07.15.2023 - yellowstone

yellowstone.  wow, amazing.there's something to look at every 5 miles, some totally different geographic feature.  i started heading south out of indian creek where there is a parade of meadows, streams, obsidian cliffs and roaring mountain.  took the side loop along firehall river and the falls on the recommendation of a couple of cyclists.  hard work, but well worth it.  i will note that the other cyclists were going the other direction, which is downstream.  a little less effort there.  then i worked my way down toward grant village, passed the artist's paint pots and various geyers, inluding old faithful.

do you know what you don't see in these pictures?  wildlife.  you know, the thing that they're constantly warning you about and telling you not to bother.

first full day in the yellowstone, i know there is talk of this being the anthropocene era, the sixth extinction, but this is ridiculous:

     elk                    0

     black bear:      0  ( though the ranger said one was spotted down by the creek.)

     grizzly:             0

     wolves:            0

     bison                1

     osprey              1

     western grebe    7

there are, of course, lots of other amazing natural features to look at:

and there was the cycling:  those other damn features, hills to climb.  crossed the continental divide twice.  in between was a steep drop down to a creek that feeds shoshone lake and then a tough climb back up to the second divide.  but from there, it was home free to head down to yellowstone lake.  dang that's a big lake.

yellowstone must be one of those places that brings cyclists together.  met two guys at madison today, chris & diego.  look to be in 50's ( but who can tell anymore).  travelling east, but heading through cody,  wy.  i'm heading the southern east route out of wyoming, down the wind river and across the desert to casper, wy.

yellowstone services are at a seties of 'villages' scattered through the park.  several of the villages have campgrounds, multiple restaurants and general stores.  they're pretty decent resting areas. 

at dinner tonight, ended up meeting two cyclists, young guys from arkansas, riding the gart route to la push.  and a solo cyclist riding west, also riding the gart but in a different variation.  the four of us ate dinner.  it appeared we were all hungry.  wolfing down tacos, chips.; washing it down with an ipa - or two.