Where's Matt At?: Day 16 – Last day! Wood River to Stanley

Day 16 – Last day! Also 10 year anniv. of start of ’97 Tour
Wood River to Stanley - 55.8 miles, 4:00, 13.8 avg

Had a good last night on tour. A neighbor, Stan, invited me over for pork roast and potatoes. So, I had a traditional Mormon camp meal! Complete with Jell-o. Four kids and Mom also. Oldest boy, Justin, going to BYU, and three younger girls, who all seemed to be afraid of me. Mom said they thought I would bite. All were very reserved and well behaved. After dinner we made “pies” with those sandwich cooker things. They had lots of games and a very lavish camp, complete with an outdoor TV for video game playing. It was a great time.

A lazy morning ensued, I think knowing it was the last day drained some motivation. Up Galena Pass was beautiful and pretty easy. Had a big muffin at Galena Lodge that powered me over the climb.

The last pass of the tour. Can you tell the end is near?

The descent was a screamer and had amazing views of the massive wall of the Sawtooths. I had forgotten that these mountains really do rival the Tetons for awe-inspiration.

The Sawtooth Mtns

Had a good visit to the Stanley Ranger Station, the ranger was very helpful and wanted to know about my trip. Flew into Stanley with a downhill tailwind the whole way from the pass. I think this is the first time the whole tour! It was great. I quickly found that all the hotels in town were full, but a chance visit to the largest one found a last-minute cancellation. We had a room!

I’ve showered, had a beer, watching TV in comfort, and it actually rained. First real rain I’ve seen in two weeks! Good timing I guess.

Looking forward to the next adventure! (You gotta enlarge this one)