June 23 – July 1

Our first day in Yellowstone was amazing!  Within a few miles we came across a bald eagle, and just down the road was a nest with two baby bald eagles.  That was really cool but we both had bigger animals on our minds.  We wanted to see a bear.  Down the road a few miles we ran into a herd of buffalo.  We took some pictures as the herd slowly made their way across the road.  This took almost an hour and caused a rather large traffic jam.  As we waited for them to cross, one of these giant animals decided to stray from the pack and ended up walking about eight feet in front of us!  We also stopped to see Old Faithful as well as some of the mud pots and bacteria mats.  We got to see a few elk and a red fox before the day was over, but still no bear sightings. We biked about 55 miles that day and camped in the park at Grant Village.  The next day we made our way out of Yellowstone and into Teton National Park.  We stopped at a lodge about 30 into our day for lunch and to wait out yet another storm.  After we finished our meals we were disappointed to see that it was still storming really bad.  The prices for rooms or even camping at this place were way out of our price range but after we talked to the staff for a little bit they gave us a super deal because we were biking.  We got a hotel room for the price of a cheap campsite and it included three meals!  We decided to take advantage of the great deal and stay an extra day.  We enjoyed the beds, the free laundry, hot meals, and the shower that wasn’t coin operated.  Plus they had a free pool table, so we took advantage of that as well.  The next day we got up early and we were on the road by 7 am.  This ended up being a poor decision because by about 7:45 am we were in Bobby’s tent on the side of the road waiting out another storm.  Eventually it cleared up and Bobby and I were back on the road.  We made it 85 miles to Dubois, Wyoming which included a climb over Togwotee Pass, elevation 9658 ft high. That night Bobby’s family came and picked us up and gave us a ride to their house just outside Denver, Colorado. This was a huge help for us! We saved several days of riding, got a free place to rest for a couple days, and above all we got to hang out with some friends and family.  We spent a couple days with Mike and Jeri along with their two lovely children Alexis and Jonathon.  They took us to downtown Denver to show us around and eat Chipotle (We’ve been craving Chipotle!).  We spent the rest of our time hanging out at their house, jumping on the trampoline, watching movies, eating tons of great food, and enjoying some time off the bike.  All good things must end, so after a couple days they gave us a ride back to our route.  Mike and Jeri: You guys rock!  You helped us out so much and we can’t thank you enough.  Alexis: Good luck with cheerleading! Jonathon: Take no hostages!
Our first day back on the trail we conquered Hoosier Pass, elevation 11,542.  That is the highest point our route will take us and it was a very challenging ride.  We stopped for the night on the other side of the pass in Alma, Colorado (The highest incorporated town in America!).  We ran into one of the locals after dinner and we ended up staying at his house.  It was a very old house with several people living there.  We did not have to check in or anything but we did donate a little money for the couch and the hot showers.     We couldn’t decide what exactly the situation was there.  Maybe a boarding home? Maybe a hostel?  Maybe just a bunch of really nice people living in a yellow mansion they called the “Yellow Elephant”?  Either way it was a cheap place to sleep! The next day we continued our decent out of the Rocky Mountains.  We battled head winds all day but we made it about 75 miles to Canon City.  Nothing special there, just another campsite with coin operated showers.  We woke up this morning and headed to Pueblo, Colorado where we are sleeping tonight.  The weather has changed drastically as we make our way out of the mountains.  90 degree temperatures, and no rain is going to make the next few days feel like a an entirely different trip.  We are both looking forward to experience the flat terrain of the plains!

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