July 3 update

We had a good night in Lander Wyoming, a very nice couple put us up in their house and made sandwiches to take with us on our trip to Dubouis.

We had a hard ride into Dubouis, because the weather channel called for thunderstorms after lunch. We nearly got into town when the storm came in. I talked to my friend Malcolm who I  rode with earlier in my trip. He is ahead of me by about a day, and he got caught in the storm at the high pass we crossed the next day. He said it rained and hailed on him at the top of the pass, and he nearly frooze.

Once again, we lucked out. Pat found a motel, and Charlie and I stayed in the Episcopal church fellowship hall. They didn't have a shower, but their was a car wash, laundromat, and a pay shower down the street. We washed out clothes and paid for a shower, maybe the car wash would have been cheaper.

The next day we climbed to the 9600 Pass and then descended into the Grand Teton valley, and on into Yellowstone. We stayed at Colter Bay where they reserve sites for bikers even if the campground is full. We were worried about bears, but did not see any bears nor buffalos in the park. We did see a small herd of Elk right in our campsite, about 7 adults and 5 calves. The road into Yellowstone was uphill with hardly any shoulder, and the traffic was terrible. There's nothing like being passed by a huge RV pulling a car, driven by some old fart even older than me, when I'm going 4 mph and barely staying upright, while he is doing 55 and so close you can touch him.I

The next day we rode to Old Faithful where we stood with about 5000 other people waiting to see the next eruption. We ate some breakfast and then moved on to West Yellowstone. We had a good shoulder to ride on, but the traffic, both ways, was even worse than the day before. Riding a bicycle through Yellowstone on the forth of July weekend is not for the faint hearted.

At the town of West Yellowstone, we stopped at the visitor center and asked the lady at the counter to help us find a place to stay. She said we could stay in her back yard, but she lived in Idaho, so we asked for something closer. She found us a small RV park right in town, and we were glad to get a place to stay there.  The town was a typical tourist town, but we found a good restaurant, with cold beer and good food. We had plenty of both.

Today we had a great ride to Ennis Montana. We rode 74 miles, but it was almost all downhill with a tailwind. We are camping behind the Willies Distillery. No shower, no restroom after closing, but there's shade and grass.

The library was closed, so I walked across the street to an insurance agency and asked to use their internet. The owner offered me a chair and a beer and said have at it.

Tomorrow morning We have a tough 2000 ft climb in the first eight miles, so we will get an early start. I tend to struggle in the early morning, but I'll get over the pass if I have to walk.

I don't want to over stay my welcome, so I will post some pictures on this post later.