Saturday, July 17, 2010

America's first national park and the wild west

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

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'