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Bike from Oregon to Virginia, June/July 1999 Day 19: 39 miles from West Yellowstone, Montana to Madison, Wyoming (a campground in Yellowstone) Riding here we encountered a lot of wind that seriously takes away from the joy of riding. That nuisance was very much offset though by the events of the day… We met 4 other cyclists today; the first was Mark. He was our age or a little younger and riding from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to Eureka, California. We chatted for a while along the road about 3 miles out of West Yellowstone. Not 5 minutes after meeting Mark we met Bill, a much older guy from New Hampshire touring on a dual suspension Cannondale mountain bike. He was riding in the opposite direction as us and when I first spotted him I got excited because he was towing a "Bob" trailer similar to Kevin's. Actually, I was yelling, "he's got a Bob, he's got a Bob"! We got to talking and Bill explained to us with a wonderful example how things are where he is from (New England). He told us that if someone saw him on a bike they would stop him and ask him what he was doing and "don't you know that something is good on television?"; I though that was great. Next we met a man named Jerrold who had a good 50 years or more in him. He was riding from Virginia to Oregon and averaging 500 miles a week (that is faster than us). He was quite a talker but I enjoyed the interaction and gave him my e-mail address. Similar to Mark and Bill, I also snapped a photo of Jerrold, who is from Oklahoma by the way. Finally at the campsite we met Dick, an older guy who is only averaging about 40 miles a day and who talks a lot. No picture of Dick so far.
If you look on a map you will see that the west boundary of Yellowstone is in Montana, which means that once we entered the park we all knew that the border to Wyoming loomed close (we race for state lines). Kevin and I pedaled along at an easy pace, both knowing that the other was ready to bolt at the first sight of the big sign "Welcome to Wyoming". Well the big sign turned out to be a small wooden affair that stated "entering Wyoming". It was so small and unassuming that neither of us saw it until it was about 10 meters away from us. Quickly I assumed the sprinters position, out of the saddle with hands low on the bars and started rocking the bike back and forth. But alas, after only one or two complete revolutions my shoe came unclipped from the pedal and almost sent me flying over my handlebars. This little snafu would have cost me the state line except Kevin had problems as well. He too got out of the saddle and started rocking the bike, but because he is towing a trailer, he almost crashed as well. By about one bike length I got Wyoming.
The other two state lines so far have been Idaho and Montana, neither of which have been exciting. Kevin took Idaho (I was injured and didn't even attempt to make a race of it) and I took Montana as it was at the top of a long hill, Lobo Pass where people gave me drinks, and I am king of the mountains! So where is my white jersey wiht red polka dots? Just as we suspected, so far Yellowstone is nice but also very crowded. Coming in from the west I believe we rode through the area that was burned several years back (1988). Must investigate. As I write this from inside my tent it is raining and I am happy to report that I am bone dry. Actually, this is the first time I've been in the tent on this trip in the rain. If you remember it rained very hard in Kooskia, Idaho but we had moved our stuff under a shelter. Entering Yellowstone we almost staged a sit in. The fee per biker is $10 while the fee per car is $20. It just isn't right that we are paying more than a minivan with 6 people in it. For over a week now, on almost a daily basis, people tell us that there are 4 girls biking a bit ahead of us. It is kind of surreal the way we keep hearing about them and knowing that sometime (a day, a week) we might catch them. Well, when we do catch them we can really freak then out because Dick told us their names (Emily, Katie, Katie and Barbara). Tomorrow we see Old Faithful. P.S. Last night I bought olive oil, salt and pepper so now pasta tastes yummy! Day 20: Madison to Grant Village (both campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park) With only 16 miles to ride to Old Faithful, it was not difficult to arise at 6:00 am. What did make the distance tough though, was the WIND! No matter which direction we went in today we never had the wind at our back, only from the side or in our face. Of hills, rain and wind the latter bothers me the most. I am quite sure you can imagine me yelling and growling at the wind (I do both). Being stubborn, I also occasionally try to pretend that it doesn't really slow me down and try to ride at a normal speed. It doesn't take long before I throw in the white towel. About halfway between our campground and Old Faithful we encountered an unexpected surprise (and a nice break from the wind). There was a 1/2 mile boardwalk that went around an area of extreme thermal activity. In some areas we saw clear hot pools with brilliant colors and in other areas large pools of bubbling gray mud made the most wonderful sounds. Even if you were blind it would be a neat place to go to. Get a whiff of the sulfur, feel the heated water vapor blow by you and of course hear the "burping" of the mud, the hissing of the steam escaping the ground and the roar of the small but never ending geysers.
Old Faithful was exactly as you expect, and actually kind of a let down after the unexpected boardwalk earlier. After watching Old Faithful blow we crossed the Continental Divide twice and then snuck into a campground. Before we reached the first summit though, I swam in a small lake. Certainly it wasn't as nice as the lakes we experienced in Tahoe but given that were over 8000 feet and snow could still be found on the ground it was surprisingly warm. For about 5 minutes I played in "Scaup Lake" and even found a log to float on. I would have stayed in longer but Ned and Kevin didn't join me. Tonight we will put out of business an all you can eat soup and salad restaurant (only $4.95) and tomorrow we will leave Yellowstone and enter the Grand Tetons.
Remember when I was injured and planned on taking a bus ahead to Yellowstone and waiting for the guys? Well I am very, very glad that I didn't do that. Yellowstone isn't centralized like Yosemite; in fact, if you want to see everything you must drive the figure 8 roads that are well over 100 miles long. We met another cyclist today by the name of Dick (yes, another Dick) who is traveling with Jerrold but lags a day behind.
Day 21: Grant Village to Falls (a USFS campground ~ 8 miles from the Continental Divide) So far today we have met Eric, Lorenzo, Jason, Mike and Martin. Eric is from Hoboken, New Jersey and has a funny cart he tows behind his bike. I took his picture and he gave me a card with his email address. I met Eric while waiting for Kevin and Ned. After Eric left Kevin and Ned showed up then so did Lorenzo and Jason. Lorenzo is great. An older just retired software guy who lives in Berkeley, Lorenzo is riding east to west and met Jason along the way. Jason didn't say much. For some reason Lorenzo was carrying a Wyoming license plate strapped on his bike with all of his other gear. When I inquired he said he wanted to start a tradition at which point he promptly pulled out a permanent black felt tip pen and wrote "Lorenzo E to W, 99" on the back of the plate. I took the plate and wrote "Casey B, W to E, 99". The idea is that before leaving Wyoming I must pass the plate to another westbound rider. Perhaps Lorenzo was just sick of carrying the plate and this was his way of getting rid of it, who knows? For posterity, we re-enacted the handing over of the plate and took photos.
Finally today we met Mike and Martin from Zurich, Switzerland. They started in Washington D.C. and have almost made it all the way west. After meeting them Kevin remarked that they were quite ugly. Cycling in cotton tank tops with biking shorts didn't help. But the best part of meeting Mike and Martin is where we met them and what they did there. When I pulled up one of them was eating donuts and drinking a Pepsi and when Kevin and Ned showed up the other one started smoking a cigarette, very European. I took a photo of them and guess what the background was, the Grand Tetons. Kind of a neat coincidence, seeing the Tetons and meeting guys from Switzerland at the same time.
At the end of the day we had a huge climb that I had to talk Kevin and Ned into doing. It was only 3:30 pm and they were ready to call it quits for the day and tackle the mountain in the morning. I told them that their plan was fine with me but I was climbing it today and would wait for them on the other side. Eventually we all started to climb together with the idea that we may only go halfway up and then camp. The climb went really well and we all made it to the top. The top, by the way, was at 10,000 feet and we started at 7,000 feet. In a previous letter I told you that I have begun to do steep climbs without my helmet or shirt. Today I forgot for the first few miles but then remembered. To my surprise, Kevin and Ned followed suit and removed their shirts. Towards the top the whole scene felt very surreal, like the Dali painting with the melting clocks. We were climbing through green meadows with random circular patterns of snow everywhere and to make matters more interesting, we were cycling with only shorts. Hopefully the photo I had Kevin take of Ned and myself can capture some of the essence.
One last note… It was so cold last night that the condensation that formed on the inside of Kevin and Ned's fly froze. Likewise, when I was shaking out my ground sheet I saw little ice crystals come off and sparkle in the sunlight. Beautiful yes, but still too cold for me to wait for breakfast to be made (so I rode ahead and shared breakfast with Eric). Falls campground has nice views and of course a waterfall but the mosquitoes are awful. Thank goodness my little tent kicks ass. Very much liked hearing your voice this morning. Day 22: Falls to Lander, Wyoming Just so I don't forget, today we have met an older couple from the Netherlands and a group of 3 from New York (Amy, Greg and Martin). We also passed through Debois, a town that has wonderful geological formations consisting of layered red rock. It evoked thoughts of the Grand Canyon. Let me tell you about the wind (when I get more paper… OK, so I bought more paper and this time I didn't just take 20 sheets and throw the rest away to save weight. For goodness sake, I have even left the cardboard backing on. Day 23: Lander, Wyoming (rest day) We rode over 100 miles to get to Lander yesterday and it would have been easy given that we started near 8,000 feet and ended around 5,000 feet. But you mustn't forget about the wind! Actually, the wind was either behind us or blowing us over, luckily we never had a head wind. I sure felt sorry for those five people we met who were headed west. Speaking of which… On a nice flat stretch with a good tailwind we met the couple from the Netherlands (Henri and Annelies, hberende@hotmail.com, from a town called "Best". At this point you, my BLT (brave little toaster), know that something is amiss. How on earth could I remember all of that? Trivial my dear, the answer is "gloomp". Whenever Henri and Annelies pass other cyclists who stop and chat with them they hand out tiny wooden shoes or "gloomps" with all of that information written on it. Next, they take a photo of their new friends while having them say "gloomp". The enigmatic girls from Virginia didn't get "gloomps" because they didn't stop and chat. 40 gloomps began the ride with them and only 4 remain. The couple also has a website which has some photos and what not of their trip. Here is the URL if you are interested (waalen.nl/berende).
New York sent a delegation of three (Amy, Greg and Martin). Greg and Martin had mountain bikes with "Bob" trailers just like Kevin while Amy had front and rear panniers. They said they loved their "Bob's" while Kevin hates his more and more every day. Week old stubble was evident on the legs of Greg and Martin. I can't find enough time in the day to brush my teeth so how in the world are these guys shaving their legs? Worth noting as well, Amy was the first member of the opposite sex we have met that is near our age.
How do we know where we are going, when we can buy food, where we can camp, etc.? Well, we are following maps prepared by the Adventure Cycling Association. Each map (there are 10 in all) covers around 300 miles and supplies you with all of the aforementioned information. Rolling into Lander yesterday, we followed the map to the city park to camp but the map also told of an indoor pool with showers and a Jacuzzi! Of course that sounded wonderful but it was already 6:00 pm and Sunday; the chance to soak looked slim. But just a few blocks from the park I happened upon a man sitting on the stairs leading to his home. An inquiry regarding the pool was made and to my delight the fellow volunteered to go inside and call the pool. Now in my opinion, luck has been with us the entire trip (or maybe I'm just an optimist). This was no exception as there was a recreational swim from 6 to 8 pm. We were in the water by 6:15 pm. "How to Cycle Across the Country on $15 per Day" is going to be the title of my best selling book. Actually, the number is quite realistic; so far we are spending about $100 per week per person on food, camping and entertainment (whitewater rafting for $35 per person). In the book I will tell people what to bring (what type of clothes, camping gear, etc.), what to buy along the way (food, film, etc.), what kind of meals to make, how to pack your gear and what not to bring. Included in my book will be the letters I have written to you along with pictures. Not included in the book will be a route for other organizations have already got that aspect well covered. One reason I wish to write this book is because every single person I see seems to have too much gear. All you need are two good size rear panniers and a small handle bar bag. My bike and gear weigh around 50 pounds combined while most people that we meet have over 50 pounds of gear without including the bike. Honestly, I believe that market exists for this book. Ask Kevin or Ned how they would go across the country again and both will reply, "rear panniers only." Day 24: Lander, Wyoming to Rawlings, Wyoming Currently I am sitting on a concrete sidewalk with my back to the Jeffrey City Post Office. Somewhere behind me are Kevin and Ned and a father and son team, Bob and Phil. For the first time we have met a group of riders "going our way". After the usual chit chat I sped off as my riding pace is a bit faster than most. It is 124 miles from Lander to Rawlings; in between minimal services exist (no grocery stores, just a few cafes). Using Jedi mind powers I hope to coax Kevin and Ned into going all the way but I still have much to learn of the force. Last night in Lander I watched "Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged Me". Of course I will watch it again with you and very much missed you being with me. It's me again! Today I have already gone 81 miles and it is only 1:10 pm. And even more impressive is that: we started around 8:00 am and I didn't even cycle from 11:00 am to noon as I was waiting for Kevin and Ned. Wow, that's averaging almost 20 miles per hour. Speaking of Kevin and Ned, I'm a bit frustrated. For some reason they require much more food than me, which means we are always stopping to eat, when I am not even hungry. To make matters worse, Kevin is on such a strict budget that he buys super cheap food. For example, today we left Lander and knew that there wasn't food for 50 miles (and even then it was a café, not a store). With a good breakfast (which we had) and a snack or two (which we all had) 50 miles isn't much at all given the terrain and the wind. I didn't buy any food and when I got to the café at 11:00 am I delighted in my 3-egg omelet with hash browns, toast and coffee for $5 including tip. Kevin and Ned bought 5 cans of vegetables and beans. Sure enough, they finished all 5 cans and then 22 miles later at "Muddy Gap" they were hungry again. My 3 eggs were still sitting quite well so I continued onto Rawlings while they rested and ate. Of course Muddy Gap was just about the worst place to get a meal as all it had was a very ghetto gas station convenience store (Hostess cherry pies cost $1.18). Of course, I'm not really being fair since I have been out of school and working so spending a bit more money on food is not an issue for me. I can certainly remember being a poor student. From Lander to Muddy Gap the wind was either behind us or not existent so we covered the miles fairly easily. Luck would not be with me as I turned and headed south. Now the wind was either blowing in my face or from right to my left, pushing me into traffic. These last 44 miles were pretty bad. The worst part came when I actually got into town and tried to locate the "Presidents Camp RV Park". We heard about it from Pete (from England, and east to west guy) and the only directions I had was that it was at the end of a row of hotels. First, a city of about 10,000 people has many hotels and it wasn't easy to find the "row". Once I did and started riding up the street the wind kicked up a notch or two. It was directly in my face and blowing so hard I could hardly move the bike forward. But ride on I did, occasionally yelling at the wind. Finally I saw the Presidents Camp, quite run down but the restroom had clean showers and I bargained the attendant down to $5 for all of us. Upon walking into the manager's office, his jaw almost dropped to the floor. Usual formalities occurred, I told him where I came from today, where the trip started and where it will end, etc. and then he offered me a beverage. Of the beer, cola, 7-Up, water and so on I chose a diet Pepsi (for some reason I like the taste of diet soda). Upon entering the bathroom for a shower it became immediately apparent to me why such an offer was made. Lines of salt covered my face and juxtaposed nicely with my severely bloodshot eyes. I hope the photos I made come out.
Day 25: Rawlings, Wyoming to Riverside, Wyoming (encampment) So things are not nearly as bad as I may have made them seem yesterday. Kevin and Ned got to Rawlings and we all got in on a BBQ with the RV attendant. Short, fat, dark, pony tail and always "stoked" about everything describe this guy. Food eventually came around 10:00 pm and it was surprisingly good. Pork, beef, elk, potatoes and pasta were had by all of us. In return for being invited I purchased a 12 pack of Coors and some sour cream. Truly we experienced trailer park trash at its best. Before dinner two girls came by who were part of the Adventure Cycling group heading west. You will remember that Adventure Cycling is the organization that makes our maps, apparently they also lead tours. For $3000 each these girls were riding with 13 other people and one group leader from Adventure Cycling. Everyone has to carry their own gear and about once a week you have to go to the grocery store with a partner and buy enough food for dinner, breakfast and lunch for everyone and then prepare the food (the food is paid for with your $3000 contribution along with all campsites). Do you know how much we are going to spend? About 1/3 of that! Since we were almost out of Wyoming I took this opportunity to get rid of (I mean pass on) the Wyoming license plate. Pictures were taken to make the ceremony official.
After riding 134 miles the previous day you would think we would be looking forward to sleeping in. Normally yes, but directly across the street was JB's restaurant that offered an all you can eat buffet for $3.99. Of course we pigged out on such items as eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, biscuits, fruit, pudding and cereal. We had fun seeing how many mini cereal boxes we could pretend to eat and instead sneak out. We ended up with about 5 each.
Finally we got on the road and as it turned out, the road was our dear friend Interstate 80. Yes, we had to ride for about 20 miles on our old friend that was with us at the start of the trip at the Berkeley Marina (where we boarded the Green Tortoise bus). Luckily I-80 had very wide shoulders so even though traffic was heavy we felt fairly safe. Another plus was that we had a nice tail wind that allowed us to cruise at 25+ miles per hour.
Still riding along I-80 I spotted a bridge ahead, a narrow bridge. Our 6 foot wide riding strip all but disappeared and we would be forced on the left side of the white line. About 20 yards from the bridge I looked over my shoulder to check traffic and all I could think was holy shit as I screamed "GO GO GO" to Kevin who was ahead of me. Out of the saddle, I sprinted with all my might across that bridge and then quickly pulled off to the shoulder as I watched a semi cross the bridge with a house in tow, fully occupying both lanes of traffic. Kevin later remarked that "we almost were pushed off of the bridge into the river by the house". Once we turned off I-80 we fought the wind all the way to a small town called Saratoga whose one redeeming value was that it had a "Hobo Pool". Very hot mineral water bubbles out of the earth at certain locations in Saratoga and the townsfolk have done a wonderful job creating a soaking pool. After fighting the wind for 25 miles and knowing that the battle was no over for 20 more miles today the pool was a godsend. Plus, it was totally free and open 24 hours a day. We soaked on and off for a couple hours (in some places it was 104 degrees, too hot for me) and then rode 20 miles to Riverside, where I am now. Tomorrow we will enter Colorado and hopefully leave the wind behind us.
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