Day 9-Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

In case you haven't guessed by now, I like leaving early. This does give me a chance to test out the new HID headlight on the zebra. Rawlins is an unremarkable town which I leave at 5 am. This puts me on Hwy 287 in the high desert. It's a little cold and I wish I was wearing my electric vest. Why is it that once I get moving I hate to stop and would rather shiver until the sun comes up?

In the desert with hardly a soul around the zebra passes the 50,000 mile mark. There are long straight stretches here and about the only time I have to steer is to avoid a prairie dog. For the prairie dog, this must be the equivalent of a native American counting koo. The longer they stay out on the highway, the more impressive it is to the rest of the dog community. Getting hit, if you survive, must be huge koo. There sure are a lot of the critters and not much road kill.

I climb a couple of thousand feet and am back in the pine forests. At an overlook the Grand Tetons reveal themselves in their full glory. I had forgotten just how beautiful this mountain range is. I'll be in their shadow most of the day and that's more than ok with me. They're magnificent.

The Golden Eagle Pass will save me $40.00 today, which means I'm already $5.00 ahead. After following the lake south I happen on the River Road and can't resist it. The road is dirt and rock and follows the river. I'm here to see the mountains and their view is slightly obscured down by the river. The road is ok, but I wouldn't want to ride it again. The Snake River sure is narrow in this part of the country.

Heading north out of the park, there is significant construction and waits of up to 30 minutes. I've been lucky on this trip and arrive just as the cars are moving. Two miles south of Yellowstone I get a campsite with a great view. Once the tent is setup and the bike is unloaded I head to Yellowstone through yet more construction. Many roads in Yellowstone are under construction and some are closed completely. The road I was going to take tomorrow morning is closed. No biggie.

I hadn't realized how extensive the fires were a few years back. In many places the fires came right up to the lodges, which were somehow spared. The place reminds me of Mt. St. Helens with the devastation. Most of the living pines are in the 6-10 ft range. Dead, burned trees are everywhere. Weather has washed the burned bark off the trees and the sun has bleached the dead trunks white.

After a great lunch at one of the lodges I head to Old "somewhat" Faithful. Earthquakes have changed the regular schedule of the geyser. I'm beginning to remember just how big Yellowstone is. This is clearly a case of "it looked close on the map." It's a huge park with amazing diversity.