I made my decision last night ... I am heading back to Arizona. After studying a map of North America, I deducted that it would take me approximately 50 days to get back to Massachusetts. I just do not have the energy/motivation to take that on at this time ... so back to Arizona I go.
After a most enjoyable stay in Bozeman with Jen, Thad and Lilian, I headed west, then south, planning to make the 45 mile ride to Ennis, MT an easy day. Big surprise ... about 20 miles into the ride, when I turned south, I was greeted by a ferocious head wind. At this point, the road entered a canyon created by the Madison River. After battling the wind for about 6 miles, I decided to call it a day and set-up camp at the Red Mountain National Parks Campground. Having set-up camp around noon, I took the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of the east coast versus the Arizona routes. Made my decision around 6:00 after taking a welcome nap (all that concentrating took a lot out of me).
The wind blew all day and all night ... plus more night-time rain. What a joy ... my lack of love for camping was reinforced. The campsite was quite beautiful as the Madison River was about 15' from my tent. This morning I got an early start and found a gas station some 8 miles into the ride. The coffee was stimulating; the conversation with a local truck driver was not.
The short 27 mile ride into Ennis, MT. was hard (long uphill) and joyful (long downhill). Observing the cloud buildup to the south, I decided to set-up camp in a cheap hotel. Ennis, a town of about 1,000 people, was holding an Arts Festival in the downtown park ... it got rained out around 4:00 PM (heavy, heavy rain and strong winds). Lovely weather we are having here in Southwestern Montana ... it is supposed to get down to 36 degrees in West Yellowstone tonight.
Weather aside, I must say that the beauty of the country west of Bozeman has relegated Southern Idaho to second place on my "most incredibly beautiful scenery" list.
Having made my travel plan decision, I feel much more at peace.
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