Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 6

Thursday 11 September – ‘Rest Day’ at Canyon Village

No cycling planned for today.  Perhaps just as well as we woke up to a dusting of snow and temperatures well below zero – or should I say 32°? – the USA has yet to embrace the Centigrade scale and everything is in Fahrenheit.  At breakfast we discussed our plans for the day, and the consensus was to walk along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, but first we thought we’d do a bit of research by going to the Visitor Centre.  Not for long though – Andy arrived, informing us that according to his weather forecast things would deteriorate later, so we decided to set off toute suite. 

It was a fairly short walk to the road which runs close to North Rim, and starting at the North-East end was Grand View, which really is jaw-dropping.  The canyon is immensely deep – 1,000 ft, with sides of rhyolite rock whose colour changes subtly through all shades of yellow, brown and even red, and along the base, a long way away it seems, is the Yellowstone River, inexorably carving its way deeper and deeper through the rock. 

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone comes into sight at Grand View

L to R - Andy, Tony, Deborah, Jeff, Kathryn, Richard, Helen 

Light snow flurries, grey clouds and icicles reminded us that even though it was early September, the weather was much better suited to walking than cycling.  We met Woody, our bus driver of two days ago, in charge of a small tour group and clearly enjoying his job!  You could see the Lower Falls from here, but a much better view was to be found at Lookout Point, where an old Osprey nest could also be seen on top of a pillar of rock.  The Lower Falls are 308’ high, and a lot of water goes over the edge:  it must be quite deep on one side as the water appears green for quite a way before it’s finally broken up into a swirling white mass.

Wow!

The Lower Falls

We took a wonderfully twisting footpath which wound down about 500’ to the Brink of the Lower Falls for an even better view, and then of course had to come back the same way.

Old Osprey Nest

Tame Raven (or just fed up?)

We continued on the footpath, where some of the Ravens are so tame they just sit on fenceposts by the side of the path (or were they just frozen to death?), past Crystal Falls to the Viewpoint of the Upper Falls (109’).  All this water has flowed out of Yellowstone Lake and run along the Hayden Valley, and from the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone it carries on north and then east to join the Missouri and eventually reach the sea in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brink of the Lower Falls...

...and the view from the edge

We wandered back to Canyon Village and headed to the Canyon Lodge Cafe for lunch.  I got myself a kind of Bison Burger (I wish I could remember the name!) and then we joined the queue for the only till.  Just as it got to our turn, a phone rang nearby and the young man on the till left his post to answer it.  Minutes passed.  We could see him, and he could see us, but it didn’t look like this was going to be a short phone call and our lunch was going cold.  So I wrote a note to say that we would eat first and pay later, and off we went to a table.  Twenty minutes later, when we returned to the tills, we found them unmanned with no-one to be seen.

And so folks, if you’ve ever heard the expression ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’ – I can assure you that THERE IS!  Whether we’ll ever be allowed back into the USA is another matter, of course...

Richard suffers a Nora Batty Wardrobe Malfunction

Rare photograph of the Author.  Several layers of clothing under that top!

I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting out photos, writing diary notes and then having a better look at the Visitor Centre, described in the Lonely Planet Guide as ‘well worth a visit’ although I thought it was a bit on the simplistic side.

Our main concern for tomorrow was, of course, the weather.  We were hoping it would get warmer and the forecast seemed to be on our side, but of course you never can tell.  The next day we were due to leave the Park for a while and head towards Cody, via Shoshone Lodge, and we had the prospect of some good wildlife spotting in the Hayden Valley on the way.  I’ll tell you what happened soon...

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 5

Wednesday 10 September – Old Faithful Inn to Canyon Village  – 45.4 miles

I can’t remember why we planned such an early start, with breakfast at 7.00:  maybe it was the fact that we had a lot of geysers to see, perhaps it was because someone had told us there’d be a big queue for breakfast;  but for whatever reason that’s when we got up.  Then I saw on the board in the lobby that Old Faithful’s next eruption was due at 0730 ± 10 minutes so I decided to postpone my breakfast and wander to the viewing area, all of 100 yards away.  Others went for a hurried breakfast so as to be out by 0720.

Old Faithful erupts

At 0710 up she went!  Not the most spectacular eruption the old geyser is capable of, but nevertheless a moment my old kettle would be proud of.  I managed to get a couple of photos and a video, then wandered back to the hotel in time to give the others the disappointing news as they were leaving the dining room.  Most decided to wait another 90 minutes.

Castle Geyser

Then I did a tour of lots of other geysers in the so-called Upper Geyser Basin – Castle Geyser, Grotto Geyser, and Riverside Geyser to name but a few.  It was a cold morning and the atmospheric conditions meant that the view was of steam rising from the ground all over the place.  Once on the main road we headed north past Biscuit Basin (more geysers) and then ran alongside the Firehole River until we reached Excelsior Pool.  Here you can see a gushing stream which delivers 4,000 gallons of boiling water to the river every minute.  I really wanted to see the adjacent Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the most spectacular sights in the Park, but sadly the conditions meant that all the amazing colours were obscured by the mist and steam.  However, you could see the mats of thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria which manage to survive in conditions which would kill us in seconds.

4,000 gallons of boiling water a minute from...

Grand Prismatic Spring on a better day

Mats of thermophilic bacteria

A detour around Firehole Lake with more geysers followed and then, after we rejoined the main road, we (Jeff and I) met a couple from Tennessee who were also on bikes, Ben and Anne Cowan.   They are frequent cycle-tourers and were keen to know where we’d cycled and what we were doing this time.  They showed us the entrance to Firehole Canyon Drive, which was a spectacular two- or three mile detour, and rode along with us.  The way we were headed was against the one-way system there, but signs clearly indicate that bicycles are allowed to travel in either direction.  At Mammoth Junction (yes! a junction!) they turned left to West Yellowstone while we went right to Norris, and Ben’s parting words, in his southern drawl, were “Enjoy your ride, I’ve gotta catch my bride!”

Firehole Canyon

 A short, steep pitch at the end of Firehole Canyon Drive took us back to the main road, which climbs gradually alongside the strangely-named Gibbon River, past Terrace Spring (another ‘steamer’) and then on to Gibbon Falls where I  stopped for half a turkey sandwich.  The turkey was in thin slices, like ham, but whereas in the UK you’d expect one or two slices, here in America you get TWELVE!  Incidentally, Gibbon Falls (like other waterfalls in Yellowstone) mark the edge of the Yellowstone Caldera.  There is a turnout here which was full of tourists from all corners of the world, but mainly Japan I think!

Gibbon Falls

Next up, with the river on our right, was the gushing, gurgling and sulphurous Beryl Spring, right next to the road; soon after, an Osprey was perched at the very top of an Aspen tree and was happy to pose for a photo.  The road levelled out at the rather nice Gibbon Meadows, then dropped to Norris, where for some reason (lack of research or general doziness) we failed to visit the spectacular geyser basin there – but don’t worry, we visited it later in the tour, so I’ll tell you about it then.

Osprey

Another slight detour along Virginia Cascade Drive, with spectacular drops on the right hand side, where I stopped to eat the other half of the turkey sandwich and gaze at the cascade.  Soon afterwards the road kicks up very steeply, just before rejoining the main road, and here Jeff’s chain jammed at less than 1 mph and he crashed to the ground.  The malfunction occurred when he shifted down to the ‘granny ring’ at the front – the chain jammed every time, so he had no choice but to stick to mainly (or manly?) high gears, not easy with a long climb coming up.  He wasn’t hurt by the fall, by the way, or at least he said he wasn’t.

Well I guess most of them are!

In fact it was a very long climb, which took us to over 2,500 m above sea level, with the temperature dropping and the odd snow flurry in the air.  I was quite happy to get to Canyon Village, where we would stay the next two nights in a cabin, and they also had a Volcano Visitor Centre, all facilities and a General Store, where I bought my favourite post-ride tipple – a pint of full-fat milk!  It’s the best rehydration drink there is, believe me.

All the motels and in fact just about everywhere else outside the Park has free wifi on offer.  Inside the Park, everything is run by Xanterra, who charge $4.95 an hour for wifi that is so slow you spend most of the time wondering if you really are connected or just watching the egg-timer.  That’s what happened when we returned to the bar/restaurant in the evening.  I also learnt that unless you stand between a certain two chrome rails at the bar, you are invisible to the bar staff.  I asked some fellow customers if this was the American way and they confirmed that it was.  Which made it doubly confusing the following day, as I will reveal later.

Tonight's cabins

We were also about to get a change in the weather.  I was glad I’d packed those thermals!

Total mileage now 158.2

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 4 (continued)

So what happened when we arrived at the Old Faithful Inn? – Incidentally, the world’s largest timber building, it was designed by Seattle architect Robert C Reamer and built in 1904.  The lobby rises seven storeys, with log beams everywhere and a huge central fireplace built of rhyolite rock (the material of the Yellowstone caldera) and weighing some 500 tons.  It’s an impressive place.

However, we weren’t so impressed when we arrived at our room and found just one – one – double bed.  I looked everywhere, even under the bed, but there were no more beds.  It soon became clear that the rest of the group were in the same predicament.  Richard was not at all happy, as he had made it crystal clear when booking that we were to have separate beds, and although I don’t mind sharing a room, I do draw the line at anything more intimate!

So down to Reception (sorry, that should be the Lobby) we went.  We pointed out to the lady at the desk that whilst we were all married, we weren’t married to each other (with the exception of Tony and Debora!)   She seemed genuinely concerned but said they were fully booked and there wasn’t a spare bedroom anywhere in the entire huge building.  She went to speak to the manager, and for a while we waited by the reception desk while they both spoke in hushed tones in a nearby huddle.  Eventually the manager returned to say he was still trying to calm down and had no idea how the situation had occurred.  We politely pointed out that we weren’t particularly interested in either of these two topics, but would rather he concentrated on sorting the problem out.

After some head-scratching he mentioned that one of their client tour firms owned a number of folding beds which they kept on the premises – but they didn’t belong to the hotel.  We suggested he ring and ask permission to use them.  This seemed to do the trick, as he came back a few minutes later with a happier expression and a promise to have the beds taken up to our rooms whilst we had dinner.  We tossed a nickel to decide who would sleep on the folding bed in our room and as usual I lost!

The Old Faithful Inn is only 100 yards from the geyser of the same name, which erupts roughly every 90 minutes.  There’s a noticeboard in the hotel lobby giving the forecast time of the next eruption.  If you’ve heard it said that you can set your watch by the time it ‘blows’ then you may have been somewhat misled, as you’ll learn when I post the next blog!

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 4

Tuesday 9 September – Colter Village to Old Faithful Inn via Lake Village – 62.3 miles

Today’s challenge was to get to Lake Village before 3.30 pm – as you’ll recall, we couldn’t cycle to tonight’s destination, the Old Faithful Inn, because roadworks had taken out a bridge on the Grant – Old Faithful section of the Grand Loop Road at De Lacy Creek.  Richard had got so frustrated the afternoon before while trying to solve the problem.  He persuaded the man in the visitor centre to ring the authorities to find out whether it would be possible for cyclists to get through (in the UK it’s usually a safe bet to ignore any ‘Road Closed’ signs because in 99% of cases there’s room to pass) – but came up against ‘Mr Negative’.  Instead of asking whether we could get through we heard him say “Hey, the road’s closed, it won’t be possible for cyclists to get through, will it?”, which got Richard really annoyed.  Mr Negative continued in this vein as I came up with suggestions for buses – “That firm doesn’t  come this far north”;  “They won’t have a permit for the Park”; and “I wouldn’t even consider cycling in the Park, there aren’t shoulders like there are in Grand Teton”.  Yeah, really helpful!

Anyway, we had our target – Lake Village – and so after an early breakfast and a dash to the lake (Jackson Lake) to get a photo, we called at the general store for lunch provisions.  I need to explain again:  this part of the world is nothing like Europe, where on a cycle tour you need to follow a route through lots and lots of junctions and you have a great choice of cafes to stop at whenever you need sustenance.  Today’s route would have ONE junction and perhaps the chance to find something to eat at Grant Village or at the end, but with places already beginning to close down for the end of the short summer season, you couldn’t guarantee anywhere would be open.  So on the basis of Better Safe Than Sorry, it’s advisable to keep a stock of food with you.  Cars won’t go without fuel, and cyclists are just the same.  Different kind of fuel, that’s all.

We stayed close to the shore of Jackson Lake as we pedalled north, easy-going, with the sides of the road pine-clad as they would be for much of the day.  The sky was blue, the sun was rising and warming things gently.  We pulled into a ‘turnout’ for a better view of the lake.  As with many such places, there was a restroom, which is US-speak for a toilet.  Those in the Yellowstone area look like small cabins and can be identified by a tall chimney, the purpose of which is presumably to dissipate the, er, aromas, as they are basically earth closets with no water supply.  But what earth closets!  Inside there is a toilet seat of a sort, positioned over the deepest hole full of *$!?*% you can imagine.  You could suffer from vertigo whilst going for a call of nature here.  I kept wondering how they could possibly empty them out, or whether everything just rots down and soaks away over the winter season.  Things like this exercise your mind whilst you’re pedalling, and make a nice change from those tunes that become ‘ear-worms’.

Now we left Grand Teton National Park, and entered the section between Grand Teton and Yellowstone called the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway, some 20,000 acres donated to the state by the famous philanthropist to protect the area between the two National Parks.  A long climb ensued, then a descent to the Snake River and the South Entrance to Yellowstone Park where, to our amazement, we were shouted at by a man in a car who couldn’t believe we were from Clitheroe (we were wearing the same shirts again!).  He turned out to be Terry Plant, from Bolton-by-Bowland, about six miles from Clitheroe and a mile from where Richard was born!  Terry and his wife were on holiday, so we had a brief chat until the following traffic began to get impatient.

Through the South Entrance and here we were – Yellowstone National Park – in glorious sunshine. 

A long, steady climb followed, past a spectacular ravine on the right, then to a flatter riverside area where some of the group spotted Sandhill Cranes, though I missed them (we rarely cycled as a coherent group, so the twelve of us could be spread out over several miles at any one time).  Lewis Falls looked spectacular, particularly to one gentleman who could be seen walking along logs in the river to get a better view, which seemed rather foolhardy!  

The climb continued, past Lewis Lake, finally reaching the Continental Divide at 7,988’ (2,435 m) above sea level.  Rain on one side eventually drains to the Atlantic, rain on the other side to the Pacific.

Time was pressing, so I decided not to bother turning off to look at Grant Village, but carried on to West Thumb, on the shore of Yellowstone Lake, to encounter the first ‘Geyser Basin’ (it’s pronounced Guy – Zer, by the way). 

I stopped by the roadside close to the lake to eat my turkey sandwich, a few yards from a small, steaming crater with a slight whiff of sulphur.  One of the world’s largest alpine lakes, Yellowstone Lake was formed by a caldera collapse, and then further shaped by glaciers and other volcanic activity.  There are lots of thermal vents on the lake floor, resulting in ‘warm patches’ and it was once apparently possible to hook a trout, then reel it in over a hot spring and have it cooked by the time you landed it!  I bet you never heard that on QI, but then I don’t think they’ve reached the letter ‘Y’ yet.

21 miles to go.  Despite running along the lake side, the road was quite undulating, and now I spotted a big black cloud and heavy rain ahead.  Very soon I was caught in a fierce hailstorm, with hailstones almost the size of marbles, and the temperature dropped through the floor.  I caught Jeff at this point and we found shelter in the portico of a well-placed restroom.  Also taking shelter here was a family from Billinge, north-east of the park, who cheered us up with a dire weather forecast, saying that by the end of the week there would be snow and sub-zero temperatures.  Thanks for that, I thought.

When the storm abated we set off again in time to see Joy, who had passed me a short time earlier, emerge from a car in a turnout, the occupants of which had offered her shelter out of the storm.  The wet road continued until – in good time – I reached Lake Village, but I couldn’t see anyone at first (I knew our rendezvous with the bus was at the Lake Hotel).  Setting off for a look around, I took a bite out of an energy bar, which returned the compliment by taking a chunk out a filling – damn!  The prospect of finding a dentist didn’t seem good, so I resigned myself to the situation for the next two weeks.  Eventually I found the others in the deli of the Lake Hotel, and soon after our bus driver, Woody, arrived, driving his 1976 bus with 1.5 million miles on the clock.  He was a great character and excellent guide who introduced himself by saying “It’s my day off!  The boss asked me if I wanted to work on my day off, but I knew it wasn’t a question!”

After much manoeuvring of bikes to get them all in, we set off, through traffic jams caused by Bison on the road, and a superb male Elk just sitting minding his own business near the roadside.  The rain started again, accompanied by hail, sleet, thunder and lightning.  Woody showed us various points of interest on the Grand Loop Road (we were to retrace our steps back as far as Canyon Village the next day) and also drew attention to the weather in a way which would encourage any cyclist, I don’t think! – “Look guys, it’s lightning!... and thundering!... and now there’s some snow in the rain!  And you’re going CYCLING?!!!”  Finally we arrived at the Old Faithful Inn, to a surprise, and not a good one.  But I’ve gone on for long enough – I’ll tell you what went wrong at Old Faithful in a wee blog post all on its own, next time I sit down at the computer.

At least we managed to arrive at Old Faithful, which felt like an achievement in itself.!  Total mileage now 112.9

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 3

Monday 8 September – Jackson Hole to Colter Village – 50.6 miles

It was a bit of a disappointment when, expecting my body clock to adjust quickly, I once again woke up at 2 am and found it difficult to get back to sleep.  The situation wasn’t helped by Richard’s phone chiming every time it received another message (there were several) – and Richard couldn’t hear it.  Nor was it helped when at 5 am the occupants of the room upstairs got up and marched backwards and forwards in heavy boots for an hour and a half, before leaving at 6.30.

Finally dawn arrived and it was time to get out of bed and don cycling shorts and a light top, because the weather forecast was promising.  But the forecast failed to mention that first thing it would be cold and grey.  More misty than cloudy, but grey.  After some discussion we decided to visit Bubba’s for breakfast once again and head off directly from there, so we left the motel on our fully loaded and journey-ready bikes.  Just a minute! – I hear someone asking “What happened to all those big bulky bike bags?” – and you may well ask!  Well, the lady running the motel has an apartment behind the reception area, and apart from her little dachshund she lives alone, so she said she was quite happy for us to leave the bags in her living room for two and a half weeks.  By the time we’d got them all in, there was only just enough room left for a lady, a dachshund and a TV to be honest, but she seemed happy enough.

After our wholesome breakfast we were on our way in convoy through the streets of Jackson, looking at the mist cloaking the hills, and with the cold almost penetrating our bones – well certainly my fingers.  Sadly, the mist prevented clear views of the river, where Kathy had seen Trumpeter Swans the previous day, but we found the cycle path which runs parallel to the main road north out of town, with the National Elk Refuge on the right.  There were lots of Swallows (surely they’d soon leave for warmer climes), Brewer’s Blackbirds and many many ‘LBJs’ (a bird-watchers’ term for ‘Little Brown Jobs’.  I had no idea what they were.  As the sun burnt the mist back and we looked back through a last ribbon of white towards Jackson, a Hawk, probably Red-Tailed, flew into a nearby tree and the Tetons came into view, a really fantastic sight.

A quick note for birdwatchers.  What we call Buzzards, Americans call Hawks. There are lots of other birds with different English and American names.  Divers are Loons, Goosanders are Mergansers, Buntings are Sparrows, American Robins look nothing like British Robins, and Tits are Chickadees.  I haven’t worked out why some Woodpeckers are Woodpeckers and others are Sapsuckers, but I’m sure I will one day.

Continuing north on the cycle path we crossed the Gros Ventre River (pronounced ‘Grow-Vaunt’), then turned right on a detour which we hoped would give us a good photo-opportunity – of the wooden barns on Mormon Row, with the Teton Mountains in the background.  The road was smooth and straight until our turn into Mormon Row, a 3-mile dirt road, rough in places.  But it was worth it.  After passing a few shacks by a wind pump (for pumping water I think) we came to the first barn.  There was a herd of Bison in the distance, a Rough-legged Hawk (Buzzard) made an appearance, and a few tourists, including one from Lincolnshire who commented on the Clitheroe Bike Club shirts worn by Richard and me.  Having taken our photos we completed the loop back to the main road, seeing a few dazzling sky-blue Mountain Bluebirds on the way.

At Dornans, Moose Village, we stopped for coffee and cake.  Dornans is like a small village itself, catering for boating, fishing and other pursuits.  I got talking to a Dane who now lives in California, holidaying with friends from his home country:  it seemed odd talking Danish in NW America!  We crossed the Snake River and entered Grand Teton National Park on the Grand Teton Road, where we were each relieved of $12 for the privilege (the ticket lasts a week and is good for Yellowstone too).   We were still on a good cycle track which climbed with ever improving views, including the Teton Glacier (cars can also pull off the road into ‘turnouts’- aka lay-bys).  We were accompanied by loud and persistent clicking noises which didn’t come from our bikes but from grasshoppers with black and yellow wings, and a good deal of energy.

The loop road around Jenny Lake was worth following – there was information on a devastating fire in 1999 - then after a brief stop to eat sandwiches in a trailer park we arrived at Signal Mountain and Jackson Lake, with more spectacular views.  At Jackson Junction I took everyone on a brief detour to Oxbow Bed where there were some White Pelicans on the river.  A shower was threatening so we pressed on for the last six miles to Colter Village, on the shores of Jackson Lake.

As we booked in, a chance remark from the girl at reception about the road to Old Faithful being closed set alarm bells ringing, so after dropping the bikes off at our cabin, Richard and I went to the Visitor Centre to investigate.  Not only was the road closure confirmed, but because there are so few roads in the park, the only alternative was a 79-mile detour.  You may think we’re good cyclists but anything on this scale is impossible.  And yet we were booked in at the Old Faithful Inn the next day and we had to get there, or alternatively stay somewhere like Grant, Lake or Canyon on the east side of the road blockage.  (I'm not sure how clear the map is, but the blockage was at De Lacy Creek, between Grant and Old Faithful).

There was no mobile signal but the staff let us use their phone.  Richard spoke to Kimberley at Xanterra, who run all the accommodation inside the Yellowstone Park.  She said that everywhere was completely full and there was no possibility of staying anywhere but Old Faithful where we were booked in.  Our only option was to cycle part of the way and then organise a bus to take us around the detour to our destination.  As the time approached 5.30 we wondered whether we would get things organised before everyone went home for the day, but just in time we managed to charter a bus to pick us up at Lake Village at 3.30 pm the next day and then drive us, together with our bikes, 58 miles to Old Faithful.  So we still had to cycle 62 miles with some pretty serious climbing AND get there by 3.30.  And pay $80 each for the bus.  But there was absolutely no alternative, and at least we had a solution to the problem!

 A quick cup of coffee, shower and freshen-up, a phone call home from the restaurant area, where there was wifi, evening meal together and then off for an early night before a challenging day tomorrow!  And guess what?  There would be more problems when we got to the Old Faithful Inn – but of course you’ll have to wait for the next instalment to find out what went wrong next!

Yellowstone & Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 2

If you were expecting a report of a day of thrills and spills on the bike, tales of ‘derring-do’ battling it out with elks and bison and moose and beavers and...   then I’m afraid you’ll have to wait just one more day.  The last episode ended with us newly arrived and sleeping soundly in the Rawhide Motel, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Today is about Sunday, 7 September, as we prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead.

And the first thing we need to do is get those bikes out of the bags and reassembled, right?  Wrong!  The first thing to do is get an American Breakfast, and where better than Bubba’s, just down the road from the motel.  We all walked down there to receive a very warm welcome, lots of iced water (everywhere you go to eat, breakfast, lunch, dinner, the first thing you get is a big glass of iced water, no charge) – then study the menu.  I decided to go for pancakes (drop scones, the size of a large plate) with banana, blueberries and strawberries.  Meanwhile those fancying a cooked breakfast were given a crash course in fried eggs from Kathryn – over-easy, over-medium, sunny side up, etc etc.

Hash browns are a big favourite too, and French toast – everywhere has French toast, i.e. bread soaked in egg and toasted.  Amazingly, it tastes fantastic with strawberry jam.  Sorry, I mean strawberry jelly.  We really are two countries divided by a common language, as George Bernard Shaw once famously commented.  Did I mention the coffee?  As much as you can drink.  Not strong, as in much of Europe, but OK for me.

As we left Bubba’s we spotted, just down the road, an Outdoor and BIKE shop!  So in we all went.  Some good offers on gloves (but I’d brought three pairs) and all kinds of things, including BEAR SPRAY.  Bear Spray?!  I decided against investing in this type of protection on the basis that they were about the size of a medium fire extinguisher; if I was carrying one i’d jinx any chance of seeing a bear; and by the time I’d got to the thing out of my panniers I’d be dead anyway.  I kept telling myself that all I needed to do was pedal faster than the slowest person in the group.  I did however spend at least $2 on a puncture repair outfit.  Last of the big spenders.

Meanwhile, Richard was making a slightly bigger purchase involving a credit card, and discovered that, along with most US shops, they don’t have a chip & pin facility – the customer still has to sign a paper chit.  He commented on this, telling the girl at the till that things in the UK were much more advanced, to which she said “Well maybe we’ll catch you up one day,” and Richard replied “You’ll never catch us up – you’ll always be at least 7 hours behind!”

Most of the rest of the morning was taken up with rebuilding the bikes.  Mine went pretty smoothly although I should have taken with me all the tools I’d used to disassemble it, as I found  that some of the allen keys in my multi-tool wouldn’t fit into the space available.  At least no-one’s bike had been damaged.  A quick whizz around the car park confirmed that everything was in order.  Richard was dismayed when he couldn’t find his pedals, until he finally looked at the cranks and realised he’d forgotten to take them off in the first place.

Also in the car park, and elsewhere in town, were lots of lean-looking road bikers who had done the LoToJa Classic the previous day – 206 miles from Logan, Utah, to Jackson.  Whenever I asked any of them how they’d done, I always got the same reply – “Yep, I done good”, without every finding out any more details.  206 miles is quite a distance for one day, although the 10,000 ft of ascent isn’t too monstrous.   I should have invited some of them over to Lancashire for the Bowland Badass, which at 167 miles and 18,500 ft of ascent is pretty damn tough!

I won’t bore you too much with the afternoon.  Basically we wandered around Jackson, which has a lot of shops selling art, jewellery, leather goods, general souvenirs and gifts.  On the town square, which has an archway on each of four corners made entirely of Elk antlers (at any point in time there is always someone being photographed underneath one of them), there was a bit of a gala going on, which included a few stalls run by local Rotarians.  Their membership numbers are impressive – over 200 from a population of 10,000, in three clubs – breakfast, lunch and supper.  Richard and I chatted to a few, especially those in the wine-tasting section!

Last year Jackson Hole was ranked NUMBER ONE in North America for overall satisfaction, character, variety and challenge.  Apparently it also has the highest per capita income of anywhere in the USA.  That probably explains why there were so many private jets at the airport, but I'm not sure how to explain this interesting fence!

A heavy shower lasted from late afternoon until early evening, making me wonder what kind of weather we were going to get.  We had an evening meal as one party at the Snake River Brewery, then retired to bed (some still a little jet-lagged) so as to have a good rest before our first day’s cycling.

Yes folks, the next post will be about cycling!! Jackson to Colter Bay, and then the problem we faced when we got there (you’ll have to wait to find out what the problem was.  Take my word for now, it was as unwelcome as it was tricksy...

Yellowstone & Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 1

The problem with me is I pack too much.  I think I’m travelling light but the difference between my thoughts and reality is a gaping void.  Matters were made worse by the need  to prepare for all eventualities – Yellowstone in September can be warm, dry and calm, or freezing cold, or wet and windy, and as I can’t stand the cold or the wet, a lot of thermals and waterproofs had to go in the panniers as well as everything else.

This was to be no lightweight bike tour.  No bus or van following us around to carry luggage, pick up stragglers, repair our bikes and generally pamper us.  We were carrying everything we’d need for three weeks on the bike, in panniers and a bar bag – tools, spare inner tubes and gear cables, clothes, spare shoes, toiletries, phone chargers, and in my case camera, books, and all sorts of other paraphernalia.  The bike weighed 13.3 kg, and my panniers 18.1 kg; with me on board it came to a total of 102.0 kg (I’ll let you do the maths).

For air travel, the bike goes in a big bag which has a bit of padding, but not enough, so I help protect it further by stuffing a large sheet of cardboard along one side and a very photogenic, lightweight ‘Honeywell’ For Sale sign along the other.  The wheels have to be removed and stowed in the same bag separately (with the spindles removed), then the handlebars removed and turned at 90°, the pedals removed, and the rear derailleur unbolted and tie-wrapped inside the frame.  I put spacers in the forks to stop them being crushed, wrap the pedals and spindles in bubble-wrap, put some more cardboard over the chainring to protect it, and use about 20 plastic tie-wraps to keep everything in place.   The whole thing then feels like it weighs a ton, and that’s without luggage!

United Airlines allow you one main item of hand luggage and one other small carry-on item, so with two main panniers, a bar bag and another small bag to go on top of the pannier rack, I knew I was going to have to do some fancy talking at check-in or pay something for excess baggage as a minimum.  United’s conditions actually state that bikes are classed as ‘sporting equipment’ and therefore subject to a $200 surcharge in each direction.  So I’d have to keep fingers crossed and just wait and see.

Tour Leader Richard Dugdale had done all the hard work of route-planning, booking accommodation and travel arrangements, but there was still plenty of research for me to do, including preparation of a set of route notes for each day which I circulated to the other riders – I didn’t want to leave anything to chance and end up whizzing past an interesting feature somewhere.

And so, after much checking of check-lists, making sure everything at home was up to date and able to be left for three weeks, biting of fingernails and general fretting, Saturday 6 September arrived and with it an early 4.15 am start.  Once in the taxi to the airport if anything had been forgotten it was too late!  At Manchester Airport’s check-in hall we met up with all but two of the group – Andy, Tony & Deborah (our only married couple travelling together), Shirley, Joy, Helen, Tony and Madeleine.  Kathryn, from San Diego, and Jeff from Sydney would meet us at Jackson Hole.  Checking-in with bikes is a cumbersome affair (although three of the group had small-wheeled bikes which fit in a bespoke suitcase which makes matters a lot easier).  Sure enough, I had to pay for the extra pannier to go into the hold - $100 or £60, but at least none of us had to pay the $200 ‘Sporting Goods’ charge.  A gentleman from American Security asked us various questions, including whether our mobile phones were charged up (he took our word for it without trying them).  Our luggage was checked in, we were given three boarding passes each (Manchester to Newark, then Chicago and finally Jackson Hole, Wyoming).

I expected a bigger plane.  It was an Airbus 320, with a single centre aisle and three seats each side, but apart from a TV screen in the back of the seat in front, and perhaps an inch more legroom, it really wasn’t much different to a short-haul plane used by EasyJet or Ryanair, and this was for a 7-hour flight.  During the journey of course, you have to turn your watch back five hours, so it seems as though you arrive only two hours after you set off.  It’s a long two hours!  What is there to do, apart from read a book, chat a bit, watch a film (I couldn’t find one I liked!), snooze?  But the time does pass, and eventually we could see the Manhattan skyline out of the window and then we had touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

We had to check our luggage before it was reloaded – for security purposes I guess, but at least it’s reassuring so see it there.  I needed a trolley for the bike which cost $6!  I asked if that included a returnable deposit and received a negative response.  Still, at least it meant that after changing a $10-dollar bill in the machine I got to see dollar coins for the first and only time whilst in the States.  Next came Homeland Security, which was nothing like as bad as some had made out:  we were fingerprinted and had a photo taken of one eyeball, but nothing to worry about: in fact the official was quite friendly and seemed genuinely interested in our forthcoming cycle tour.

After a couple of hours wait, we eventually boarded the plane for Chicago, after being informed by the boarding gate staff that luggage size-restrictions would be rigidly enforce and then noting with some amusement that they barely gave any items of luggage even a first glance, never mind a second, and nothing remotely bothered any of the measuring devices!  Almost as soon as we started taxiing, the plane stopped again, and then the captain, who sounded just like Elvis, reported that we not only had an engine fault, but that there would be no take-offs until further notice due to impending lightning.  We started to worry about missing our connection from Chicago to Jackson Hole.  Then the captain reported that the engine problem was resolved, and 45 minutes later, the weather improved and we were cleared for take-off.  Not only that, but we would have a good following wind and arrive in plenty of time for our onward connection.

We flew over Lake Ontario, which looked like a sea, and the south end of Lake Michigan, then over some pretty posh-looking suburbs before landing at Chicago O’Hare Airport.  My watch now read 4.00 pm, though it was 10.00 pm back home, and we still had another 3-hour flight to go.  Across a very smart concourse with constantly changing coloured lights towards our final boarding gate, but before that it was time to eat, and I was faced with the inevitable barrage of choices in the cafe:  what kind of bread, what kind of cheese, salad, mayonnaise, fries?  I just wanted a cheese sandwich! 

The final flight to Jackson Hole was nowhere near full (thankfully) and as I’d already been awake for 20 hours I dozed most of the way, but woke as we began our descent and enjoyed views of plenty of mountains including the Tetons, noticing that some had a dusting of fresh snow while others had patches of snow that looked like they’d been there since last winter at least.  The thing that I remember most from taxiing at Jackson Hole was the number of private jets – not surprising perhaps, when you consider that the town has the highest per-capita income in the USA.  Jeff from Sydney, hadn't been there long and was waiting for us.  Luggage was collected, loaded on to a waiting coach with the bikes, and after a short ride we arrived at the wonderfully named Rawhide Motel in Jackson town, where we quickly unloaded and looked at the room – no TV, but a coffee machine, two double beds, en suite.  Kathryn from San Diego had arrived earlier in the day and was waiting for us - no one had met her before so there were quick introductions all round.

It was 9.00 pm (4.00 am at home) – almost 24 hours after I’d got up.  So there was only one thing for it – head out for a beer and something to eat!  The Snake River Brewery was nearby, complete with eatery and microbrewery, and four of us gave it a try.  First lesson on American beer:  it’s not bad, but lager is not pale but more of an amber colour;  if you want something  light in colour you ask for a pale beer, because a light beer has little or no alcohol;  and an IPA will be strong.  Easy really.  Regular fries or sweet potato fries?  I tried the sweet potato – very nice too.

Finally to bed, where I slept well until 3.00 am, when, presumably because it was getting to mid-morning at home, I woke up and found it hard to get back to sleep.  I thought jet-lag was supposed to be on the return journey, though it makes more sense to be this way around.

I will get around to the cycle tour itself soon, but before that we had a ‘rest-day’ on Sunday, to recuperate from the long flight, put the bikes back together, and have a good look around the town of Jackson.  So more later...

Cycle Tour of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks (and much more) – USA September 2014

It’s a long time since I did anything with this blog but having just returned from an epic cycle tour to Wyoming and Montana, USA, I felt I had to sit down and write an account, in case anyone is interested in reading it.

Why Yellowstone?

The tour was organised by CTC (The Cyclists’ Touring Club) and led by my old friend Richard Dugdale. I’ve never been to the United States before and this seemed like a great adventure for a first visit.

Yellowstone was the world’s first National Park, created in 1872:  the area is a supervolcano and much of the park consists of a caldera, formed when a massive eruption took place around 600,000 years ago.  There are hot springs, boiling geysers and sulphurous pools (in fact about half of all the world’s thermal features) lakes, rivers, forests, and incredible wildlife including Bison, Elk, Moose, Pronghorn Antelopes, Bears, Beavers and much more.

You can find plenty of interesting stuff about the area here, on the American National Parks website:  http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm

We spent the entire tour at elevations between 4,500’ and over 10,000’ (we were never below the height of the top of Ben Nevis) and in winter the place gets very cold indeed.  September is a great time to go, with the roads still passable and the chance of some warm days, although many of the visitor attractions are already closing down.  10 of us flew out from Manchester to Jackson Hole on 6 September, meeting the other two (one from Sydney, the other San Diego) when we got there, and over the next two-and-a-half weeks we cycled over 750 miles before returning on the 25^th.

Where is it?

Most of the National Park lies in the NW of Wyoming, with a little slice in Montana (that's near the top left of the map - Montana is pale blue with Wyoming, purple, to the south and Idaho, yellow, to the west).  To the south lie the Grand Tetons, iconic pointy mountains, while also nearby but outside the park are the towns of Jackson Hole (a great ski-resort), Cody (Buffalo Bill) and Bozeman.

  

Over the next few days, as time allows, I’ll post a belated diary of the tour, with a few of my photos – I took lots and lots, so it may take me a while to go through them all, but hopefully you’ll find some of them stunning, and all of them interesting.