Day 42: west Yellowstone to Ennis 
Looking at the map the day before we saw that it was mostly flat/downhill. Google maps said 5 and a half hours for 70 miles. The elevation profile didn’t show any major climbs but it didn’t show any major descents either. I was skeptical of google maps but I followed it all the same out of town. Everyone else was enjoying a longer breakfast but I wanted to hit the road. Google maps took me out of town and soon I found myself on a stretch of road with no shoulder. I should have gotten the hint then. The TransAm ACA maps try to avoid taking you on narrow roads. I saw a sign coming up that said Ennis: 65 miles. I figured I was on the right road as Ennis was our end destination. 10 miles later I knew I had made a big mistake. I hit the Welcome to Idaho sign. ‘This isn’t right’ I thought. ‘I should be staying in Montana for the next couple of days…’ I took a picture with the sign all the same. I then did what I should have done from the start. I cross checked google maps with my transAm maps. Sure enough they were different. Google maps took me around the left of Hebgen Lake while the TransAm maps took you around the right. Oh well nothing I could do but continue. I kept seeing signs for Ennis so I wasn’t concerned. The air was cool and hardly any wind. I did some small climbs, zigzagging over the continual divide. Eventually I came to an intersection that put me back on the TransAm maps. Unfortunately I had missed a cool geological feature: Quake Lake. It was 7 miles back on the trail. The ‘shortcut’ I had done made me go around it. I debated on doing an extra 14 miles. I decided against it and continued on the correct road. A couple miles from Ennis I called my mom. I felt bad as I was rather short with her. I was annoyed I had missed Quake Lake. I should have gone back to see it. 
I got into town before anyone else. I went to a gas station and bought a huckleberry soda. Huckleberry flavored things are a big thing out here and I loved it. I never knew huckleberry was a flavor but it definitely was becoming my favorite. I walked around town and bought some huckleberry icecream. For some reason I was feeling jittery. I decided to go find the post office and Mail stuff home. I bought a couple t-shirts in Yellowstone I didn’t want to carry around. I ran into the crew on my way out and we agreed to meet for an early dinner. I got to the post office just in time. I headed back into town and met up for dinner. I was starving despite the ice cream and soda. I still felt on edge so I got a coke and cheeseburger. Everyone seemed quite at dinner and I was anxious to get to our campground. I didn’t know why as nothing was there. Might as well enjoy the meal. I got more huckleberry ice cream for dessert. I was for sure getting addicted to this flavor. I would have to make sure to buy chocolate or something before I went home. I wouldn’t be able to get this flavor on the east coast. 

After dinner we all crashed on the lawn outside the restaurant. I noticed there was a library next to us so I jumped at the change to use there Internet and a real computer. My plan was to type my blog (since I could type it faster) but I ended up listening to Maurice Ravel String Quartet in F major instead. I didn’t have the piece on my phone and the third movement had been stuck in my head for the last couple days. The library closed and I had to leave. We headed to the end of town to the campground. We stopped at the grocery store for snacks. At the campground we got to shower and I did laundry. The Chinese couple also wanted to do laundry and it took me a while to explain to them how it worked. They don’t speak any English so I had to mime everything. The wind was picking up and I hoped it didn’t rain. I didn’t feel like talking to my group so I called it an early night. Tomorrow we start the day with a super steep climb into Virginia City. After that it should be mostly downhill to Dillion, our final destination.