The Tetons!!

This morning dawned fresh and beautiful. Ray and I on the other hand MIGHT have been suffering a bit from the libations of the previous evening. The thing is, when on the Tour Divide, you don’t worry about how you feel, you just get on your bike and ride!! Most of the time you don’t feel “raring to go” any way!

As we got up, we realized that there was another person in camp that we knew. Hannah Bingham, a rider/racer from Steamboat Springs, CO was in the cabin next to us. Hannah is a super strong rider we had met previously for just a few minutes.

At any rate we got up, and had another great meal prepared for us by Nick. He asked what time we wanted to leave and made sure breakfast was not the reason we would miss our departure time. Incredible place and incredible guy!

So it was that we began our journey along the Western side of the Tetons, over the Northern part, and down the Eastern part. Our intent for the day was to make it to lodging somewhere around Moran, MT. Moran is just outside of Yellowstone. This would prove to be problematic.

Riding with us today was Randy Neil. A great guy and a critical member of the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) and a literal expert on the TD course. Also a very strong rider!

The day started with a LONG low grade climb toward the Wyoming line. Our time in Idaho was very limited, but it was absolutely on of our favorite places so far. The beauty, the roads, the people, the lodging, all exceeded our expectations. We were also treated to our first view of the Tetons. Incredible!!

After about two hours of climbing we we descended into Yellowstone Park. Having sneaked into Yellowstone via a back road, there was really no line that told us we were there, we kind of just…were. Visible on this route were the scars of the old fires in the park. It is amazing that folks still camp beneath the MILLIONS of dead and rotting trees still standing as a result of the fire. It is a “widow maker” paradise with SO many trees seemingly ready to fall at any second. (See picture below).

We arrived at the park at Headwaters Campground. It was time to eat a meal and refuel. Unfortunately as has been the story for much of our trip, the restaurant was closed. Our meal, from the snack section of the touristy store, consisted of our now normal fare of beef sticks, chips, candy bars, etc. Not exactly what we had planned, but still enough to re-fuel us and get us on our way south.

As we rolled on pavement, now headed south, we began to catch the stunning views of the Tetons in all their glory! One of the most epic and awe inspiring images of our entire trip so far. We headed towards Coulter Bay Village, WY and soon found ourselves exiting the park, without ever entering (officially). Coulter Bay brought the opportunity to stop and a gas station and get a rare treat…ICE CREAM!! We sat in the sun and enjoyed our treat, all the while under the glare of the throng of tourists that wondered if we were bike racing…or simply homeless! (It’s a fine line!!!)

Everywhere we went, Ray and I engaged. Not just a quick conversations, but a thorough dialog with folks that wanted to know what we were doing, where we were going, and most importantly…WHY??? We soon realized that these conversations were costing us a lot of riding time, but we also realized that these conversations were an important and critical part of what made this trip special. Meeting folks, getting to share their story and ours is what connected us to other folks. It was one of the most enjoyable times of the day and one we would gladly take, even if it meant arriving at Antelope Wells later than we hoped.

We finally left Coulter Bay and worked our way towards Moran, WY. Our INTENT was to find lodging in Moran. HA!!!!!

Keep in mind we were just outside of one of the most visited places in the United States in Yellowstone. Keep in mind EVERYBODY is traveling as a result of COVID restrictions being lifted. Keep in mind it is summer vacation time. This all conspired to ensure that there was not a room to be found…anywhere!! This is in spite of the fact that rooms near the park are about $300 a night!

So we decide to press on and find a camp site in an RV park, or maybe even a low-rent cabin. HA! Nothing was available to stay in.

After realizing this, we decided our next best course of actions was to at least EAT WELL! We finally stopped at a place called the Heart-6 Ranch (A Dude Ranch not a real Ranch). We enjoyed a great meal and were informed that there were informal camp sites just “a few miles” down the road.

(NOTE: It was amazing how many times we were told that something was ONLY 5 or 7 or 10 miles away. This is proof that most Americans ONLY think of distances in terms of CAR MILES. After riding for 10-15 hours, and averaging about 8 miles an hour, a “just 10 miles away” destination is a major commitment!)

As we rolled down the back-road to the informal camp sites, we saw that every entrance to them was downhill. Perfect, no more climbing. Problem is, we could not tell if the sites were full/taken, until AFTER we had ridden down to them. They were ALL FULL! So that brought us to the prospect of climbing back to the road after we checked a site. That also was a major commitment! After several unsuccessful attempts and about 5 miles of riding, we rode into a site that was a group area. There was an acre of land and only two small RVs parked there. We had had enough searching and decided to ask the campers already there if we could have a small corner of the site to set up our two little tents. They were more that happy to let us and we rolled to some flat, grassy ground to set up camp and relax around a fire.

Then we noticed them. It was immediate and extreme.

Everybody will warn you of the mosquitos in Montana. HA!!! Those are nothing! Wyoming wins…not even close!

Within seconds of stopping our bikes we were covered, assaulted, and attacked by more mosquitoes than I have EVER seen! It only took us about 15 seconds to agree to set up our tents, inflate our pads, roll out our bags, unzip the tents, throw all that inside and dive in to stay. It was the ONLY night so far, except at Lima in the rest area, where I slept in my dirty cycling gear all night. We literally were just trying not to donate all our blood.

Withing about 15 minutes we heard our riding partner Randy arrive and thrown his bivy down and go to bed as well (We had left him as he tried to find lodging when at the Heart-6 Ranch). It was about 8 o’clock in the evening. Our day complete.

So this was our welcome to Wyoming. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

We’re Southbound and Down!

Shane and Ray