 8431′). I enjoyed a sparkling view of Jackson Hole from the top, took a few quick photos, then made a quick descent into Jackson before the next storm rumbled in.
91 miles with over 6,000 feet of climbing makes for an epic day. Toss some crazy weather into the mix, and this becomes one of those memorable days that us cycling geeks will be talking about for years to come.
~Dan
Domagala.Bike 
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