the new sleeping bag really helped. the temperature this morning was in the low 40's but i was warm all night. i got a decent nights sleep, and i definitely needed it. after being on the bike by 7:00 am, i didn't get to my final destination until 6:30 pm.
i went through teton national park and then into yellowstone. i have been skiing in jackson hole several times, but never saw the tetons from this angle. they are quite a sight in the early morning sun.
i never realized how big yellowstone is. it took almost the whole day to get through just one half of it. i caught the tail end of old faithful and then checked out some of the other glaciers and pools. there was a single bison resting near one of the pools. i then checked out mammoth falls. aside from the single bison, i saw a bull elk grazing near the side of the road and a few herds of bison on the road to the northeast entrance. the best part was the scenery. it seemed to go on forever. i felt lucky to be riding through this territory (and the rest of the country) on a motorcycle. it seems like you are closer to or a part of everything, as opposed to being in a car.
as if the day wasn't long enough already, i decided to ride along the beartooth highway. it takes you up over a pass that has an elevation of about 11,000 feet. it was pretty cold up there and road was very twisty, both up and down, but was worth it.
the last 50 miles to big timber, mo were tough. i was tired and had been riding almost 12 hours. while unloading the bike and setting up my tent for the night, a gentleman, john, started asking me about my bike and where i had been riding. after conversing for a while, he invited me over to his rv for some burgers, hot dogs, etc. he was at the campground with his friend, and their families. they were both from billings and came up here for the weekend. after unpacking i went over and joined them. they had a picnic table full of food and plenty of hospitality. their kids spent most of the time roasting marshmallows and then making s'mores.
i feel lucky to have meet john and his family and don from the other night in jackson. hopefully i will be so lucky the rest of the trip.
i want to post some pictures, but it is kind of hard to do on this site. hopefully i can figure out a way soon.
thanks again for all of your comments. forgive me if i don't respond to them directly. i do read them, though. it is often hard at the end of a day to go through everything in a coherent manner.
2 comments:
hello, pedro. i am posting on sunday a.m. - sorry this is late. honey and i just got back from a 30-minute hobble/walk. it was slow-going, but i walked her down ohio and erie. plenty of stuff to smell - i was grateful for her pokiness.
did you pet a bison? i don't think i could resist. i can imagine your yelling at me and telling me to get back on the motorcycle. it would be really cool to have bison in your backyard.
speaking of animals in the backyard - your parents are on yet another battleground with animals on their property. there's a family of wild turkeys in the "yard." it cracks me up when they get all worked up about the animals. your dad's in minnesota visiting grandma, so the turkeys are safe until he returns with a gun or gum. we should get him a hat like carl's from caddyshack.
a few neighborhood/city things:
- the air and water show is this weekend. yesterday was overcast, so the planes were above the cloud cover. today looks clear, so maybe i'll go on the roof to watch them go by.
- remember how tootsie said that santa maria's elementary school was going to be rented by noble street high school? well, it's some other college prep. it looks like cps made it its own school. you wouldn't believe how different the inside looks now. an ac in every window too! candy's market better stock up on flamin' hot cheetos!
- the cortland bridge is open both ways again! yahoo! ya' know how the north avenue bridge is a disaster during construction? well, it looks like they're expanding the bridge to the east to make both directions have two-lane traffic over the bridge.
i miss riding my bike stoller. :-(
thanks for calling last night and listening to my whining. sorry about that. i think i was going a bit stir crazy lying in the apartment and trying to rest my leg. you know it's bad when i say, "there's nothing on tv." doing much better this a.m. there's a "sweet 16" marathon on mtv. yes!
i am going to drive to the gym and do upper body stuff. then i am heading to hyde park for a friends meeting.
honey and i miss you and love you. honey asked for live bait when you come home. cannot wait for seattle!
much Love,
stiLL the gimp
p.s. "mo" is missouri. "mt" is montana. dork. :-) oh, and idaho is "id."
never take hot dogs from strangers pete...never.
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