Tres Amigos
At long last, we successfully met up with BJ in Ennis (transported by childhood friends John and Gretchen, along with K-9 companions Cash and McKinley). We all five camped along the river for the night, ate Elk steak (that John shot with his bow), and chatted. Good change of pace for me and Aidan. Morning came with some Elk-erizo (Elk Chorizo) breakfast burritos. A casual start and we were off. John and Gretchen came with us for about 20 miles, and we looked like a fearsome pack - a forced to be reckoned with.
Just before the road went downhill, we parted ways, with a backdrop of snow covered hills and amber waves of grain. Not a house to be seen. They went West. We went East. It was one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever said farewell. We plodded on and toughed out a not so welcoming headwind for the second half of the ride. It was a tedious 74 miles to West Yellowstone. And no, we didn’t really give BJ much of a warm up - it was a tough ride even for us after three full weeks on the road. But he made it. And still smiling. Into the park the following day after a bit of a chaotic morning of bike repair, post offices, and some forgotten items in town. We were on the road though, and cruised through Yellowstone Park at a biking pace. It is an absolutely amazing way to see the park, and I highly recommend it - far over driving. Biking allows for all of the senses to be stimulated - you dont get to experience the smell of a decaying, rain soaked carcass just off the side of the road when driving in a car, or the sound of a cow giving birth, or the taste of big, fat beetles getting crammed down your throat. But really, the smells, sounds, and even tastes of the environments are all so distinctive and varying. It is an aspect of the ride that I hadn’t thought of at all. The experience of traveling through Yellowstone at no more than 15 mph, while the slowest car gets maybe down to 35mph, allows you to experience the park in such a different way. We watched a Bison swim across a river, saw some Eagletts, watched the Elk graze, and cruised by some Geysers. We even got the all exciting Bison herd on the road, and had to use a 15 passenger van as a barricade. Those things are big. And fast. But not as smart as the Lightning. We got away unscathed! A great day it was.
We managed a campsite in the picnic area at Old Faithful. After a phone call in search of a reservation further south, we learned that we had been misinformed at the gate and the next closest campground was some 40 miles away. It was 5 o’clock. With a little needling and some persistence the good folks of Yellowstone National said we could find a spot behind the parking lots so long as we were careful of grizzly bears. Our little misunderstanding did, however, allow us to see the old girl spew 6 times. Nothin’ like sipping a nice cup of coffee at 8am while watching a national icon do its thing. We rode out of the park the following day, and down into Grand Teton Nation Park. Also quite spectacular as the we flew around the final a bend of the pass and the woods opened up to Jackson Lake with the Tetons rising above. Beautiful. That night was spent in Colter Bay, graced by the presence of the lovely Ms. Meredith Hanrahan, who made the trip from Salt Lake to see what this Ride the Lightning tour was all about. She made us delicious bagel sandwiches and topped it off with double stuffed Oreos for dessert. Wowzer. The following morning (Sunday) was planned to be Togwotee Pass - our tallest pass of the ride. With little arguing or discussion, we decided instead to head the 34 miles south and stop by Jackson to see some old friends. We arrived in Jackson, spent more time in some Bike shops, weathered a rain storm while I finally got my rear brake back in order (some 700 miles and 10 hours of bike shops after initial failure - Aidan cringes when I even mention bike shops now!)…..
NEW FORMAT! Thumbnails enlarge. Next time we should be able to have them even bigger. We’re pretty excited on our discovery, hope you are too.
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- Hugs all around. Thanks for taking care of us Gretchen and John.
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- John disposes of the dog's prize.
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- Cash found a treat in the woods. This thing smelled something serious.
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- Elk steaks on the grill. Bow slain and prepared by our hosts for the evening.
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- Visiting night. BJ gets dropped off from Bozeman in John's man truck.
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- Dinner is a cookin'. Elk steaks, corn and salad. Summertime in Montana.
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- Elk-erizo breakfast burrito. On a grill no less. Gretchen and John we thank you thank you thank you. Delicious. Amazing.
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- Peloton. Four out of five on our group ride out of Ennis. Look at how much fun Gretchen and John are having. This could be you. Come hang!
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- Spinach, tomato, mushroom pasta with a dose of parmesan. Life is good.
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- More geysers, these things smell like our sleeping bags.
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- Jackson Lake and the Tetons. An "Oh my god" moment for sure.
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- So here's Sam piloting around a Yellowstone bison herd. These are big animals that pretty much do whatever they please. We skirted with the help of a 15 passenger van and some quick pedaling.
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- Amber waves of grain, purple mountains majesty. Eat it up.
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- Nuff said.
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- Waking up to 20 degree temps on the 21st of May. The sun is a warm friend.
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- Stadium seating for a little nature viewing. Wilderness, America style.
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- Morning cup of coffee and the geyser was only a few minutes late. The people watching is way better this over-hyped bidet.
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- Old Faithful parking lot. Iceberg right ahead.
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- Doneski in the center of Jackson. BJ wins the challenge for shortest time from bike to completely horizontal every time.
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- Wildlife front and center. BJ gets a taste of an elk herd on the move. Just another beautiful moment in Grand Teton National Park.
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- John is a gear superstar. He looked damn good on a road bike. Especially since minutes before he was in his Montana formal wear--shit kickers, jeans and a flannel.
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- That's el grande teton up front. Spanish for the Grand Teton. A bit like riding into Mordor.
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- Men in black. There was snow on the side of the road so the contrast was really there, we swear. We're working on the color thing.
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- White lightning! Some of us function act as reflectors so that others get more sun.
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- Samwise taking a picture of Old Faithful with the camera phone. Just doing it tourist style. Ah, memories.
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- Snuck a camp spot in a real nice facility. Paid our price in frozen karma. Those bike shorts are usually spandex.
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- Three-united at last. Missing Clay big time. Our first leg out of Ennis. It was a big one, really threw BJ under the bus.
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- Camp spot by Old Faithful. Not bad for against the rules. The light pole we spent an hour hanging our food from grizzly bears is just across the parking lot.
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- Ms Meredith Hanrahan with gifts in hand. She brought along some delicious bagel sandwich fixings, Double-stuff-Oreo's and a boatload of excitement.
