July 20, 2006
Day 49: Colter Bay Village, WY to West Yellowstone, MT
90.48 Miles, 7:16:20 Ride Time, 12.66 Average Speed, 35.7 Maximum Speed
I was up and riding on the main road through the park by 7:30 this morning. My goal today was to ride through the Grand Teton National Park and its larger neighbor, Yellowstone National Park, and get to Montana. I had calculated that this would be 80+ miles, and would include two crossings of the Continental Divide (which would mean some climbing, of course).
The ride out of the park was mostly around Jackson Lake, and the views of the Tetons were spectacular. Photographs (at least mine) don't really capture how majestic these mountains are.
Traffic wasn't too heavy as I rode toward Yellowstone National Park. At one point I met a pickup truck whose driver blew its horn as it approached. When it got closer I recognized the driver as Brandon, who, with his father and sister, were taking a few days off from riding. I probably wouldn't see them again, unless I took a day or two off in the next couple of weeks.
I wasn't too impressed with my initial view of Yellowstone - there was lots of evidence of the fires that have burned many trees in the last several years, and it was sort of ugly, actually. It certainly suffered in comparison to the Tetons.
As I rode along the Lewis river for several miles, the traffic got increasingly heavy on the mostly-shoulderless two lane road. I had heard that traffic was a problem in Yellowstone, but I was surprised by just how heavy it was - I was passed by (what seemed like) thousands of cars, trucks, and motor homes today. I will say, however, that only a few times did I feel threatened; for the most part, the drivers were courteous.
After I passed Lewis Lake, I climbed to the first crossing of the Continental Divide today. It was still early in the day, and I wasn't tired, so it wasn't too difficult. Eight miles later, I climbed up to Craig Pass (elev. 8,391), and another crossing of the Continental Divide. It was hot now, and this was one was tougher.
That was the end of the hill-climbing for a while. The rest of the day I would be riding along the Firehole and Madison rivers.
About ten miles after the descent from Craig Pass, I reached the area of the famous geysers, including Old Faithful. I was more into the ride now, and not the scenery, and I didn't even stop and take any pictures (I regret this a little, but at the time, I didn't think that the boiling holes in the ground were that interesting. I was too focused on counting down the miles, and avoiding getting run over). I did stop at one of the few gas stations in the park for a snack break, where I talked to a guy who had lots of questions about my trip. I've been doing this for so many days now, and it's become such a routine, that it takes a conversation like this one to remind me just how unusual it is to ride a bicycle, almost every day for two months, across the USA.
Several miles later, as I rode along the Madison River, the sky darkened, and it started to sprinkle. I pulled over to get out my rain pants and jacket, and a guy in a car parked nearby told me that I should "take cover - it's going to get rough." It didn't look that bad to me, however, so I put on my rain gear and rode on. The sprinkles turned into a shower, but it wasn't that bad - it was actually a little refreshing.
In about 15 minutes, the sun came out, so I pulled over to take off the rain gear. A couple on a motorcyle had parked nearby, and I talked to them for a few minutes. They hadn't been able to find their rain clothes, and had gotten wet. It's been interesting to talk to motorcyclists on this trip. For the most part, they seem interested and impressed by the scope of my trip (it's possible that they're actually thinking I'm crazy, of course).
It was a gradual descent most of the way out of the park. I kept looking for the usual big, colorful state sign to indicate that I had crossed into Montana, but all I saw was a small, wooden, national park-style "Entering Montana" plaque. I thought I would see a "real" state sign at some point (I didn't), so I didn't bother stopping to take a picture.
I was a little shocked at how big and busy West Yellowstone was. It reminded me of Gatlinburg, Tennessee - loaded with tourists. I first stopped at some of the newer-looking hotels. They either had no rooms available, or they were in the $150 to $300 price range! The second-tier motels were also expensive, and some of them only had smoking rooms left. I was tired, and ready to stop for the day, so I settled on one of the older motels, the Madison. I didn't look at the room before paying (dumb), and was disappointed at how tiny it was. No air conditioner, and only one towel in the bathroom. No wireless internet connection, of course; and (this was a first), they wanted $5 to use the dial-up connection on the computer in their lobby. What a ripoff...
As I was attempting to get the bike into the small room, I noticed that my front tire was flat. I must have picked something up in the parking lot of the Madison, I thought. It was lucky that it happened here, at least; there was a bike shop next door to the motel, and the $3 that the owner charged me to change it was the best deal I got in West Yellowstone.
There was a laundromat a block away, so I washed some clothes, then had to take the wet clothes a few blocks to another laundromat when I discovered that none of the dryers were in working order at laundromat #1.
By now it was dusk, and had gotten cooler. I walked around town, mingling with the "regular" tourists. Now that I had gotten my mundane errands accomplished, I was in a better mood, and the town seemed more appealing. I bought some groceries, ate at McDonalds, then got a reservation for tomorrow night at a motel in Ennis, which was supposed to be smaller and more laid-back than West Yellowstone.
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Today's ride: 90 miles (145 km)
Total: 3,099 miles (4,987 km)
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