Day 57 - June 29 - Colter Bay CG to Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, WY - Two Old Guys Take On A Continent

June 29, 2023

Day 57 - June 29 - Colter Bay CG to Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Into the Supervolcano!

Ed’s Story

It didn’t rain anymore after I went to bed. But I just stayed in the tent because it was comfy.

It was a cold night. I got up for a “bio” break around 1:30 and put on my wool tights and jacket for the walk. I just kept them on when I went back to bed.

It was 37 degrees when we got up so my coffee and oatmeal was nice and warm. I think we left the campsite about 7 o’clock.

The mosquitoes were really bad last night. They even tried to get into the tent. Many died with their snout stuck in the tent.

This is one of the poor souls that died, trying to get in.

The ride today to the campground was only 40 miles.

We had two major climbs today. One was 2.7 miles long and over 500 feet; the other was 4 miles long climbing about 800 to 1000 feet. Climbs like that really take a beating on the body. Although I rode all the way up both of them, I did stop numerous times to recover my Jell-O legs.

The mosquitoes along the ride continue to be out in full force. Every time you stop or slow down on the long climbs they engulf you. Now I can understand the movies where animals are being attacked by mosquitoes or flies and they go crazy. I felt like that several times today.

One of the larger lakes we passed on our ride today.

We finally entered Yellowstone National Park. Once again, our senior pass got us in for free. There is definitely beautiful scenery in Yellowstone.

The 4 mile climb was actually in Yellowstone. I used the opportunity when I stopped to rest to take pictures.

We came to another one lane road on the journey today. They were working on a bridge. We applied bug spray while the light was red, then got ahead of most of the traffic when it turned green. One car skirted around John probably closer than he should have.

At the other end, the flagman waved us to the side till the traffic went by. For the rest of the ride the traffic came in intervals as the light allowed the cars through.

We finally arrived at the Grant Village Campground. It’s interesting. Last nights hiker/biker site was $7.22 for the both of us; today was $22.82 with no discounts. The park service needs to get their act together.

While John was checking in, a couple with three kids asked about our ride. I told them about going from Washington DC to Seaside, Oregon. Their seven year old daughter had a small stuffed bear. She told me she had a lot of stuffed animals. I told her my granddaughter must have over 300. She then started having her little bear attack me.

There was a poster of a large grizzly bear with his mouth open. I suggested she have the big grizzly bear eat her bear. She put her little bear up to the grizzlies mouth and just started laughing hysterically. I guess I was now her friend.

After we set up our tents and stored our food in the beer boxes, we went to take a shower. We then headed for the marina where there was a restaurant with a bar. Unfortunately we got there at 3:30 PM and the restaurant didn’t open until five.

We headed back. We went to the general store to pick up some supplies. The store sold single beer cans. We lucked out again.

It has rained several times since we came back to the camp. John and I are currently sitting on a log underneath some trees where the rain isn’t making it through. I expect more rain tonight based on the look of the clouds.

Tomorrow’s ride is only about 37 miles. We will spend the extra time through the day visiting Old Faithful and other sights in the Yellowstone area.

Dinner was a freeze dried meal then it was off to bed.

John’s Story

Before we leave the Grand Teton Mountains, we must explore the translation of the name. If you translate from the French, it means Large Breasts. You can see how French trappers might have named these mountains when they were longing for hearth and home.

In a room in the same small building with the restrooms at Colter Bay, Campground was what looked to me like the Jolly Green Giant’s toilet. It had faucets (cold water only) and a flush handle. It is meant for flushing away dishwater, but I could not help making the comparison. At our campsite tonight at Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park that same room by the toilet has a sink. It makes much more sense to me.

When we stopped at the Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch this morning, for a cup of coffee, I saw a young woman, probably a summer hire, emptying the trash from one of the bear proof, trash cans. I asked her if she had ever seen Yogi Bear cartoons. Yes. Then you will understand, I told her, if I tell you that you are smarter than the average bear.

I was lectured by a large raven when we pulled off to let traffic pass.

I stepped into the forest to satisfy a biological necessity and stumbled upon a random USGS benchmark. What are the chances?

…and entered the John D. Rockefeller Parkway, which in this area sits between Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

I didn’t expect to find this sign in the restroom by the roadside. I didn’t see it anywhere else in the parks.

On the inside of the door to the restroom with the sit-don’t-squat sign was this notice. Can anyone translate?

We eventually entered Yellowstone National Park, and by the end of the day had gained about 1,000’ of elevation. Given that it was in the upper 30s this morning I expect it will be colder tomorrow morning.

You’ve all probably seen some documentary or docudrama about Yellowstone being a super-volcano. We’ll, it is, more or less. Yellowstone sits atop a hotspot, or plume, in the earth’s mantle. The heat from the plume is what created the volcanic features of the park. As we go into the Pacific Northwest we will see more evidence of this plume when it was situated under that part of the country tens of millions of years ago. The thick volcanics exposed in the Columbia River gorge of Washington/Oregon were generated by the same plume. As the North American plate has moved west due to the spreading of the mid-Atlantic Ridge, the plume has stayed stationary in the mantle below. The older volcanics are the farthest west, with Yellowstone the newest. Imagine lighting a match and holding it stationary under a piece of paper that moves over it. The charred trail on the paper would be analogous to the string of volcanic features from the Pacific Coast to Yellowstone. It’s very much like the story of the Hawaiian Islands, except there the plume is under a moving oceanic plate. End of geology lesson.

As we climbed into the park, the Lewis River was below us. It was a precipitous drop from the road to the river, with no guard rail or any other protection at the edge of the road. There was no shoulder. Needless to say it was a bit hair-raising, especially with traffic passing us constantly.

We waited in line at a construction site…

… with a timed light to regulate traffic.

We stopped by the side of a lake to let traffic pass. I thought I saw two buoys in the lake, but a closer look revealed they were two people standing there. Ed said he saw one of them make a casting motion, but I didn’t see any fishing poles.

We crossed the Continental Divide again, back to the Missouri River side.

I did see a few flowers today.

Three stages in the life cycle of a dandelion. From left to right, ready to bloom, abloom, closed and dried up.

This is for Aiden. It’s the tiniest grasshopper I’ve ever seen, only about 1/8” long. They were hopping all over my tent as I set it up.

We rode down to the lake to the restaurant we were told had a bar, but when we arrived at 3:15 we discovered it would not open for almost two more hours. Back up the hill we rode to the General Store, where we bought single cans of beer to take back to the campsite.

It rained lightly a few times in the afternoon and evening but we stayed pretty dry. Most of the rain was virga that never hit the ground. We turned in for a chilly night.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,350 miles (2,173 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	6
Comment on this entry	Comment	0