We survived our first night in West Yellowstone without any animal encounters and after some bike adjustments and advice from the rangers, we headed into the park. In our first three miles we were greeted by the Yellowstone wildlife, including a Bison walking in our bicycle lane. Our first night at Morris Junction we met Pablo and Clem- the Spaniard and the Frenchman. They were also touring Yellowstone by bicycle so the next day we headed off together to see the geysers at Norris Junction. We were amazed by the beautiful colors, the smell of rotten eggs and the scorching heat of the sulfuric steam. We parted ways with Pablo and Clem at the Canyon (but ended up running into both of them again in the next couple of days!) The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake took our breath away. We decided on a daytrip down to the Tetons so that we could still go out of the eastern entrance towards Cody. The scenery changed dramatically as we headed east towards Cody and the heart of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. In Cody we stayed with our 'fairy godfather od the west' who we had first met in Cathlamet, WA. We couldn't have asked for better hosts. We still don't know how we will ever repay all the amazing hospitality and kindness we have been offered over the course of this trip. After coming out of the bighorns, we left the rocky mountains behind us and were officially in the Great Plains, finally! In Buffalo, WY we had the incredible luck of meeting another amazing host, fellow bicyclist and environmental historian. Unfortunately, Elisabeth's knee problems had been getting worse and worse over the course of the trip and she had to face the incredibly difficult decision of whether to continue the trip or not. Ultimately, she realized that the knee most likely would not be intact by the time she reached the east coast and so, faced with the hard reality, she and Lindsay parted ways in Buffalo, WY.
snow capped view over the roofs of West Yellowstone
entering Yellowstone!
reflective lake coming into Yellowstone from the west entrance
precarious bike riding when the Bison walks in the bicycle lane
Lindsay and Pablo and the crowd of tourists at Norris geyser basin, Yellowstone
porcelain basin, Yellowstone
geyser!
geothermal smoke, scorching heat and the smell of sulfur
Lindsay at the Yellowstone Canyon
unbelievably gorgeous Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Elisabeth at the Canyon
Bison on Yellowstone River
Yellowstone Lake!
The bicycles posing
elk on Yellowstone Lake
elk love on geothermal grounds
at the top of a canyon on the way to the Tetons
the bikes posing en route to the the Tetons
the Tetons rising out of the lake
unbelievable wetland scenery out of the eastern entrance of Yellowstone
on the road between the eastern entrance of Yellowstone and Cody
looking back on Shoshone national forest outside of Cody
crazy rock formations on the way to Cody
more beautiful rock formations coming into Cody
Buffalo Bill's wild west
storms brewing over the Buffalo Bill Reservoir
share the road
Cody- Rodeo capital of the world
Chugwater formations coming toward the Bighorns
our fairy godfather, the marshmellow queen and Lucie
coming down out of the bighorns
our first view of the Great Plains coming down from the Bighorns
our wonderful host's house in Buffalo, WY
A real he-man cookbook with recipes that use dead things, and hot stuff, and parts of pickup trucks
waterfall through Crazy Woman Canyon
top of Crazy Woman Canyon
lowest town population so far
coal train coming from Gillette,WY- town that hosts the second largest coal mining operation in the United States
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Over the mountains
As much as we loved Missoula, we finally managed to head out and were immediately treated again to wonderful hosts in Corvallis, MT. The next day we pedaled to Hamilton and could not get out of the Bitterroot Valley! We had 3 flats in one day, and finally, with the help of the friendly folks at Valley Bicycles we gave up and camped just south of Hamilton for the night. The next few days we went up some fun passes, including the Lost Trail Pass, where, despite the detailed journals of Lewis and Clark, historians still cannot figure out where the expedition crossed the mountains. We went over the continental divide for the first of several times at Chief Joseph Pass. We rushed through the Big Hole Valley, where mosquitoes chased us at more than 15 mph, clinging to Lindsay's rear panniers even at over 35. At Twin Bridges we saw an amazing thing- a campground dedicated to cyclists! It had an indoor eating space with information about the area, a bike stand, a pump, a sink for dishes, and a shower and bathroom, as well as a grassy area to camp. If only every town had a campground which really understood all of bicyclists needs. Unfortunately, it was only 20 miles into our ride, so we continued on. The next day we entered into Nevada City, a gold rush ghost town next to the tourist town of Virginia City, the classic western cowboy destination. Planning to camp there, we ran into trouble because it was the night before the 4th and everywhere was full. We were rescued by the owners of a wonderful bed and breakfast in Nevada City who hosted us for the next couple of days. We had a truly amazing time- saw a classic 4th of July parade in Ennis, Montana, ate BBQ and set off our own fireworks display in the backyard. The next day we headed up over the pass into Ennis and toward West Yellowstone. Our last moments in Montana were some of the best times of our trip, Montanans always treated us as one of their own.
On the beautiful bike path between Lolo and Corvallis, MT.
beautiful Montana farmland below the mountains
dealing with Elisabeth's first flat on the way to Corvallis
stopping for a quick pb&j
The usual grocery cart- for breakfast: oatmeal, fruit, for lunch: cheese and other sandwich material, for dinner: ramen and vegetables
trying to figure out where we are
beautiful sunset light after coming down a long pass
our host's glass recycling program in a state where glass recycling is virtually nonexistant
Beaverhead Mountain, Montana- used as an important geographical marker by Native Americans
Twin Bridges bike camp! A campground just for bicyclists.
http://www.cyclecamp-twinbridges.com/
Nevada City, Montana- a gold rush ghost town
old Nevada City shack
our bicycles posing in Nevada City
our tarp set-up at 'Just an Experience' B&B- and it was an amazing experience
Fourth of July parade photos- Ennis, Montana
a little piece of Princeton
Ennis, Montana 4th of July
"Hike It Bike It Hoof It" brigade of the fourth of July parade
setting off 4th of July fireworks in the B&B's backyard
after a long climb
our fist big pass and our first out of several continental divide crossings
how amazingly beautiful is Montana?
coming up one more hill
Mexican food in a bus, delicious breakfast burrito
on the road downhill into Ennis, a gorgeous view of the Rockies
In Ennis where 'you can catch it all'
On the beautiful bike path between Lolo and Corvallis, MT.
beautiful Montana farmland below the mountains
dealing with Elisabeth's first flat on the way to Corvallis
stopping for a quick pb&j
The usual grocery cart- for breakfast: oatmeal, fruit, for lunch: cheese and other sandwich material, for dinner: ramen and vegetables
trying to figure out where we are
beautiful sunset light after coming down a long pass
our host's glass recycling program in a state where glass recycling is virtually nonexistant
Beaverhead Mountain, Montana- used as an important geographical marker by Native Americans
Twin Bridges bike camp! A campground just for bicyclists.
http://www.cyclecamp-twinbridges.com/
Nevada City, Montana- a gold rush ghost town
old Nevada City shack
our bicycles posing in Nevada City
our tarp set-up at 'Just an Experience' B&B- and it was an amazing experience
Fourth of July parade photos- Ennis, Montana
a little piece of Princeton
Ennis, Montana 4th of July
"Hike It Bike It Hoof It" brigade of the fourth of July parade
setting off 4th of July fireworks in the B&B's backyard
after a long climb
our fist big pass and our first out of several continental divide crossings
how amazingly beautiful is Montana?
coming up one more hill
Mexican food in a bus, delicious breakfast burrito
on the road downhill into Ennis, a gorgeous view of the Rockies
In Ennis where 'you can catch it all'
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