Day 73 - 8/19/16 Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park

Getting to the campsite yesterday around 12, I was more than ready for lunch and so I scarfed down a can of refried beans mixed with a bag of ready rice.  It was everything I wanted until I got a terrible stomach cramp.  I must've eaten too fast.  So I smoked in my tent and tried to sleep it off.  I didn't really feel better 'til this morning but, that's okay because it rained off and on throughout the afternoon and into the night; not a bad day to laze around in the tent.  

It was cold when I went to bed and just as cold when I woke up at 5:30 and still as cold when I hit the road at 7:00.  Bundled up with pants, jacket, hat and full-length gloves, not the regular fingerless bike gloves, I was off to Yellowstone.  Passing by the Tetons again on the way out I was sad I couldn't soend more time near them, seeing their reflection in the blue mirror of Jackson Lake.  

In the early morning their peaks were covered by clouds, not yet awake; I thought about how good it feela to pull my sleeping bag over my head and snooze for another 30 minutes.  The ride into Yellowstone was through a green hallway of regal-looking pines, tall and thin but filled with emerald needles from top to bottom.  

It smelled like Christmas all around and I thought about work in the wintertime and all the joys the holidays bring; every big whiff made me forget where I was and what month I was in.  Finally, a break in the long green hall appeared and I could see into the canyon below, all the way to the dark river winding through the bright green grass and up from there, the slanted walls were precarious platforms for the pines, looking like a strong gust might cause them to fall so far down but, they held what little ground they had.  

Out on the horizon I was amazed to see the sea of green stretching further into high hills, up to mountain peaks that seemed so far above me; I've never had a view that saw so low and so high at the same time.  Again, I felt smal and terribly happy that I can be here, a tiny lens taking it all in.

Day 72 - 8/18/16 Shoshone National Forest to Grand Teton National Park

The campsite last night was wonderful, quietly tucked away in the forest, looking up I could only see the tips of tall, thin pines with purple peaks of the mountains in the distance.  The air was cold and crisp at 5:00am, I might've wanted to crawl back in my warm sleeping bag but, I was too excited to cross the Togwotee Pass and ride into the Tetons.  

To be honest, I was kind of surprised when I got to the peak of the pass, it was only 7 miles from where I woke up.  I guess I did the hard part yesterday.  Seeing that I was 9,500 feet above sea level was amazing, and then going a little further and seeing I was crossing the Continental Divide; I think I'm really in the West now, I flowed downhill in the direction of all rivers now.  

17 miles of downhill is more than I could've asked for.  I went down screaming like a little kid with pure joy that only comes from riding your bike down a steep hill.  Before I was even halfway down, the road twisted and the view opened up to reveal the massive Tetons.  

I though they were clouds coming over the distant horizon but soon realized they were the giant mountains I was heading towards.  They barely looked real, like some kind of painted backdrop you see on a stage play but, as you get closer and closer, you are inside the painted world at the feet of the towering mountains.  

There's nothing quite like being reminded how small you are, that and the morning light will never get old.

Day 71 - 8/17/16 Crowheart to Dubois, WY (Shoshone National Forest)

Crowheart to Dubois is only 30 miles.  It was a windy 30 miles but I kept telling myself, 'don't rush, take your time.'  When the wind is pushing against you, pushing back only makes the wind push harder; there is a happy medium, it's not very fast but, it doesn't kill you.  

After picking up my new bike chain that mom mailed to me from the post office and after I got some donuts, I left Dubois for the second leg of my ride today.  Tomorrow I'll be in Grand Teton National Park and to get there I have to ride about 65 miles through Shoshone National Forest.

 I saw on the map a lodge/general store 20 miles past Dubois, perfect for filling up water then finding a place to camp.  The forest is gorgeous.  Wyoming is finally changing for the better from barren grasslands to breathtaking mountains with dense forests and lakes and rivers running through it all.  At the Lava Mountain Lodge I parked myself out front to charge my devices when a couple more bikers, fully loaded, came rolling in. 

 

Not 10 minutes later, another couple of bikers came in from the other direction.  Nick and Gavin, probably mid to late 20's, just like me, are doing the Great Divide trail, riding from South to North.  The other couple who's names I did not get were going North to South with their 1 year old in a trailer on the back.  They must've been from France considering they were speaking French with a little bit of English to say Hello anyways.  

Nick and Gavin took off, heading in the direction I'd soon be following; the French family got a cabin for the night and I was by myself again.  Another 10 minutes goes by and sure enough, 2 more bikers are coming from the North part of the Great Divide trail heading South.  This couple is from Alaska.  They just sold all their stuff, bought a place in Arizona, and took off on their bikes.  They just wanted to try something new, they told me.  

I can understand that.  They got a room at the lodge too, maybe they'll ride with the Frenchies tomorrow, that's always fun.  I didn't linger much longer after that.  The campground I had in mind was 3 miles away so I trudged further into the forest.  This place is beautiful, nature is beautiful. I'll just have to leave it at that 'til tomorrow.