Teton Pass was what stood between me and the next overnight destination. There was no shortcut, or easier yet reasonable way to get to the other side of these mountains. ID-33 and WY-22 were the state highways that rolled upward and over these steep mountains. I was glad to get the more physically demanding part of the day over with earlier in the day rather than later. A grueling 2224' of climbing in 12 miles with not a foot of descending until reaching Teton Pass. The first eight miles were manageable, but the 10% grades started to kick in during the final four miles of the ascent. Traffic was heavy, but the grade and twists in the road coaxed drivers into driving within the speed limit. At times, I wondered what was contributing to feeling exhausted: was it the elevation and the diminished ability for those red blood cells to carry oxygen? Beginning to fatigue after 10 consecutive days of riding? A potent dose of diesel fumes with every inhalation for the past three miles? While it's likely a combination, I think the change elevation was the primary factor. Once I reached the pass, I rehydrated and ate for about 15 minutes. Fortunately, the backside of the pass had a trail that took me off of the highway. It was a most peaceful ride down to Wilson. Along the way, I encountered a moose and her calf. I kept my distance and their initial surprise quickly reverted to grazing. Thinking of the calf from the day before, I thought I'd convince them to move along back into the brush. I did so by blaring Avenged Sevenfold's "To End the Rapture" from the blue tooth speaker. Success: much like the calf's retreat from the day before, they meandered down the trail and back into the brush. Breakfast in Wilson was necessary after the laboring climb up to Teton Pass. Afterwards, I rode north on a bike path past Teton Village and further north to a national park entrance. About one mile after passing the national park gate, the road changed from pavement to a dirt road that had more potholes than even surface for two miles. This is a road that is closed from November through May, so I imagine that the spring thaw is harsh on it. Even with careful navigating, it was impossible to avoid all the potholes in this road; it was sometimes a guessing game of which pothole looks the least harmful to ride over. The remaining five miles were paved, which was gladly welcomed. Just under a mile from Moose, WY I heard a familiar sounding metal snap and synchronous ting ting ting ting from the rear wheel. My stomach sank. When I reached a pulloff along the bike path in Moose, my stomach's inclination was confirmed: two broken spokes and a bent one all three of which were on the rear rim. Disbelief, disappointment, and bewilderment engulfed me. The bicycle has less than 1200 miles on it and spokes are breaking on a rim that has 36 spokes! 36 spokes is a remarkable amount of spokes for a bicycle rim. My disappointment grew exponentially when I learned that lone bicycle shop in Moose (that advertises doing service) does not do spoke repairs; even the basic J-spokes. Riding back to the nearest bike shop in Jackson was a poor option, because with each broken spoke, more weight is placed on the functioning spokes. How would I get my bicycle to this nearest bike shop? A stranger named Mark was tremendously helpful in bailing me out of this tough set circumstances. I approached Mark and explained the mess that I found myself in. Mark was extremely generous and helpful when he loaned me his truck to get the compromised rim to and from this nearest bike shop. I offered Mark money for fuel, and was on my way to Fitzgerald's in Jackson. Eric, the bike mechanic at Fitzgerald's, was able to fix the three spokes, and I was back on my way to Moose. As I drove back, I reflected on how fortunate I was to have met Mark: without his help, I likely would have lost significant time; possibly upwards of a day. I was back to riding after ten minutes of reattaching the tire, ensuring the disc brake has adequate clearance, hooking up the trailer and bag. The remainder of the ride was very scenic, which diminished the frustrations of a three hour setback with the broken spokes. I hadn't seen the Tetons since I was a kid, so broken spokes were not going to spoil this part of the trip. Colter Bay Village was a little more than 28 miles from Moose. On this evening, I had planned on staying overnight in a cabin. Only having to lock a door for precautionary bear measures was a better alternative than going through the rigmarole of tent camping in bear county. I was extremely lucky in that I phoned ahead the day before to reserve a cabin. As luck had it, I reserved the final cabin site that was vacant for this evening! A pizza dinner complimented with a beer further distanced the frustrations from earlier in the day with the broken spokes. Still, I found myself pondering what had caused these spokes to break so soon. A walk around scenic Colter Bay postponed pondering the broken spokes. By sunset, I was back at the cabin studying the route for the following day. The third pass (Togwotee) in as many days would be tomorrow's challenge.
