Day 19 Cody

June 6, 2018

Cody, Wyoming

We’ve officially ridden over 1000 miles!

Up before sunrise and rolling by 6:10 for a long day to Cody. The temperature this morning was in the low 30’s and we had multiple layers on as we took off. We biked along the north side of Yellowstone Lake, passing numerous small geysers. Along one section near Mary’s Bay, the geysers spanned both sides of the road and the pavement felt warm. Apparently the temperature of the water at that end of the lake can get to 225 degrees! We finally saw some bison as well. We had a steady climb along the east side of the lake before the ascent to Sylvan Pass at 8700 ft (started at 7700). We both absolutely loved this side of the park. Incredible scenery the entire way, and it smelled so good. Jon decided that someone needs to make an air freshener that combines pine duff and snow melt. It was wonderful to just breathe in the smell of the mountains. I highly recommend this entrance, especially on a bike! After getting to the top of Sylvan Pass, we had a screaming 6 mile descent to 6900 ft and only got passed by 4 vehicles. Talk about a thrill ride! After we left the park we took a break at Pahaska Tepee Resort for second breakfast. Delicious and totally necessary for getting to Cody. As we left the mountains of Yellowstone, we experienced the beauty of Shoshone National Forest. All along the corridor there were amazing areas of exposed red rock cliffs and canyons along the Shoshone River. Every turn was an even more incredible formation. We each uttered “wow” at least dozen times. Eventually though, the fun subsided and we had to get serious about moving faster. Big storm clouds were building behind us and in front of us. We straddled 2 storm systems all the way into Cody. As we rounded Buffalo Bill Reservoir about 6 miles out of Cody, we had a long tunnel to contend with. Amazingly we got through the 3/4 mile tunnel without one single vehicle behind us! It was crazy cold inside too! After that we cruised into Cody and stopped at the grocery store to stock up. We called our Warm Showers host and he offered to come pick us up, as the thunderstorms had finally caught up with us. Paul Blough and his new bride Jane were our hosts for the night. They fed us a wonderful dinner of pizza, salad, fresh fruit and angel food cake with strawberries. We sat for quite a while sharing stories. Paul did a bike ride across the SE US and up the East coast to Maryland to raise funds and awareness for cancer. He’d lost his wife of 40 years to cancer the year before he did his ride. In March, he married Jane, who’d also lost her husband to cancer. Despite losing long term life partners, they both had a wonderful outlook on life. They both realize that it’s important to take the opportunity to live your life to the fullest; you never know what lies ahead. Exactly why we are where we are. ❤️🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🏻‍♂️

Today's ride: 83 miles (134 km)
Total: 2,846 miles (4,580 km)

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