Flagg Ranch, WY - Jackson, WY

It was a gorgeous day today.  In the low 70s, not a cloud in the blue sky.  I rode from Flagg Ranch through Grand Teton National Park, where I took a scenic road around Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake.  The Tetons were apparently named in the 1820s by French fur trappers.  The translation is fairly apparent.  It makes perfect sense to me, as frontier fur-trapping was surely a lonely business.

They are picture-perfect mountains, jaggedly rising straight out of the flat plain that is Jackson Hole.  The big lakes at their feet allow for some magnificent contrasts.  The road was wide and smooth.  Except for getting buzzed by a few RVs, drivers blissfully listening to The Best of Lawrence Welk, it was a pleasure.  There is a bike path that starts about 20 miles north of Jackson and heads straight into town.  

Miles away from town I saw a wisp of white smoke rising into the otherwise cloudless sky.  I thought there was a house fire in town, or perhaps a car fire.  Over the next hour-and-a-half it took me to pedal into town, the plume grew tenfold and turned a telltale shade of amber.  It was a forest fire, and growing rapidly.  It appeared to be directly behind the Snow King ski area which is right in town.  It turns out that it was a couple of ridges behind the ski area, but still very close to town.  I heard on the radio that some mandatory evacuations were in effect.  Later on, as I cruised down the road to my KOA accommodation, the highway was lined with cars and people gawking and taking photos.  There were three air tankers and a helicopter doing endless slow loops to and from the fire.  

There were lots of bicyclists riding into town all day.  Later I heard that it was a race from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY.  206 miles and 7000 feet of climbing.  That is unfathomable.  Some people were still coming in after dark.  They didn't look like they were having fun.  At all.

While in Jackson, I stopped a few places and got into several conversations.  An interesting one was at the bike shop, where I discussed recumbent bicycles at some length with a guy who looked like a hairy Bjorn Borg.  He had also ridden across southern Wyoming, and recommended a road.  Later he recounted the story, saying that the wind was so bad he had to walk his bike for fear of being blown into the traffic lane.  Great recommendation, dude.  Winds are forecast to pick up tomorrow and Monday, so I may take a break here in Jackson.  Tomorrow I think I am going to ride back to Jackson (10 miles uphill, unfortunately), and rent a mountain bike to take up to the Snow King ski area.  I'll bet there will be a lot of people up there watching the fire.  

Hero neighbor Mike sent me a down mummy sleeping bag and bivy.  I feel so confident in staying warm that I put the hammock up again tonight.

*updated yesterday's pics also

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Tetons from the north

Pretty good road

Strange caterpillar

As I got closer to town, this is what I saw

Downtown Jackson

Spectators lined the road to watch

Lake Lodge, Yellowstone NP - Flagg Ranch, WY

Every day has a story.  I awoke in one of the park's staff cabins before daybreak, and headed out. There was more of the park to see before heading south to Tetons.  On the way south, I walked through the West Thumb geyser basin, which is on the shore of Yellowstone Lake.  Deep pools and mudpots and mini fountains hiss and bubble next to the lake.  It was a gorgeous autumn-feeling day and the views across the lake were endless.  I think it was the most picturesque of the thermal features in Yellowstone.  The steam isn't even smelly.  Some of the deep blue pools looked very inviting for a soak, although that may not be the best idea.

After I left West Thumb, I spent a really long time trying to figure out some logistics.  Super-neighbor Mike shipped one of my good sleeping bags and a bivy sack to the KOA in Jackson.  He said he's slept in the bivy at 11,000 feet in a storm.  So I will regain my outdoor sleeping capabilities.  I'm still kicking myself for not packing warm enough, but three weeks ago it was a heat wave.  This morning people were scraping ice off their windshields.  

Leaving Yellowstone, I had mixed feelings.  The area has astounding natural beauty, and the idea that there is a vast magma chamber under your feet is mind-boggling.  I grinned ear-to-ear at the things I saw, heard, and smelled.  

The depressing part was that the park infrastructure was in poor shape.  Yellowstone is one of America's crown jewels which millions of people from all over the world visit every summer.  Yet the roads are in dire shape, the boardwalks are rickety, the bathrooms filthy, and the staff had an air of sad resignation.  The Xanterra company makes a killing renting rooms in the historic lodges that the CCC built, and sells Wonder Bread in the park grocery for $4/loaf.  It just seems that the place deserves better.  I guess there is no funding.  

The human impact on the park is significant. The constant stream of roaring cars and RVs, the crush of people jostling to get a good look at some feature, people throwing things in the pools and springs, human waste on the ground at roadside picnic areas… it can be disheartening.  Luckily the park is mostly closed in the winter and perhaps can recover from the human impact.  But to paraphrase my friend Austin's father, humanity isn't going to destroy the earth.  The earth has been here for billions of years and will be here for billions more.  Humanity might destroy itself, sure.  But what of it?  Humans have been here for a blink of an eye in planetary time.  The planet will eventually be fine after we've all gone away.  That's one way to look at it, anyhow.

Things got better later in the day after I'd resolved to enjoy myself in spite of my camping situation.  I reserved a cabin down the road at a place called Flagg Ranch, and saddled up to ride there.  It was a splendid ride along Heart Lake and Lewis Lake.  The low sun flashed through the trees as I sailed down, down, down.  I didn't realize there was such a descent.  In awhile I pulled into the ranch.  They directed me to my cabin.  For the amount of money I paid, I was sort of expecting it to have bedsheets, maybe a coffee maker, at least a heater.  It had none of these.  Just a cold log cabin with a bunk bed and vinyl mattresses.  Pretty disappointing.  But I remembered that I'm staying in the moment and enjoying it regardless, so I sighed and gathered my things to find the shower.  

Upon stopping into the camp host's office to ask directions, I got into a conversation with the gregarious fellow on duty.  As we were talking about the history of the ranch, he mentioned something about Vail Resorts.  My ears perked up.  I said that I work for VR.  He said "Oh, you didn't know?  Vail owns this place.  You're an employee?  Well what are you staying in that cabin for?  We'll have to upgrade you."  He clicked on his computer and put me into the "Deluxe" cabin which has not only a heater, but also has terry towels, coffee, Turkish sheets, everything.  Super swank!  I walked in and twirled around in the opulence.  This is good living!

Later that night at dinner I learned that everyone in the complex works at one of the VR properties in the wintertime.  Everybody treated me like I was some new cool guy who showed up to the party.  It was great.  I would stay here all day tomorrow but I must ride through Teton and Jackson.  It's not that far I don't think, maybe 40 miles.  There will be enough time to poke around.

No pictures this time because this place is way out in the middle of nowhere.  No cell, no radio, etc.  They have satellite internet but it's super slow and having problems.  I will have to post pics tomorrow.


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Deep pool at West Thumb geyser basin

Fumaroles on the shore

Steamy spa

Nice road out of the park

Lewis Lake

Upgraded accomodation

Lake Village, continued

Yesterday I hung around this lodge most of the afternoon waiting for a cancellation on a room.  I was pretty much marooned because of the winds and impending cold.  Something came up that was $200 and 15 miles back where I came from.  I didn't take it.  As it got dark, I chatted with some employees who turned out to have an extra room at their place, and invited me to stay.  I was very grateful to have a warm place to sleep, but I had to get up before dawn when everybody went to work.  So I pedaled back to this lodge.

Fog was hanging over the lake and the sun was peeking through.  The lakeshore is a couple of hundred yards down from the lodge, so I took a walk.  There was a lady from Utah standing outside the lodge.  As I walked by, she warned me that I should be very careful.  She was very worried that I would be gored by a sneaky buffalo.  I invited her to follow me down the lake, promising that I would die first while she ran.  She nervously accepted.  

The lodge is a beautiful building but a bit cloying.  It is mostly full of the tour bus set.  New-age music is playing on the PA and there is a gift shop selling useless crap at inflated prices.  I am hoping to get out of this park today since I am obviously having trouble finding somewhere to sleep, and am getting robbed every time I get something to eat at the park grocery.  All lodges and services in the park are run by a company called Xanterra, who has their green leafy earth-friendy brochures and advertisements everywhere.

I have to stay in Teton tonight since it is an unbroken national park almost all the way to Jackson 100 miles away.  The sleeping situation is bothersome and it is totally my fault, which is frustrating.  I have an awesome winter sleeping bag at home.  Maybe I will pick up a medium-duty one somewhere to replace my decades-old Snoopy bag (ok not really), in which the insulating fill has long since collapsed.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  It's much, much huger than the picture indicates.  It's one of those spaces where the vastness compresses your vision from 3-D to 2-D as the depth and breadth is too much.

Balancing tourism with nature at the park.  The park is totally set up for automobiles, with no public transportation (and no bike lanes).  Xanterra runs a bus that goes around.

Ubiquitous warning sign by the thermal features.  This boy's sister is obviously laughing at him while he gets broiled.

Windy and grim by the lake in the afternoon.

The Lake Lodge, where I hung around in the lobby

Fog lifting over the lake at sunrise

Canyon Village, Yellowstone NP - Lake Village, Yellowstone NP

The weather took a turn for the worse today and I found myself heading into a dead-on headwind as I went south.  Stopped to see the Mud Volcano in all its sulfuric glory.  Mostly I was worried about tonight's weather, which is supposed to dip to the high 20s with chance of precipitation.  Another night to get a room, I believe.  The park's hotels are all full, and there were no cancellations.  Pretty un-psyched about spending the evening at the campground in my quasi-adequate camp gear.  Just met some nice government employees who said I could stay at a staff cabin nearby.  As little as I like to take charity, tonight it seems like a good idea.



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Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone NP - Canyon Junction, Yellowstone NP

Today was characterized by a bit of the park's natural wonders, and a whole lot of climbing on the bicycle.  I awoke somewhat disappointed, as I had imagined a soothing night's rest on an enticing piece of grass heated by geothermal energy.  Instead, the rocky ground seemed more and more like concrete as the night wore on.  Nearby campers caroused until late, and car doors slammed all night long.  On the bright side, the stars here are very dense and bright.  The Milky Way was infinite, and faint shooting stars flashed across the sky.  

In the morning I broke camp to the patriotic sound of thundering RVs and headed up to the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces.  There, heated water cuts through underground limestone and soaks up all the minerals.  Then the water escapes from vents on the side of a mountain and pools out onto terraces of calcium.  Multicolored heat-loving bacteria live in the pools, which are ever-changing due to Yellowstone's mysterious underground plumbing.  A young park ranger gave an uninspired talk about the geology.  It's been a long summer of long hours and low pay.

After purchasing sunscreen and mailing some postcards, I saddled up for the ride to Tower Falls.  It was only 15 miles but the roads here are up and down, up and down.  On the way there I came over a pass which was pretty stout, but didn't have a sign at the top.  I figured that it was Dunraven Pass, which I had heard about.  Sometimes mountain passes have a wicked reputation and really aren't that big of a deal.  Sometimes it goes the other way.  

I coasted down to Tower Falls, ate a plum and a sandwich, and walked out to have a brief look.  I mingled with the tourists, which are of a wide variety.  Various languages are spoken, people carry/drag kids, people bicker, people snap photos, kids have ice cream all over their faces.  Some are in poor physical shape and can barely walk.  Others are dressed like they are mountain explorers, hiking down the level boardwalk with walking poles and safari hats and big boots.  Returning to my bike, I was stopped by several people who wanted to know about the bike and what I was up to.  It's always like that.

It was another 15 or so miles to Canyon Junction, which was where I was going to camp.  I thought it would be a reasonable ride, but I was mistaken.  In fact, Dunraven Pass (elev 8878) lay ahead.  The bottom of the pass is at 6270 feet.  First I was thinking that this was a run-of-the-mill hump, then I conceded that it was a bear.  At some point it was no longer a bear, but a sonovabitch.  Then it was obscene, and finally sadistic.  There were multiple false summits and zero shoulder.  The wattage I must generate to push this bike is at least double compared to an unladen bike.  All day, I estimate I climbed almost 4000 feet.  

Blasting down into Canyon, which wasn't as fun as usual because I was so completely exhausted, I saw my first buffalo lumbering up the road.  It was this enormous shaggy lump, and I had no idea what it was.  I thought maybe it was a wooly mammoth, then a grizzly, then as I got closer I saw its gargantuan head.  It was the size of several vending machines.

Down in Canyon, the campground said "closed for season".  I was all set to camp there anyway, or in the trees, but I walked into the lodge and asked if they had any room.  There was a cancellation and they had a cabin available.  I took it.  I need a decent night's sleep, and need to wash and recharge everything.  

Tomorrow it is supposed to be cold and rainy I think.  [Edit: Just checked the weather.  Chance of SNOW tomorrow night.  Yuck.]  Going to make it down to the West Thumb geyser basin and stay at Grant Village.  Then on to the Tetons.

[p.s. - this internet barely works.  Some of these pictures may not load.]

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Palette Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs

A huge terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs

I didn't really want such a close-up, but you get what you get when you ask people to take a picture.

Conquered the beast

That is, indeed, a bison.

West Yellowstone, MT - Mammoth, WY

Pedaled into the park today, to my great elation.  I headed north to Mammoth and stopped at the Artists Paint Pots and Norris Geyser Basin.  I arrived at Mammoth in the evening, and set up camp at a cyclists-only campsite here for $5.  No shower so I hiked up the hill to the Mammoth Hotel where I got a shower for $3.  It was almost as clean as the shower at the Albuquerque Greyhound station.  Got some internet for $5.  There is much more to see at Mammoth and I'm going to do some hiking here tomorrow morning.

It is fantastically beautiful.  Everything of course smells like sulfur, and the geysers and springs and mud pots are otherworldly.  You stand there and there is deep gurgling and spitting and hissing.  You can sense that the inferno below is not very far down.  It would be really cool to do some backcountry travel here.  I can't imagine what people thought when they first saw this place.  Thanks to Roosevelt (I think) it's still unspoiled.  I'm glad that it hasn't been converted into one huge Taco Bell.

Traffic in the park is much different than outside.  I'm really glad I came after the Labor Day weekend.  Traffic is actually really light right now, and I am thankful.  Speed limits are low and nobody is in much of a hurry.  However, there is all kinds of erratic behavior.  People slam on their brakes without warning and turn without signaling, deciding at the last second that they ought to see the such-and-such mud pit.  When people see me, they freak out.  People slow way down even in the oncoming lane, causing a backup.  I guess I'm much more interesting than a bison.  When people pass me from behind they slow waaay down and follow me for awhile.  Then after they pass, they look in their rear view mirror and swerve all the way over into the shoulder.  Today a fire truck went inches from going off an embankment doing this; I'm certain it was because he was staring at me through his mirror in curiosity.  

Everyone has to talk to me when I stop about my contraption and my trip.  A surprising number of people offer me advice.  Like, "You're going to Colorado?  Let me warn you, there are a lot of hills."  Hills?  No kidding, Sherlock.  

There was a stiff breeze today, blowing out of the southwest mostly.  I either had tailwinds or crosswinds.  If the wind is the same tomorrow, I will have headwinds and crosswinds.  That will be more effort.  I'm not sure how far I will make it after I spend some time hiking here.

Physically I am feeling strong.  I am taking most hills in one gear higher than before.  Also, I am less conservative about saving energy at the beginning of a long climb, going a little harder from the get-go.  It feels good.  I have some minor chafing on my thighs, windburn on my face, heat rash on my arms and neck where the sunblock clogged my pores, and plenty of insect bites.  I could also use a foot massage.  

Gear-wise, everything is mostly good.  I think there is probably something amiss with the bottom bracket, as it gives me a minor pop on every pedal revolution.  It's annoying, but I don't get the sense that it would fail suddenly.  My socks have holes in them, and my shoes need to be replaced at some point.  Ten years of pedaling in the same shoes and they are stretched to where they fit like house slippers.  I still have not had a flat tire, which is unreal.

Not sure how far I will make it tomorrow, as I will spend some time hiking here.

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Thanks for taking my picture, Asian tourists!

Feels so different

Gibbon Falls/canyon

A bad way to go

Kids staring into a hole, waiting for something to happen

Norris Basin.  This basin covers a huge area, however I couldn't give it justice since I still had to ride 20 miles before nightfall.

America

New setup using the bike.  A bivy may have been a better choice for this trip.

Genius!

Ennis, MT - West Yellowstone, MT

It's been a busy day.  Woke up warm thanks to sleeping on the ground per Jeff's advice.  Left the Ennis RV park this morning with the goal of getting to West Yellowstone, 71 miles away.  Hermann and his family gave me a sendoff.  I cruised through Ennis, stopping to find some camp food, but no luck since everything was closed on account of the holiday.

The road south through the Madison Valley started off fairly humdrum since the road was arrow-straight for miles and I couldn't see much.  The smoky haze blotted out the peaks except for faint silhouettes.  Trucks and RVs ruled the road, but the shoulder was very wide so all was good.  After awhile, the valley narrowed, bringing the scenery closer.  I rode close to the wide river, where lots of people were fly fishing.  I can imagine that fly fishing is pretty good around here, because there are certainly plenty of real flies.  I'm talking about the six-legged kind that fly into the gaps in your helmet or up your shorts.

It was time for a break so I pulled off the road and took refuge under a shade tree.  As I was sitting there, a girl on a horse walked up behind me.  She said hello and I figured she was associated with the nearby ranch.  Turns out her name is Katie and she's a modern-day Sacagawea who is out for a ("short") 12-day excursion on her horse, Flint.  She had a tiny bedroll and minimalist saddle and a few little bags.  Most of these items she made herself, since she is an accomplished tanner.  She was on her way to teach her craft at a primitive skills rendezvous in Idaho.  Her website is www.wilderbabe.com and it's worth a look.

Flint decided that I needed a bath, so he licked the salt off of me for quite some time.  After about 10 minutes of horse licking, I was salt-free!

I said goodbye to Katie and continued south through the valley.  The traffic died off; I think everybody was going home from their vacation.  Some big vistas opened up to the south but I turned east into the park, where I had to ride up the canyon of the Madison.  I passed an enormous rockslide that was triggered by a big earthquake in the 1950s.  Several campers are still buried under it.  The debris blocked the Madison and formed Quake Lake.  Further up, I rode along beautiful Hebgen Lake and then into West Yellowstone.  I must have taken too many pictures because I didn't get into town until about five minutes before sunset.  I took a room at an establishment run by a Chinese lady, who seemed to like me more after I haggled for the price.

West Yellowstone is like Manhattan.  I don't think there is a town with more cultural variety between here and Seattle.  Tourists from every nation are walking the streets, and everybody is speaking a different language.  I ate at a Chinese place and was waited on by a Russian girl named Olga.  The kitchen was on the ball and I was shoveling food into my mouth within minutes.  I think it was good, but I didn't slow down very much.  She came over a few times to ask if everything tasted OK and I answered "Mmmph!  Iff gurph!" through a mouthful of rice.



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Hermann and his rental.  This is a compact compared to some of the monsters on the road.

Do the Rolling Stones stay at RV parks now?

Katie and Flint

First he tasted my handlebars

Then he gave my arm a good bath

Paddling in the Madison

Everyone was fishing here

Southern end of the Madison Valley.  I took a left before those mountains.

Pause at Hebgen Lake

Just outside town