Monday, August 10, 2009
Day 59 Aug 9th
Cambridge to Richland, OR 70 miles
I got a late start today even though I was up before sunrise. Jenny and Justin left before me but I knew I would be able to catch up to them. PB for breakfast and I was off by 9. The first climb was spread out over the first 18 miles outside of town and really wasn’t that bad. I think that coming up the other side would have been a lot worse. I was at the top around 11 and had 13 miles where I didn’t have to peddle at all. I ran into Jenny and Justin at a rest stop where I was planning to refill my water bottles and we set off. We rode along the reservoir separating ID and OR until finally crossing into OR. I got a picture of the welcome to Oregon sign but as I was pulling out I could hear my tire leaking air. There was a small puncture through the tire and tube. J&J went ahead. When I tried to inflate the tube my pump wouldn’t work. I think some dirt got into it from all the construction a few days ago and the pump couldn’t create a vacuum. I tried washing it in the river but that was no help. I figured I had to get J&J back to use their pump but couldn’t get to them. Luckily there were 2 bikers stopped up the road a bit and I walked over to them for some help. I asked if they could talk to J&J when they caught up to them and have them come back for me. While I was waiting for them to get back I switched out my punctured tube for a spare so it would be ready to go when they got there. I tried to inflate this one and it actually worked! So I pumped it up as much as I could and set off to catch them before they back tracked too far. I finally caught them and the said they turned around 3 miles ago so it was an extra 6 miles for them. I had PB for lunch outside a grocery store while Jenny fixed a flat she probably got at the same place I did. They were going to have lunch at a café in town so I joined them. I got some onion rings and filled my camelback with ice water.
We were going to be heading into an area of OR called Hells Canyon which is named after the heat in the area. But we got lucky. It rained the last few days and was pretty cool for us. There was one tough five mile climb of 800 feet then down into Richland where I was spending the night. The weather was great all day but you can hear thunder every once in a while. But we’re under a pavilion in the county park. I got some mac and cheese from the store to mix with J&J’s so that plus Doritos is going to be dinner. The area is pretty mountainous but there are no trees except those planted in town. The map says that this area of OR is a high desert and gets very little rainfall so that accounts for the little vegetation.
I think the ipod is dead from water damage a few days ago even though it has been working since it got wet. But the worst part about it being dead is that there is little to distract me and I end up thinking about Greg a lot. So that can get pretty depressing. But today wasn’t as bad since there were other people around.
I got a late start today even though I was up before sunrise. Jenny and Justin left before me but I knew I would be able to catch up to them. PB for breakfast and I was off by 9. The first climb was spread out over the first 18 miles outside of town and really wasn’t that bad. I think that coming up the other side would have been a lot worse. I was at the top around 11 and had 13 miles where I didn’t have to peddle at all. I ran into Jenny and Justin at a rest stop where I was planning to refill my water bottles and we set off. We rode along the reservoir separating ID and OR until finally crossing into OR. I got a picture of the welcome to Oregon sign but as I was pulling out I could hear my tire leaking air. There was a small puncture through the tire and tube. J&J went ahead. When I tried to inflate the tube my pump wouldn’t work. I think some dirt got into it from all the construction a few days ago and the pump couldn’t create a vacuum. I tried washing it in the river but that was no help. I figured I had to get J&J back to use their pump but couldn’t get to them. Luckily there were 2 bikers stopped up the road a bit and I walked over to them for some help. I asked if they could talk to J&J when they caught up to them and have them come back for me. While I was waiting for them to get back I switched out my punctured tube for a spare so it would be ready to go when they got there. I tried to inflate this one and it actually worked! So I pumped it up as much as I could and set off to catch them before they back tracked too far. I finally caught them and the said they turned around 3 miles ago so it was an extra 6 miles for them. I had PB for lunch outside a grocery store while Jenny fixed a flat she probably got at the same place I did. They were going to have lunch at a café in town so I joined them. I got some onion rings and filled my camelback with ice water.
We were going to be heading into an area of OR called Hells Canyon which is named after the heat in the area. But we got lucky. It rained the last few days and was pretty cool for us. There was one tough five mile climb of 800 feet then down into Richland where I was spending the night. The weather was great all day but you can hear thunder every once in a while. But we’re under a pavilion in the county park. I got some mac and cheese from the store to mix with J&J’s so that plus Doritos is going to be dinner. The area is pretty mountainous but there are no trees except those planted in town. The map says that this area of OR is a high desert and gets very little rainfall so that accounts for the little vegetation.
I think the ipod is dead from water damage a few days ago even though it has been working since it got wet. But the worst part about it being dead is that there is little to distract me and I end up thinking about Greg a lot. So that can get pretty depressing. But today wasn’t as bad since there were other people around.
Day 53 Aug 3rd
Avalanche Camp
The wind really picked up last night. It woke us all up around 4:50 and I had to put my steaks in the ground to hold down the edges. I was also on a lot of rocks so that wasn’t great but it was warm. Tom got up at 5 to try to get a pass for his trail but he still didn’t get it. I packed my stuff and decided to camp in Avalanche for the next night. I took the shuttle to the top of Logan Pass and didn’t feel like I cheated at all since one this isn’t on the Trans Am at all and two I had already done the harder side yesterday. The ride up was good and I could look around unlike when I was coming down yesterday. I also saw a black bear from the bus that was about 15 feet from the side of the road.
At the top of Logan there were no busses that had the rack for a bike and there weren’t going to be any for another 90 minutes so I decided to ride down. This side seemed a little steeper and there was construction going on in some places that made it hard to ride through. Plus there were grates where water passed underneath the road so you really had to be careful and hold the breaks at parts. But I made it down ok.
Doug, from a few days ago told me that the Avalanche trail was really good so I decided to do that one first. It was a 2 mile hike to the lake. The first mile or so followed a river then turned up the hill into a more forested area. The lake was incredible. You could see 4 waterfalls/ rivers feeding into the lake from unseen glaciers at the top of the surrounding mountains. The lake itself was also perfectly reflective of the surrounding mountains.
On the walk back I ran into a lady who said there was a bear with cubs about 100 feet ahead so I hurried to catch a glimpse. There were a few other people standing around and the bear was about 50 ft ahead and right on the trail. I never saw the cubs because they had climbed up a tree before I got there. But the mother was really close at one point. After a few minutes of watching I smacked my arm to kill a mosquito and the slap really got the bears attentions. She looked right at me and the two other people I was standing with and she took a few steps towards us. We immediately started to back up and give it some space. I let some other people pass in front of me to make sure the path was clear before I decided to go. On the walk back I met two kids from Spokane, WA who were starting college in the fall. They were asking me all about my trip and I tried to explain to them how great college is. I walked through the Cedar Train with them then I went back to my tent to get some lunch. Gary got to the campsite as I was finishing my PB sandwich. We talked for a bit about his climb over the pass from the east side.
I wanted to do the Highline Trail from the top of the pass but on the shuttle ride up the driver said that it would take 5 hours. It was already 3 by the time got to the top and the last shuttle goes down at 7 so there was no way I was going to be able to do it. So I decided to do the St. Mary/ Virginia Falls Trail. It was about 1 mile to St. Mary Falls and another 2 to Virginia Falls. St Mary was a two stager that was only about a 10 foot drop but was about 20 feet across so there was a lot of water. Some kids said that the jumped from the path into the water 20 feet below and I really wanted to do it but I didn’t see where they did it from and thought it would be pretty tough to bike with a broken leg. The walk to Virginia Falls was really cool too with a lot of other waterfalls along the way. One was pretty big and I actually thought it was Virginia Falls and almost turned around. Luckily it was still early in the day so I decided to keep going along the trail just to see what was there and kill time. I knew I reached Virginia Falls when I saw it this time though. It was a 40 foot drop into a pool of clear water. I actually waded into the pool to try to get under the falls. It really hurt though. The spray would actually knock you back as if you were walking into an 80 mph wind what had hail in it. The water from that height really pounded on you and stung but I just had to get under for a second.
On the walk back I thought about how Greg would have really liked a day like today. I was also thinking about how it would have been great to have spent the day with someone rather than by myself. It was a perfect day but would have been that much better if I had shared it with someone else.
I decided to get on an eastbound shuttle even though I was going west just so I could see the east side again. I saw a brown bear on the side of a mountain so that made three for the day. The general store I stopped in didn’t have PB so I got Tostitos and that was what I had for dinner. Back at camp another biker showed up. His name was JP, he was from New Hampshire, and he was doing the Northern Tier. He talked with no enthusiasm in his voice which was pretty strange but he was alright besides that. It was pretty comfortable ground so I should get a good nights sleep.
The wind really picked up last night. It woke us all up around 4:50 and I had to put my steaks in the ground to hold down the edges. I was also on a lot of rocks so that wasn’t great but it was warm. Tom got up at 5 to try to get a pass for his trail but he still didn’t get it. I packed my stuff and decided to camp in Avalanche for the next night. I took the shuttle to the top of Logan Pass and didn’t feel like I cheated at all since one this isn’t on the Trans Am at all and two I had already done the harder side yesterday. The ride up was good and I could look around unlike when I was coming down yesterday. I also saw a black bear from the bus that was about 15 feet from the side of the road.
At the top of Logan there were no busses that had the rack for a bike and there weren’t going to be any for another 90 minutes so I decided to ride down. This side seemed a little steeper and there was construction going on in some places that made it hard to ride through. Plus there were grates where water passed underneath the road so you really had to be careful and hold the breaks at parts. But I made it down ok.
Doug, from a few days ago told me that the Avalanche trail was really good so I decided to do that one first. It was a 2 mile hike to the lake. The first mile or so followed a river then turned up the hill into a more forested area. The lake was incredible. You could see 4 waterfalls/ rivers feeding into the lake from unseen glaciers at the top of the surrounding mountains. The lake itself was also perfectly reflective of the surrounding mountains.
On the walk back I ran into a lady who said there was a bear with cubs about 100 feet ahead so I hurried to catch a glimpse. There were a few other people standing around and the bear was about 50 ft ahead and right on the trail. I never saw the cubs because they had climbed up a tree before I got there. But the mother was really close at one point. After a few minutes of watching I smacked my arm to kill a mosquito and the slap really got the bears attentions. She looked right at me and the two other people I was standing with and she took a few steps towards us. We immediately started to back up and give it some space. I let some other people pass in front of me to make sure the path was clear before I decided to go. On the walk back I met two kids from Spokane, WA who were starting college in the fall. They were asking me all about my trip and I tried to explain to them how great college is. I walked through the Cedar Train with them then I went back to my tent to get some lunch. Gary got to the campsite as I was finishing my PB sandwich. We talked for a bit about his climb over the pass from the east side.
I wanted to do the Highline Trail from the top of the pass but on the shuttle ride up the driver said that it would take 5 hours. It was already 3 by the time got to the top and the last shuttle goes down at 7 so there was no way I was going to be able to do it. So I decided to do the St. Mary/ Virginia Falls Trail. It was about 1 mile to St. Mary Falls and another 2 to Virginia Falls. St Mary was a two stager that was only about a 10 foot drop but was about 20 feet across so there was a lot of water. Some kids said that the jumped from the path into the water 20 feet below and I really wanted to do it but I didn’t see where they did it from and thought it would be pretty tough to bike with a broken leg. The walk to Virginia Falls was really cool too with a lot of other waterfalls along the way. One was pretty big and I actually thought it was Virginia Falls and almost turned around. Luckily it was still early in the day so I decided to keep going along the trail just to see what was there and kill time. I knew I reached Virginia Falls when I saw it this time though. It was a 40 foot drop into a pool of clear water. I actually waded into the pool to try to get under the falls. It really hurt though. The spray would actually knock you back as if you were walking into an 80 mph wind what had hail in it. The water from that height really pounded on you and stung but I just had to get under for a second.
On the walk back I thought about how Greg would have really liked a day like today. I was also thinking about how it would have been great to have spent the day with someone rather than by myself. It was a perfect day but would have been that much better if I had shared it with someone else.
I decided to get on an eastbound shuttle even though I was going west just so I could see the east side again. I saw a brown bear on the side of a mountain so that made three for the day. The general store I stopped in didn’t have PB so I got Tostitos and that was what I had for dinner. Back at camp another biker showed up. His name was JP, he was from New Hampshire, and he was doing the Northern Tier. He talked with no enthusiasm in his voice which was pretty strange but he was alright besides that. It was pretty comfortable ground so I should get a good nights sleep.
Day 52 Aug 2nd
Hungry Horse to Glacier National Park, St. Mary Camp
I got some good sleep last night and cereal with Huckleberry on top which was excellent. I left the house around 8 and made it to West Glacier by 8:45. It was 32 miles to the top of the pass and the final 12 were the hardest. The park also doesn’t like bikers on the road to the pass between 11 and 4 because they slow down traffic. I did the first 20 miles by 10 and hoped to get to the top a little after 11. I tried not to stop much for the first 20 miles since I was pressed for time and I knew I would be leaving the same route I came in. It was really tough though. It was some of the hardest climbing of the trip probably. There was only 1 switchback but the road wound in and out of the mountainside on the way up with a cliff on the other side. It wasn’t much fun with the motorists on one side and the 2000 foot cliff on the other. The view during the climb was spectacular though. It was probably the most amazing road I’ve been on including the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Champs Elysees in Paris. There were waterfalls/rivers running down the mountains in nearly all directions. They would run right under the road most of the time and sometimes right onto it.
I reached the top around 11:45 and took a break to eat some Pringles. The view from the top of Logan Pass was pretty amazing. Next I decided to walk to Hidden Lake. It’s a 3 mile hike from the visitor center at the pass to the lake. Along the way I saw some mountain goats up close and big horn sheep from a little further away. Hidden Lake was awesome. I almost stopped at the overlook after 1.5 miles but am definitely glad I went all the way to the lake. The water was so blue and crystal clear from the silt brought down by the glaciers. The lake reflected the surrounding mountains perfectly. It was incredible. The walk back up was pretty steep with a bunch of switched and I saw a few families with little kids and thought how though it would be with 8 year olds like one family. On the walk back I got a good view of some big horns that were crossing the path and forced people going in both directions to stop and wait for them. The flowers at the top of the pass were amazing too.
The ride down the east side of the pass was fun but too steep and narrow to really look around. I hoped to camp at the east entrance and go to Canada the next day but I learned that getting into Canada isn’t hard but getting back to the US without a passport is a big hassle and since I wasn’t planning on coming up here I didn’t have my passport. There were two other guys at the camp when I got there. Gary was on a bike trip and had ridden his bike over 27,000 miles over the last 4 years and put another 2500 this summer. He was a really interesting guy and had ridden most of the Adventure Cycling trails. I never got the other guys name but he looked like a Tom so that’s what I’ll call him. Tom was hiking through Glacier but couldn’t get the trail he wanted and seemed to complain about everything. Gary and I talked for a while about the places he had ridden and such. I picked up some more bread from the grocery store and had some PB for dinner.
I got some good sleep last night and cereal with Huckleberry on top which was excellent. I left the house around 8 and made it to West Glacier by 8:45. It was 32 miles to the top of the pass and the final 12 were the hardest. The park also doesn’t like bikers on the road to the pass between 11 and 4 because they slow down traffic. I did the first 20 miles by 10 and hoped to get to the top a little after 11. I tried not to stop much for the first 20 miles since I was pressed for time and I knew I would be leaving the same route I came in. It was really tough though. It was some of the hardest climbing of the trip probably. There was only 1 switchback but the road wound in and out of the mountainside on the way up with a cliff on the other side. It wasn’t much fun with the motorists on one side and the 2000 foot cliff on the other. The view during the climb was spectacular though. It was probably the most amazing road I’ve been on including the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Champs Elysees in Paris. There were waterfalls/rivers running down the mountains in nearly all directions. They would run right under the road most of the time and sometimes right onto it.
I reached the top around 11:45 and took a break to eat some Pringles. The view from the top of Logan Pass was pretty amazing. Next I decided to walk to Hidden Lake. It’s a 3 mile hike from the visitor center at the pass to the lake. Along the way I saw some mountain goats up close and big horn sheep from a little further away. Hidden Lake was awesome. I almost stopped at the overlook after 1.5 miles but am definitely glad I went all the way to the lake. The water was so blue and crystal clear from the silt brought down by the glaciers. The lake reflected the surrounding mountains perfectly. It was incredible. The walk back up was pretty steep with a bunch of switched and I saw a few families with little kids and thought how though it would be with 8 year olds like one family. On the walk back I got a good view of some big horns that were crossing the path and forced people going in both directions to stop and wait for them. The flowers at the top of the pass were amazing too.
The ride down the east side of the pass was fun but too steep and narrow to really look around. I hoped to camp at the east entrance and go to Canada the next day but I learned that getting into Canada isn’t hard but getting back to the US without a passport is a big hassle and since I wasn’t planning on coming up here I didn’t have my passport. There were two other guys at the camp when I got there. Gary was on a bike trip and had ridden his bike over 27,000 miles over the last 4 years and put another 2500 this summer. He was a really interesting guy and had ridden most of the Adventure Cycling trails. I never got the other guys name but he looked like a Tom so that’s what I’ll call him. Tom was hiking through Glacier but couldn’t get the trail he wanted and seemed to complain about everything. Gary and I talked for a while about the places he had ridden and such. I picked up some more bread from the grocery store and had some PB for dinner.
Day 46 July 27
West Yellowstone to Virginia City 88 miles
I'll fill it in when im home. I dont really like spending all day in the library
I'll fill it in when im home. I dont really like spending all day in the library
Day 45 July 26
Jackson to West Yellowstone
Today was my last day in Yellowstone with my family. We decided to do part of the Northern loop and see Mammoth Hot Springs. I mistakenly convinced everyone that you could swim in these hot springs but after 4 hours of driving we realized that they were just as hot as the others and we would die if we went in. plus there wasn’t much to see there anyway. We must have come on a bad day. There was only one spring coming out of a rock wall.
It would have been a pretty bad day but it was saved by two things. The first is XM Radio with stations like 20 on 20, Love, and The Highway. We probably heard Jordan Sparks 4 times, Lady Gaga 5 times, and Taylor Swift 7 times. I didn’t hate it. The second thing was some great animal sightings. It started off weak with only one buffalo sighting but once we got close to Mammoth it got great. A few miles before the springs we saw our first moose/elk of the trip. We could tell which it was because it ran into the brush pretty fast but we all got a good look. After the springs, during the drive to West Yellowstone was a major highlight of the trip. A few miles after Mammoth we saw a male moose with huge antlers about 150 feet away. I got a good video and Ali got some good pictures but it was raining hard and was tough to take pics. Then there was the elk. There was a huge traffic jam and people were getting out of their cars to look at something along the side of the road. There was a HUGE male elk with giant antlers. It was less than 20 feet away and didn’t seem to care that 75 people were standing around taking pictures of it. It was amazing. On the way out of the park I caught a glimpse of another animal off on the side of the road. It was another moose so we pulled off and found a whole herd. There were 15 lying around or walking about. They were about 150 feet away and on the other side of a river.
The fam dropped me off in West Yellowstone to save me two days of riding. It’s a cool town and very different from Jackson. This is more of a cowboy sort of town with a rustic feel while Jackson is more of a ski town. We ate at some restaurant which was just alright where I got another buffalo burger. While we were there we saw a man in a suit and mom wanted to ask if that was the mayor. She thought that in a town like this only the mayor would ever wear a suit. We told her that would be embarrassing so she asked the waiter “Is that man famous?” but he didn’t know. DQ for dessert. I miss Rita’s. Every camp site in town was full so mom put me up in a hotel for the night. I spent the night writing in my journal while the newer Planet of the Apes was on TV.
Today was my last day in Yellowstone with my family. We decided to do part of the Northern loop and see Mammoth Hot Springs. I mistakenly convinced everyone that you could swim in these hot springs but after 4 hours of driving we realized that they were just as hot as the others and we would die if we went in. plus there wasn’t much to see there anyway. We must have come on a bad day. There was only one spring coming out of a rock wall.
It would have been a pretty bad day but it was saved by two things. The first is XM Radio with stations like 20 on 20, Love, and The Highway. We probably heard Jordan Sparks 4 times, Lady Gaga 5 times, and Taylor Swift 7 times. I didn’t hate it. The second thing was some great animal sightings. It started off weak with only one buffalo sighting but once we got close to Mammoth it got great. A few miles before the springs we saw our first moose/elk of the trip. We could tell which it was because it ran into the brush pretty fast but we all got a good look. After the springs, during the drive to West Yellowstone was a major highlight of the trip. A few miles after Mammoth we saw a male moose with huge antlers about 150 feet away. I got a good video and Ali got some good pictures but it was raining hard and was tough to take pics. Then there was the elk. There was a huge traffic jam and people were getting out of their cars to look at something along the side of the road. There was a HUGE male elk with giant antlers. It was less than 20 feet away and didn’t seem to care that 75 people were standing around taking pictures of it. It was amazing. On the way out of the park I caught a glimpse of another animal off on the side of the road. It was another moose so we pulled off and found a whole herd. There were 15 lying around or walking about. They were about 150 feet away and on the other side of a river.
The fam dropped me off in West Yellowstone to save me two days of riding. It’s a cool town and very different from Jackson. This is more of a cowboy sort of town with a rustic feel while Jackson is more of a ski town. We ate at some restaurant which was just alright where I got another buffalo burger. While we were there we saw a man in a suit and mom wanted to ask if that was the mayor. She thought that in a town like this only the mayor would ever wear a suit. We told her that would be embarrassing so she asked the waiter “Is that man famous?” but he didn’t know. DQ for dessert. I miss Rita’s. Every camp site in town was full so mom put me up in a hotel for the night. I spent the night writing in my journal while the newer Planet of the Apes was on TV.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day 41 July 22
Yellowstone
The van picked us up at 6:30 and there were 3 other people plus the driver going with us to the park. It was 55 miles just to get to Yellowstone and the entire tour was going to last almost 12 hours. We first stopped at Oxbow Bend where there was a perfect reflection of the Tetons in the river. It was exactly like one of the views from Forest Gump that inspired me to do this trip. Next we saw a Grizzly along the side of the road which is pretty rare. I got some good pictures and I'm sure Ali did too since she had the best view for it. Next we stopped at West Thumb where there are a lot of hot springs. We saw some ducks swimming in one of the pools and the guide was amazed and said she had never seen them do that before and that pool must not be that hot or they would all be dead. After that there was some traffic so we slowed down to take a look. It was a 2000 pound bison walking on the other side of the street towards us. It was so cool! We passed through Hayden Valley and saw herds of bison, not buffalo. The guide told us that there are no buffalo in the US and the only real buffalo are the water buffalo in africa and asia. NExt was the canyon which is also like a mini grand canyon where there were some more good pics that I will put up as soon as I can. Lunch was next to the Gibon river. We waited for 20 minutes at a construction site where Christine and I goofed off by the side of the road while Ali slept in the car. Old Faithful was next. We just missed it when we showed up so we had to wait for about an hour for the next eruption. People started doing the wave while we were waiting but we didnt because we are just too mature or maybe it was because we just didnt think to start it. But the eruption was pretty cool and i got a video of it going off. There are 150 geysers within a one mile radius of Old Faithful so it was a really cool place to walk around. Next we stopped at a really cool pond at the top the the Continental Divide. It flowed down both sides of the divide so it actually flowed into both the Atlantic and Pacific. Plus the pond was covered in lilly pads and was really pretty. On the way out we stopped at Lewis Falls which was very cool. That was about it though. We all passed out on the way back. We joked that Angela, the driver, put Drano in our lunched to put us to sleep. Christine also kept forgetting her name and just started calling her whatever name popped into her head. So by the end of the week if any girl name was said it probably referred to the guide.
We hung around the room for a bit then went to dinner at the GUn Barrel where i had Elk with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Its a lot better than the PB sandwiches.
Its definitely nice to slleep in a bed since I slept on the sofa every night when I was home.
The van picked us up at 6:30 and there were 3 other people plus the driver going with us to the park. It was 55 miles just to get to Yellowstone and the entire tour was going to last almost 12 hours. We first stopped at Oxbow Bend where there was a perfect reflection of the Tetons in the river. It was exactly like one of the views from Forest Gump that inspired me to do this trip. Next we saw a Grizzly along the side of the road which is pretty rare. I got some good pictures and I'm sure Ali did too since she had the best view for it. Next we stopped at West Thumb where there are a lot of hot springs. We saw some ducks swimming in one of the pools and the guide was amazed and said she had never seen them do that before and that pool must not be that hot or they would all be dead. After that there was some traffic so we slowed down to take a look. It was a 2000 pound bison walking on the other side of the street towards us. It was so cool! We passed through Hayden Valley and saw herds of bison, not buffalo. The guide told us that there are no buffalo in the US and the only real buffalo are the water buffalo in africa and asia. NExt was the canyon which is also like a mini grand canyon where there were some more good pics that I will put up as soon as I can. Lunch was next to the Gibon river. We waited for 20 minutes at a construction site where Christine and I goofed off by the side of the road while Ali slept in the car. Old Faithful was next. We just missed it when we showed up so we had to wait for about an hour for the next eruption. People started doing the wave while we were waiting but we didnt because we are just too mature or maybe it was because we just didnt think to start it. But the eruption was pretty cool and i got a video of it going off. There are 150 geysers within a one mile radius of Old Faithful so it was a really cool place to walk around. Next we stopped at a really cool pond at the top the the Continental Divide. It flowed down both sides of the divide so it actually flowed into both the Atlantic and Pacific. Plus the pond was covered in lilly pads and was really pretty. On the way out we stopped at Lewis Falls which was very cool. That was about it though. We all passed out on the way back. We joked that Angela, the driver, put Drano in our lunched to put us to sleep. Christine also kept forgetting her name and just started calling her whatever name popped into her head. So by the end of the week if any girl name was said it probably referred to the guide.
We hung around the room for a bit then went to dinner at the GUn Barrel where i had Elk with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Its a lot better than the PB sandwiches.
Its definitely nice to slleep in a bed since I slept on the sofa every night when I was home.
Day 40 July 21st
Dubois to Jackson
Not sure what time it was when i started because my phone didnt have any service so couldnt get a signal to tell the time. All I could find for breakfast were some doughnuts so that is what i had to eat before I started my climb. The climb wasnt bad and i did most of it in second gear. When i was close to the top I had to stop and get a ride from a construction worker because WY law says you cant ride a bike thought construction or something like that. The driver was kind of a jerk and asked "Why would you ever want ot live in Pennsylvania?" so that killed any conversation but the ride was only 5 minutes so it wasnt a big deal. After a few more miles that were mostly down hill I ran into another construction area but this one was 7 miles long and i just missed the pilot car when i got there. So i had to wait 20 minutes for it to come back and i spent the time killing mosquitoes. This driver was a lot ncier and we talked for most of the way down. About 15 minutes after that I got my first glimpse of the Tetons on the way down. Right when I reached the base of the hill my back tire went flat. I tried to fix it but ran out of patches so i was kinda stuck. Luckily I was only a few miles outside of Jackson and I knew my family would be arriving soon. I had to wait about 90 minutes for them to get to me but the weather was great and there were no bugs where I was.
The hotel we were at was awesome and you could see the Tetons from our deck. We spent most of the day walking around Jackson checking out the shops and finally getting dinner at The Cadillac restaurant. Dad and I both got the buffalo burger which was pretty good. We spent the rest of the night at the room hanging out and having a few beers but tomorrow was going to start at 6am so we all went to bed early.
Not sure what time it was when i started because my phone didnt have any service so couldnt get a signal to tell the time. All I could find for breakfast were some doughnuts so that is what i had to eat before I started my climb. The climb wasnt bad and i did most of it in second gear. When i was close to the top I had to stop and get a ride from a construction worker because WY law says you cant ride a bike thought construction or something like that. The driver was kind of a jerk and asked "Why would you ever want ot live in Pennsylvania?" so that killed any conversation but the ride was only 5 minutes so it wasnt a big deal. After a few more miles that were mostly down hill I ran into another construction area but this one was 7 miles long and i just missed the pilot car when i got there. So i had to wait 20 minutes for it to come back and i spent the time killing mosquitoes. This driver was a lot ncier and we talked for most of the way down. About 15 minutes after that I got my first glimpse of the Tetons on the way down. Right when I reached the base of the hill my back tire went flat. I tried to fix it but ran out of patches so i was kinda stuck. Luckily I was only a few miles outside of Jackson and I knew my family would be arriving soon. I had to wait about 90 minutes for them to get to me but the weather was great and there were no bugs where I was.
The hotel we were at was awesome and you could see the Tetons from our deck. We spent most of the day walking around Jackson checking out the shops and finally getting dinner at The Cadillac restaurant. Dad and I both got the buffalo burger which was pretty good. We spent the rest of the night at the room hanging out and having a few beers but tomorrow was going to start at 6am so we all went to bed early.
Day 39 July 20th
Lander to Dubois 95 milesI definitely woke up with a hangover this morning. So between that and knowing I had a long day with a lot of climbing ahead of me i didnt really want to get out of bed. IM sure going from sea level to 7000 feet wasnt a big help either. I got some food from Safeway on the way out of town and headed out a little later than usual. It was a tough but cool ride with th mountains to my left for the entire morning. I missed not having my speedmeter though for some of the downhills.
I stopped at a rest area to refill my water bottles and ran into 3 guys going cross country too. JAcob was from Denver and going to Astoria and Joe and Jordy were from Illinois and going to OR also. As we were leaving Jordy pointed out that my tire was a little low so i pumped it up but tore the tube as I took the pump off. They waited for me for a few minutes but I told them they could go ahead and i would catch up. I didnt see them again though. It took me forever to fix my tube. After each time I thought i fixed it I would find another hole. Most of the day was spent on the side of the road fixing my tire. I think it happened four times over the course of the day. Eventually i put my spare front tire which isnt the right size but i knew that it didnt have any holes and that Jackson was just on the other side of the pass. Luckily it did hold out for the rest of the day. Along the way were some great views. I would describe it as similar to the Grand Canyon but on a much smaller scale. The Wind River cut into the rocks to make some of the same sort of formations and even colors. This library isnt very good and i cant upload pictures here either. The Wind River really liv4ed up to its name though by forcing my though a headwind the entire way.
Dubois had a gas station with a sign for a Jackalope which is a 6 foot tall rabbit with antlers. I stopped there for a picture and some gatorade. about 15 miles past Dubois I i finally reached the campground where i was able to shower. I fell asleep next to the river and got a good nights sleep.
I stopped at a rest area to refill my water bottles and ran into 3 guys going cross country too. JAcob was from Denver and going to Astoria and Joe and Jordy were from Illinois and going to OR also. As we were leaving Jordy pointed out that my tire was a little low so i pumped it up but tore the tube as I took the pump off. They waited for me for a few minutes but I told them they could go ahead and i would catch up. I didnt see them again though. It took me forever to fix my tube. After each time I thought i fixed it I would find another hole. Most of the day was spent on the side of the road fixing my tire. I think it happened four times over the course of the day. Eventually i put my spare front tire which isnt the right size but i knew that it didnt have any holes and that Jackson was just on the other side of the pass. Luckily it did hold out for the rest of the day. Along the way were some great views. I would describe it as similar to the Grand Canyon but on a much smaller scale. The Wind River cut into the rocks to make some of the same sort of formations and even colors. This library isnt very good and i cant upload pictures here either. The Wind River really liv4ed up to its name though by forcing my though a headwind the entire way.
Dubois had a gas station with a sign for a Jackalope which is a 6 foot tall rabbit with antlers. I stopped there for a picture and some gatorade. about 15 miles past Dubois I i finally reached the campground where i was able to shower. I fell asleep next to the river and got a good nights sleep.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Day 38th July 19th
Muddy Gap to Lander
I woke up and left by 6:30 since I was so uncomfortable on the ground but I was finished pretty early. The ride started out pretty flat with rolling hills. I passed Split Rock which I remember from the game Oregon Trail. I got breakfast in Jeffrey City. When i walked into the restaurant and asked if they served breakfast none of the three people answered me. They all kept watching tv. So I asked if i could sit anywhere and again there was no answer so i just sat down. It was very weird but they did have pancakes. Possibly the worst movie i have ever seen was on tv in the restaurant. I think it was called Ghost Dad and it had Bill Cosby in it. All the other people in the restaurant were glued to the tv.
Anyway, after breakfast i caught up to two guys from Texas, both named Chris. They were going from Dallas to Canada and i rode with them most of the way and chatted. It was a really easy ride that was almost completely down hill. Along the way i ran into someone from MT and he gave me some good advise about where to stay in Lander where they had a camp with nice grass behind a hotel and you could shower and use their hot tub.
I made it the rest of the way to Lander without any problem. I think the total was around 80 miles but I have to check. I got there around 2:30 and found a Subway at the end of town for lunch. After lunch i went over to the hotel the guy recommended, set up camp, and went over to the hot tub. After about 40 minutes of relaxing The Chrises walked in. We met up back at the camp and headed over to the McDonald's for some food then the brewery fro some beers. After about 4 pitchers we went back to McDonald’s for the dollar menu then a grocery store for a six pack each. We finished the 6 packs, at least I did, over at the hot tub and i was definitely a little drunk by the end. The guys were all right, they were pretty smart but way out there politically and called themselves anarchists. But i would be leaving them tomorrow since they were staying in town to work on their bikes.
I woke up and left by 6:30 since I was so uncomfortable on the ground but I was finished pretty early. The ride started out pretty flat with rolling hills. I passed Split Rock which I remember from the game Oregon Trail. I got breakfast in Jeffrey City. When i walked into the restaurant and asked if they served breakfast none of the three people answered me. They all kept watching tv. So I asked if i could sit anywhere and again there was no answer so i just sat down. It was very weird but they did have pancakes. Possibly the worst movie i have ever seen was on tv in the restaurant. I think it was called Ghost Dad and it had Bill Cosby in it. All the other people in the restaurant were glued to the tv.
Anyway, after breakfast i caught up to two guys from Texas, both named Chris. They were going from Dallas to Canada and i rode with them most of the way and chatted. It was a really easy ride that was almost completely down hill. Along the way i ran into someone from MT and he gave me some good advise about where to stay in Lander where they had a camp with nice grass behind a hotel and you could shower and use their hot tub.
I made it the rest of the way to Lander without any problem. I think the total was around 80 miles but I have to check. I got there around 2:30 and found a Subway at the end of town for lunch. After lunch i went over to the hotel the guy recommended, set up camp, and went over to the hot tub. After about 40 minutes of relaxing The Chrises walked in. We met up back at the camp and headed over to the McDonald's for some food then the brewery fro some beers. After about 4 pitchers we went back to McDonald’s for the dollar menu then a grocery store for a six pack each. We finished the 6 packs, at least I did, over at the hot tub and i was definitely a little drunk by the end. The guys were all right, they were pretty smart but way out there politically and called themselves anarchists. But i would be leaving them tomorrow since they were staying in town to work on their bikes.
Day 37 July 18th
Riverside to Muddy Gap 104 miles
I left the camp ground around 8:30 and planned to get some food in Saratoga which was only 18 miles down the road. I did the distance pretty quick and got found a place for breakfast by 9:45 but the place was pretty crowded and I didn't get served my pancakes until 10:20. I wanted to use the library there but decided to push on. I learned later that there was a really great hot spring in Saratoga that I could have gone into for free. But there are a few more places that i will be able to stop in that have some but these were apparently pretty good.
Again it was mostly down hill and the climbs that I did have weren't too bad. I feel like I’m getting back in shape and my lungs are adjusting to the altitude again. I had to ride on the interstate for a while today but it wasn't too terrible. There was a wide shoulder and it seemed like people would move to the other lane if they were able to. Subway for lunch in Rawlins where i met an old local guy who still biked a lot and knew about the Trans Am and had a bunch of questions for me. I found the library but it was closed all weekend and I’m guessing that the one in Lander will be closed tomorrow on a Sunday. I had another slight climb that lasted for 16 miles but at the top was another continental divide with a steep descent on the other side that was a lot of fun to go down. Most of the rest of the way was down hill again. I met a guy named Mike on a bike that had both a motor and pedals on it. He seemed pretty weird and dirty and I was glad he kept going when I stopped for the night.
I planned to stop in Lamont where the map says there is a restaurant and a place to camp. But the restaurant had broken windows and someone said that it wasn't going to be opened tonight. Plus the camp ground was just the backyard behind the run down restaurant. And it wasn't so much as a backyard as it was a junk yard for broken trailers. So i kept going to the gas station and camp in Muddy Gap. This place was pretty bad too. There is no grass, only rocks, and all the gas station had to eat was Chef Boyardi which I ate cold. Definitely one of the worst nights of the trip. I wish i realized how bad it was earlier so I would have done another 22 miles to Jeffrey City where there is supposed to be a hotel and a camp that cant possibly be worse than this, but who knows in this state.
Wyoming is pretty cool though. Its totally wide open with little to no signs of habitation. But the views change very little since you can see for 10 miles at a time. So its a little like Kansas in that aspect but at least there is a view.
I left the camp ground around 8:30 and planned to get some food in Saratoga which was only 18 miles down the road. I did the distance pretty quick and got found a place for breakfast by 9:45 but the place was pretty crowded and I didn't get served my pancakes until 10:20. I wanted to use the library there but decided to push on. I learned later that there was a really great hot spring in Saratoga that I could have gone into for free. But there are a few more places that i will be able to stop in that have some but these were apparently pretty good.
Again it was mostly down hill and the climbs that I did have weren't too bad. I feel like I’m getting back in shape and my lungs are adjusting to the altitude again. I had to ride on the interstate for a while today but it wasn't too terrible. There was a wide shoulder and it seemed like people would move to the other lane if they were able to. Subway for lunch in Rawlins where i met an old local guy who still biked a lot and knew about the Trans Am and had a bunch of questions for me. I found the library but it was closed all weekend and I’m guessing that the one in Lander will be closed tomorrow on a Sunday. I had another slight climb that lasted for 16 miles but at the top was another continental divide with a steep descent on the other side that was a lot of fun to go down. Most of the rest of the way was down hill again. I met a guy named Mike on a bike that had both a motor and pedals on it. He seemed pretty weird and dirty and I was glad he kept going when I stopped for the night.
I planned to stop in Lamont where the map says there is a restaurant and a place to camp. But the restaurant had broken windows and someone said that it wasn't going to be opened tonight. Plus the camp ground was just the backyard behind the run down restaurant. And it wasn't so much as a backyard as it was a junk yard for broken trailers. So i kept going to the gas station and camp in Muddy Gap. This place was pretty bad too. There is no grass, only rocks, and all the gas station had to eat was Chef Boyardi which I ate cold. Definitely one of the worst nights of the trip. I wish i realized how bad it was earlier so I would have done another 22 miles to Jeffrey City where there is supposed to be a hotel and a camp that cant possibly be worse than this, but who knows in this state.
Wyoming is pretty cool though. Its totally wide open with little to no signs of habitation. But the views change very little since you can see for 10 miles at a time. So its a little like Kansas in that aspect but at least there is a view.
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