2015-07-19 Day 21: Desperate for Warm Coffee, Wisdom to Hamilton, WY

Mileage Today: 74. Total Mileage: 1093

Last night was totally clear which assured us no rain, but guaranteed lower temperatures. When I woke at 5:20 this morning, the sun had not broken over the tops of the peaks that surround the Big Hole River. Let me tell you what - it was cold. Really cold.

I tried to go back to sleep. No luck. So I got up, torn down the tent and packed up. By the time I got done, I was shivering. More layers, still cold. I told Jon I was pedaling the half mile into Wisdom (population = 116) in hopes of finding someplace open that could give me a hot cup of coffee. At 6:30 AM on a Sunday morning, the 2 block main street looked completely deserted. But wait! The door to the Wisdom Saloon (a contradictory name if I ever saw one) is open. I stuck my head in. The place is empty except a lady behind the bar. I asked if I could get a cup of coffee. She said "Come on in." Over the next 5 minutes seven other locals popped in. All were greeted by name and all clearly knew each other. I had inadvertently become a member of the daily morning coffee club. One of the locals said it was 32 degrees this morning.

Another biker named Mark from the camp ground stumbled in and sat down. Then I witnessed this hilarious exchange. As the lady gets his coffee, he asked, "Is there cell service in town. As she she walks away, she says "No". "How do you make phone calls?"', Mark asked. This stopped the lady in her tracks. She turned back around, walked back to Mark, got up in his face, and very slowly said, "Land lines..." She walked away without another word. I think she took his question as a slam on her little community.

For the first time in 18 days, we had blue skies today. It actually got a bit warm in the afternoon. We made our 9th crossing of the continental divide. Checked into a motel since it looks like we will be camping several days getting across Idaho.