Journal Stage 6
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Please Click Below to view Journal Entries from STAGE1, STAGE2, STAGE3, STAGE4, or STAGE 5.
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Marie, Brandon, and I left Bozeman, MT on the 16th of September. We traveled east on I-90 persuaded by a 30 mph tailwind, which soon placed us in Livingston. Little did we know it would be the last and final tailwind we would have for the next few weeks. The next day we traveled down 89 and found ourselves in Gardiner, MT and the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Each national park charges an entrance fee, Yellowstone happens to be $30 per private non-commercial vehicle (no matter how many occupants) and a $12 fee for each cyclist. Fortunately, I had purchased a National Parks Pass before embarking on this journey, knowing that I would be going through 22 national parks. I told Marie and Brandon that the annual pass will get us all in as we approached the gatehouse. A young man was working and told us it would be $12 each. I then handed him my annual pass and he said that this will get me in but not the other two cyclists with me. It had already been a long day of pedaling through headwinds and I was not in a good mood anyway. I said, "This pass will get us all into the park," and began to explain how it had worked in several parks already. The ranger said each park is different and your riding companions will have to pay their own entrance fee to Yellowstone. Meanwhile the line is getting long with cars idling diesel and exhaust all the way to the old Roosevelt entrance.
For good reason, I started to get mad and impatient at the policies being told to me by this ranger. I asked, "If we were all in a Ford Excursion with nine other people with a giant travel trailer behind and bikes and motorcycles strapped to the sides and roof, we would all get in with my annual pass?" The ranger replied, "Yes, you would all get into the park since you are in a private non-commercial vehicle." Brandon and Marie are trying to calm me down because now I was fuming since this made absolutely no sense. I proposed we flag down a truck, throw our bikes, gear, and ourselves in the bed and then give the ranger the pass. Then we would all be in a vehicle and not only would we get in for free but so would the driver in the truck who would ordinarily have to pay $30. The ranger said, “yes you can do that and I need you to pull off to the side." I said, "Please get the person I need to talk to down here because I have an annual National Parks Pass here in my hand and we are all going the park and we are not paying you a dime." A few minutes later a very nice ranger came out and repeated everything the gate operator had just recited to me. I asked her if it made any sense and she said no it does not but we do not fly the airplane we just take the tickets. I then began reading the back of the pass and it said, "Where per person fees are charged the pass entitles the pass holder and up to three other individuals access to the national park." She asked us to wait and informed us that she needed to make a phone call. Park law enforcement has already been called. I told Brandon and Marie that if there was ever anything to get arrested over it was this! After a few minutes the lady returned and handed me my pass and told me, "You are absolutely right and good job for sticking to your guns." She said have a nice day and enjoy the park and returned to the kiosk. The three of us entered the park in disbelief and winded up the long climb to Mammoth Hot Springs with RV's and cars roaring past 30 feet apart.
Surviving Dunraven Pass
Marie crested the hill and did not even stop as she was sure we had both gotten struck by lighting by even hanging around in such a place. Brandon and I waited a few more minutes for the snow and ice to really start coming down. Our bikes, the ground, and our bodies were getting covered in frozen precipitation. We rode off into a black and white cloud down a 10% grade laughing the entire way as we saw the passing motorists' faces! Just when we thought the madness was calming a coyote darted out in front of Brandon and I as we were descending at 40 mph on fully loaded bicycles. We both screamed like schoolgirls and the coyote did the same! We jerked left and thankfully the coyote went right. In a few more minutes we were on flat terrain and were at Canyon Junction. The snow was now a light sprinkle and we all began talking about our survival of Dunraven as we pedaled the remaining 14 miles to Norris under seemingly calm skies.
Our first night in Yellowstone was cold and wet, but we woke up to partly cloudy skies. We planned to ride east towards the Tower junction, then down to Canyon junction, finally ending the day at Norris campground for the night. The route would take us over Dunraven Pass, elevation 8,859 feet! After passing Tower junction, dark clouds began to move in. Since it was late September, the campgrounds at Tower and Canyon were already closed for the season and so we had little choice but to keep pedaling. Brandon and I started hammering up the pass with Marie just behind. After nearly two hours of grueling climbing, with a headwind, we arrived at the summit of the pass! We stopped to take pictures and to put on some layers since it was about 30 degrees with winds gusting up to 40 mph. Thunder began to clap through the valley ahead of us and the skies turned to dusk even though it was only 4 p.m. Then came the frozen stuff! Brandon began yelling thunder snow...thunder snow...running around like a chicken with its head cut off while I began to yell its hailing and snowing and we are at 9,000 feet Brandon!
Marie crested the hill and did not even stop as she was sure we had both gotten struck by lighting by even hanging around in such a place. Brandon and I waited a few more minutes for the snow and ice to really start coming down. Our bikes, the ground, and our bodies were getting covered in frozen precipitation. We rode off into a black and white cloud down a 10% grade laughing the entire way as we saw the passing motorists' faces! Just when we thought the madness was calming a coyote darted out in front of Brandon and I as we were descending at 40 mph on fully loaded bicycles. We both screamed like schoolgirls and the coyote did the same! We jerked left and thankfully the coyote went right. In a few more minutes we were on flat terrain and were at Canyon Junction. The snow was now a light sprinkle and we all began talking about our survival of Dunraven as we pedaled the remaining 14 miles to Norris under seemingly calm skies.
I have found myself in the Tetons a few times over the years but never in a time where they were not covered in several feet of snow. Jackson Hole is my favorite ski area and I do not pass up too many opportunities to ski down its famous couloirs and unrivaled steep terrain. After showers and predominantly overcast skies through Yellowstone, the forecast for Teton National Park had turned 180 degrees to perfect blue skies and less headwinds! We all three were excited to see the Tetons and to dry out from riding in conditions our mothers would have never let us pedal through as children, or adults had they known. After exiting the south entrance of Yellowstone the color of the leaves became so dramatic that it began to confuse the lens on my camera. There were dozens of colors and each angle of the sun produced new colors not visible just a bend in the road before. Perhaps this is the reason that this gallery is nearly double the size as my previous stages.
We pedaled by Jackson, Leigh, String, and Jenny lakes and took several photos of the reflection of the Tetons off the clear glassy water. We took the Moose-Wilson road and passed by Jackson Hole ski area before arriving in downtown Jackson. I have two great friends in the area and lucky for us, they were both in for the weekend. We first went to Galen Parke's house in downtown to get some showers after half a dozen days. I met Galen at Montana State in 2003 and we have remained close friends ever since. After showers it was time to head over the pass to Allison Warren's place! I know Allison from NC and we have been friends for nearly a decade, man I am getting old. Allison, her boyfriend Joe, and their dog Robs just moved into a new cabin in Victor, ID. We all stayed the night in Victor and enjoyed Teton Burgers (1 lb burgers), an awesome breakfast, and some fresh baked cookies after staying in an actual bed for the first time since Alaska! Thanks again Galen, Allison, and Joe!
We pedaled by Jackson, Leigh, String, and Jenny lakes and took several photos of the reflection of the Tetons off the clear glassy water. We took the Moose-Wilson road and passed by Jackson Hole ski area before arriving in downtown Jackson. I have two great friends in the area and lucky for us, they were both in for the weekend. We first went to Galen Parke's house in downtown to get some showers after half a dozen days. I met Galen at Montana State in 2003 and we have remained close friends ever since. After showers it was time to head over the pass to Allison Warren's place! I know Allison from NC and we have been friends for nearly a decade, man I am getting old. Allison, her boyfriend Joe, and their dog Robs just moved into a new cabin in Victor, ID. We all stayed the night in Victor and enjoyed Teton Burgers (1 lb burgers), an awesome breakfast, and some fresh baked cookies after staying in an actual bed for the first time since Alaska! Thanks again Galen, Allison, and Joe!
The weather after Teton National Park took a turn for the worse. We still had the headwinds but the showers, sleet, snow and cold temperatures were back. I think three days went by where the tent just stayed soaking wet both inside and out. September 24 was my birthday and I had gone to bed the night before to light snow and temperatures in the 20's. The morning brought more of the same and Brandon woke me up from my sealed mummy bag with a loud, "Happy Birthday!" We packed up and rode down a pass for Montpelier, ID. We got in about noon and ate some grub at Butch Cassidy's Motel / Gas Station / Gift Shop / Restaurant. There was a Super 8 across the street and we all agreed it would be amazing to stay in a motel for the night. Two things put the icing on the cake, the words hot tub and the bank sign across the street flashing 35 degrees F!
We enjoyed the Super 8 very much and each took two 25-minute showers. The next day we pulled 75 miles over Logan Pass, through a swirling headwind, to Logan, UT. Brandon was scheduled to catch the Greyhound the next day at four and he insisted we get a motel for the night so that he get clean for his 16 hour bus ride and so that he could get organized. Perhaps Marie and I were getting soft, but we said, “Sure, sounds good!” The location was again a luxury Super 8 with a hot tub and super start breakfast! Brandon caught the bus the next day out of Logan and I can assure you he was clean when he got on. Marie and I then looked at the map and the road south. The huge cities of Ogden, Salt Lake City, Orem, and Provo were all ahead of us and there was no way around them. The Great Salt Lake to our right and huge mountains to the left meant city riding for the next several days...
We enjoyed the Super 8 very much and each took two 25-minute showers. The next day we pulled 75 miles over Logan Pass, through a swirling headwind, to Logan, UT. Brandon was scheduled to catch the Greyhound the next day at four and he insisted we get a motel for the night so that he get clean for his 16 hour bus ride and so that he could get organized. Perhaps Marie and I were getting soft, but we said, “Sure, sounds good!” The location was again a luxury Super 8 with a hot tub and super start breakfast! Brandon caught the bus the next day out of Logan and I can assure you he was clean when he got on. Marie and I then looked at the map and the road south. The huge cities of Ogden, Salt Lake City, Orem, and Provo were all ahead of us and there was no way around them. The Great Salt Lake to our right and huge mountains to the left meant city riding for the next several days...
Antelope Island
I have gone on and on this entire newsletter about headwinds but none were as worse as those we encountered on Antelope Island. Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, which is the largest natural lake east of the Mississippi. For those who do not know, the Great Salt Lake is a basin and so the only way water exits this massive body of water is through evaporation. Therefore the minerals have nowhere to go and so the lake is full of salt and other minerals. The salinity ranges between 4 and 28%, compared to the ocean at 3%. The lake at its deepest part is 33 feet and salinity was over 20% while we were there. It is impossible to drown in this lake as you float like a cork because of the salt levels. The island looks like a desert from above but surprisingly is home to 600 bison, antelope, deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, and hundreds of species of migratory birds. Enough with the naturalist talk and back to that headwind!
It was impossible to get any information on the island before going out. The island was 12 miles from the "city" and everyone we asked about Antelope Island either said, "Where?" or "I have only lived here a couple years so I have not been out there yet." So we rode blindly into the melting light on a Friday night to the island to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 50. I consider myself a strong rider now and I was pedaling a solid six mph and working hard! It took one and a half hours to set up the tent up because of the winds. The tent had 14 stakes holding it down with every guy line tied out anchored down with 20 lb+ boulders!
We got to bed around midnight after changing my arm dressing inside a flapping tent. In the morning, the other four people that were there the night before had fired up their engines and got out of dodge since it had started raining with 34 degree temperatures in the early morning hours. With the winds still tropical storm strength, Marie and I could do nothing but weather the storm inside the tent. Around three p.m. we got outside and took pictures of the light snow and bison roaming 30 feet from the tent. I think we were the only people on the island for the next night. After returning to civilization, everyone we met in Salt Lake wanted to know where we stayed the last two nights? When we said we were on Antelope Island they just replied "WOW, bet that was an adventure!"
It was impossible to get any information on the island before going out. The island was 12 miles from the "city" and everyone we asked about Antelope Island either said, "Where?" or "I have only lived here a couple years so I have not been out there yet." So we rode blindly into the melting light on a Friday night to the island to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 50. I consider myself a strong rider now and I was pedaling a solid six mph and working hard! It took one and a half hours to set up the tent up because of the winds. The tent had 14 stakes holding it down with every guy line tied out anchored down with 20 lb+ boulders!
We got to bed around midnight after changing my arm dressing inside a flapping tent. In the morning, the other four people that were there the night before had fired up their engines and got out of dodge since it had started raining with 34 degree temperatures in the early morning hours. With the winds still tropical storm strength, Marie and I could do nothing but weather the storm inside the tent. Around three p.m. we got outside and took pictures of the light snow and bison roaming 30 feet from the tent. I think we were the only people on the island for the next night. After returning to civilization, everyone we met in Salt Lake wanted to know where we stayed the last two nights? When we said we were on Antelope Island they just replied "WOW, bet that was an adventure!"
After leaving Antelope Island we were back in a paved valley. There was a Best Buy and a Wal-Mart Super center every eight miles. It was enough to drive me crazy after riding through Alaska and Canada just a few months before. The small town friendliness was completely gone with the exception of a few nice people we met. If it was not their job they were not going to help you.
A few nights ago, just south of Salt Lake, it was seven p.m. and the sun was going down. I looked at Marie and said we are in a huge city, it is dark, and we have no idea where we are going to stay. I found a church a few miles down the road with a soccer field behind. The field had a gate and a sign that read, No Trespassing. With little choice I knocked on the house immediately adjacent to the field. A man came to the door with a phone up to his ear and said, "What do you want?" I explained we are touring and that we started in Alaska before he interrupted me and said, "What do you want?" I asked to pitch the tent and to my surprise he said, "Whatever, I don't care." So we stayed the night and battled the city for two more days before exiting via 89 South towards Bryce Canyon National Park. Now we are back to nothing except tiny towns. We are now in semi-desert conditions with huge temperature swings. The days may reach 80 and the nights down to 20 with snow! From here we will ride south to Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks. Then we will skirt the Grand Canyon and pedal for Flagstaff and what should be warmer temperatures in central Arizona! One thing I have learned in Utah is that not every dot on the map has services, houses, people, water, food, or even a sign.
A few nights ago, just south of Salt Lake, it was seven p.m. and the sun was going down. I looked at Marie and said we are in a huge city, it is dark, and we have no idea where we are going to stay. I found a church a few miles down the road with a soccer field behind. The field had a gate and a sign that read, No Trespassing. With little choice I knocked on the house immediately adjacent to the field. A man came to the door with a phone up to his ear and said, "What do you want?" I explained we are touring and that we started in Alaska before he interrupted me and said, "What do you want?" I asked to pitch the tent and to my surprise he said, "Whatever, I don't care." So we stayed the night and battled the city for two more days before exiting via 89 South towards Bryce Canyon National Park. Now we are back to nothing except tiny towns. We are now in semi-desert conditions with huge temperature swings. The days may reach 80 and the nights down to 20 with snow! From here we will ride south to Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks. Then we will skirt the Grand Canyon and pedal for Flagstaff and what should be warmer temperatures in central Arizona! One thing I have learned in Utah is that not every dot on the map has services, houses, people, water, food, or even a sign.
Ride On, Right On!
