Day Fifty (56 miles, 2298.0 total): Lakes. Rivers, and Cookies

6:00AM. I had slept through my 5:30AM alarm clock and didn't wake up until Ella started nudging me. Ella patrols outside of the tent while I collect myself. I finally summon up enough energy to pull myself out of the sleeping bag and into the frosty morning air. I get dressed into all of my layers and begin to pack up my gear. Joel and Keith are slowly packing up for the day and making breakfast. I finally get tired of waiting for my friends, so I fill up my bottles and head out of camp. I was pretty hungry, so I decided to stop at the general store to grab a breakfast sandwich and a chocolate milk. After downing some food, I finally have enough energy to jump start my day. The early morning air is brisk but the blue sky is only dotted with a few clouds. Ella sits on the front of the bike ready to go and I push off out of Colter Bay.

My day starts with a few sets of hills to warm me up and it's not long before I'm packing layer back into my panniers. Towering pines line either side of the road, casting shadows across the asphalt. As I rode along, the shadows kept me from the direct sunlight and helped me keep cool as the day warmed up. The pines on my left grow thinner as a brilliant blue lake works its way closer to the road. I stop at a picnic area right on the lake to snap a few pictures and to let Ella run around for a few minutes. While I am wandering about the area, a wonderful Irish couple pull up on a motorcycle. We start talking for a little while and they give me cookies! They were great homemade cookies from a small bakery in Dubois. The couple had been traveling from St. Augustine, FL to Seattle, WA. We talked about my trip and took a few photos before we headed our separate ways down the road. Man, those cookies were good and I love cookies.

My morning ride kept me right next to the lakes and meadows as I worked my way through the rolling hills. Around every turn was an absolutely stunning landscape that just stopped you right in your tracks for a picture. The picturesque mountains and cool, crystal waters of the rivers and lakes held me in awe. It was incredible just to experience and actually have the time to enjoy this beautiful area. By mid morning, I had reached the end of Jackson Lake and finally received cell signal again. I took an opportunity to call my mom and update her on the trip and my plans for the day. When I finally hung up, I was immediately swamped by a flock of Asian tourists. Not one of them spoke English and I had to really push to escape the horde and get back on the road.

About half a mile or so past Jackson Lake, I began climbing and climbing and climbing. Up into the mountains I went, it wasn't difficult climbing and I was making pretty good time for how long it was. It felt like I was climbing for hours, on and on it went. Cars were flying by me like I wasn't even there, so I had to be more careful as I climbed on. Twisting and winding around the mountains, the roads became narrow and finding space to ride was becoming more scarce. Eventually the wall of pines broke as I entered into the Lewis Canyon with the Snake River rushing hundreds of feet below. With a rock wall on one side and a guardrail on the other, I continued my ascent up into the mountains.

At one overlook, I read the history of forest fires throughout Yellowstone and the famous fire of 1988 which you can still see the major impacts from. It was pretty crazy, looking at the photos, to see how much had changed in the pack over the years. Two cyclists passed by me and you could tell they were just racing through, there was no look of wonder on their faces as they sped through the beauty around them. At the top of the canyon, the roads finally slanted into a sizable downhill. As I rocketed down the pavement, I was averaging 36+ miles per hour, it was the safest speed I could hold with traffic racing down past me.

At the bottom of the mountain, I stopped at a bridge to take some more photos of the amazing scenery around me. Around the corner, traffic was slowed to a dead stop and I flew past the immense line of cars, trucks, buses, and RVs. A few miles of passing stopped cars, and I finally reached the main entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The roads became even more narrow inside the gate and I was forced onto the gravel a few times throughout the day. Not far past the gate, I heard a waterfall and climbed down a slope to get a few pictures. A few miles past the waterfall, I rode right next to Lewis Lake. It was too beautiful not to stop and just watch for awhile. I found a sandy beach that was isolated from any kind of tourists and I just enjoyed the moment. The waters lapping onto the sand made me miss the ocean more than ever.

I finally left the deep blues of Lewis Lake and pressed on down the narrow park highway. Not long after Lewis Lake, I finally reached Grant Village. Madison was another 35 miles and a few Continental Divide climbs, so I elected to stay there at the village. The park ranger was super friendly and quickly gave me a nice secluded camp at site 426. Unfortunately, this site didn't have a bear box and I had to get another. The next site he gave me was 413. This site was stripped of a bear box as well. Eventually I was given site 408, where I finally had a bear box to store all of my gear. Once I had unloaded my gear, I changed into some cooler clothes.

The day was getting pretty warm, so I found a nice flat shaded area to set up my camp. When I was finally done, Keith and Joel rode into camp, they had decided not to ride for Madison as well. Once everyone is set up and gear stored in the bear box, we head on up to the general store for lunch and to  stock up on grocery supplies. Grant Village is a great place to camp, but the showers are $4.00 per person, a bit ridiculous if you ask me! After lunch the three of us ride back into camp to hang out for the night.

Early in the evening, we had three more guests arrive at our camp to spend the night. Two girls, Becca & Sophia, were traveling across country by car. Our other guest, was a Belgian cyclist on a recumbent bike, he was headed West to East. After the sun went down, we all had a campfire and the girls brought out s'mores for everyone. Around 11:00PM, the fire died and we all set off for bed. Ella jumped right in and immediately fell asleep. Ella and I hope you are enjoying our daily adventures and continue to follow us on our journey across the country!