Fish Lake

Arriving at Fish Lake, we decided to choose a picnic site on the banks of the lake.  The water was calm and clear, reflecting the trees and mountains.  We enjoyed our snacks and jovial conversation.  

There was a haze along the horizon from a plume of smoke coming from Idaho forest fires.  Unfortunately, it made the mountain peaks surrounding the entire Union Pass area appear hazy.  That’s a bit of a disappointment, because the scenery is quite spectacular on a clear day.  

Next, it was time for us to ride to the top of the Continental Divide.  A rather rough trail (steep, rocky, and rutted) took us to the top.  I didn’t see it happen, but going down a steep slope, Jo’s machine started to slide because of loose rocks and dirt.  She got tilted by some bigger rocks and nearly tipped over.  Scary moment.  But she handled it well and made it! 

The trail follows the Continental Divide.

Jo got a picture of the hazy mountains to the west.

The trail follows the Continental Divide to the east for quite a while.  From here, on a clear day, you can see the Gros Ventre Mountain Range and the Grand Tetons.  It’s quite a site, but today we couldn’t see the Grand because of the smoke.  I was surprised that it was so warm up on the Divide; usually I’m putting on a sweatshirt or windbreaker to cut the cold wind on this portion of the ride along this barren, windblown ridge.  As we started back down the mountain, we spotted a small herd of Elk, but they were too far away for a good picture.   We eventually came to the gate that let us get back on the Union Pass Road just above Lake of the Woods.   

On to another trail that Julie and I had never explored before…