Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 10

Monday 15 September – Cody to Cooke City – 76.9 miles

We’d been warned by those on last year's Tour that this would be a gruelling day, which might even finish in the dark.  It wasn’t just the distance, but the amount of climbing involved - around 3,000 m (10,000') that would make it so tough – not helped by the fact that we were loaded with all our belongings in panniers.

So it was that we were up at 5.30 am ready for breakfast at the Irma Hotel’s ‘opening time’ of 6.00, with bikes loaded up and ready to go.  On duty already, cleaning (I think) was the most striking-looking guy with long hair, beard, moustache, and totally, completely, unkempt appearance.  It was impossible to guess how old he was, but I’d put my best estimate at between 40 and 75.  His reply, when he learnt we were going to Cooke City on bicycles in one day was “Sweeeeet.  Reckon I’m too outa shape for that kinda thing now.”

The sun rose 10-15 minutes after I left town, after cycling past industrial areas and out into the countryside on a steady uphill slope, where a Mule Deer crossed the road and ‘stotted’ in the field on the other side.  Stotting is when deer or antelope bounce up and down on all four stiff legs – I don't know if you've ever seen it - apparently to show potential predators how fit they are and suggest that it isn't worth chasing them.  I rode with Kathryn for a while, past Magpies (which look the same as their European counterparts but sound different – another species with a different language on each side of the Atlantic), but she had her mind set on making good progress and soon left me behind.

The road out of Cody

The trucks are big out here

I carried on uphill until the 300 or so metres of height that had been gained were all lost as the road plunged downhill for a few miles, before turning left on to the scenic Chief Joseph Highway route.  The day was now gorgeous.  I passed Kathryn whilst she was enjoying a short rest, then the big climb started:  she came past me again at a turnout where there was information on the Nez Percé people.  Just afterwards we saw our first Pronghorn Antelopes away to the right on the far hillside, and then Kathryn disappeared into the distance, not to be seen again until the end of the day.

Distant Pronghorn Antelope

A rare selfie - the author and Richard Dugdale

The climb went on and on and on.  Western Meadowlarks were singing on roadside fenceposts (very melodious) and a few late Swallows flew south.  As usual, I kept stopping to take photos, and Joy, Richard and Helen all caught and passed me, but we were obviously keeping to a very similar pace.  There was a fair bit of tourist traffic (cars and RV’s) but also lots of long-bodied lorries which I think were carrying stone.  On and on, up and up, until there was snow at the roadside.  A couple of miles from the top, Richard and Joy had stopped for something to eat, but I pressed on for the summit of the climb, 14 miles from the start and 1,000 metres higher.

On the Chief Joseph Highway, heading up to Dead Indian Pass

Getting closer - and colder with the altitude

At the top – the wonderfully named Dead Indian Pass – there were Chipmunks – emboldened by the food no doubt constantly available from tourists, and tourists – mainly Chinese, taking photographs of everything and more.  The views were phenomenal.  I had a quick bite to eat, shared some dried banana chips with a Chipmunk and then set off on the long descent, where at one point another Mule Deer gave me near heart-failure as it almost crossed the road right in front of me.

Sharing a banana chip with a Chipmunk

Superb sculpture at Dead Indian Pass...

...and the view's not bad either

Looking forward to whizzing down this bit

Now the sun was really warm as the road undulated through areas of fields (with hundreds of glacial erratics – big random boulders transported, and then dropped, by glaciers during the last ice age), past a ranch with two horse-riding cowboys, and then a lunch stop in a lay-by with Richard and Joy.  As I went for a call of nature, Richard decided to lie down on the tarmac for a rest.  Just as I returned, a car came past:  the driver quickly stopped to ask me if he was OK and whether we needed an ambulance.  He took some convincing that this was normal behaviour for Richard!  "Jeez, tell him we called the ambulance! And the Sherriff!"

Real cowboys in Wild West Wyoming

One of thousands of glacial erratic boulders

Mr Dugdale takes a nap, to the consternation of passing motorists

Now a headwind picked up and it was quite a battle to keep going – past forests, small lakes, glacial features, rivers – but no big animals – until after 55 miles and now behind Richard and Joy, I arrived at Crandall (not even big enough to be a hamlet!), where a ‘CLOSED’ sign on the café belied the fact that it was really open for business.  Coffee, a Twix, and water refill.  I have to say this was neither the busiest nor the most welcoming of places we stopped at on the tour.  The sign said closed, the doors were open, but I think in their heads they'd closed for the season!  Only 22 miles to go and still only 2.30 pm.  But it was clear that these 22 miles would be hard going.  And totally solo.

Undulating again, through grand scenery of rivers, granite, and then the distant Beartooth Mountains came into view.  After 12 miles I joined the great Beartooth ‘All-American’ Highway which runs East - West from Billings to Cooke City:  at the junction a farmer with a cattle truck opened his arms wide and said ‘Ah couldn’ even DREAM of pedallin’ that road!’  Chapeau then!

Spectacular scenery on the All America Beartooth Highway

Four miles from the end the road kicked up for a final climb of  350 metres over two miles – cruel, hard going, a steady grind up to the Wyoming – Montana border at the top, before a final sweeping descent to the amazing Cooke City – population 100 (why would you call it a 'city'?) – not necessarily a one-horse town but definitely a one-street town!  The buildings had a real wild-west feel about them, with boarded facades.

Cooke City

After checking in at the Alpine Motel around 6.00 pm (Kathryn had been there since 4.30!) it was across the road to the Miners’ Saloon for a beer and then an evening meal – there were plenty of calories to replace before tomorrow's ride back into Yellowstone along the top wildlife route in the Park!

Total Mileage 333.0 miles

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 9

Sunday 14 September –Rest Day in Cody

You’re probably wondering how many rest days there are going to be on this so-called cycle tour!  Well this is the penultimate one, and probably necessary for two reasons – firstly, Cody is an important town, having massive associations with the renowned Buffalo Bill Cody and there’s a lot to see here;  secondly, tomorrow will be the hardest day’s ride on the whole tour and getting a rest won’t do any harm.

As I looked out of the window I realised that what I had previously thought was an odd-looking structure on top of the adjoining roof was actually an advert for a gun shop.  Nothing is understated here.

At the breakfast buffet in the Irma Hotel I spotted whiskey sauce.  Whiskey sauce?  I decided to have some porridge – sorry, that’s OATMEAL here in America – and thought the addition of a little whiskey sauce would be an excellent idea.  They’re not kidding – it’s not just flavoured with whiskey, it tastes almost neat!  I may have overdone the lashings a bit there!

Several of us decided to go on a bus tour of the town.  The ticket also got us into the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West which, the lady was at pains to point out, was really five museums in one.  But the tour didn’t start until 11.00 so there was lots of time to have a wander around the high street, look in a few shops – including an excellent outdoor shop where we talked to the owner about tomorrow’s ride to Cooke City and the lack of refreshments en route.  The sides of the staircase and the upper floor balustrade were made of sheets of metal blanks for crampons and ice axe heads – very effective, and I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture.  Perhaps I was too shocked by the sight of a real Snowmobile on the first floor!

 Once again the weather was fine and sunny, so seeking to prevent sunstroke or at least mild sunburn to the top of my head (a protecting layer of thick hair now being a thing of the past) I looked for a baseball cap, found them to be overpriced and settled for a peaked cap strongly reminiscent of what the late  ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf used to wear in the first Gulf War.  Camouflage and all.

The bus – trolley-bus – tour was much better than expected, mainly down to the personality and enthusiasm of our tour guide, Jessika, ably assisted by Chuck, the laid-back, laconic, moustachioed, bespectacled and cowboy-hatted driver.  Jessika was SO enthusiastic!  She just LOVES Wyoming in general and Cody in particular.  We drove around all the sights (and sites) in town, past the golf course (Chuck: “D’ya know why golfers always carry a spare pair of socks? In case they get a hole in one!”) We were regaled with the story of how the town was founded, tales of Buffalo Bill and especially the strange circumstances of his burial.  We even drove out to the reservoir where we’d been yesterday afternoon – turned around in the Visitor Centre car park and headed straight back into town again.

Also around town Chuck pointed out the County Hall with its clock, saying “D’y’all remember ‘Back To The Future? – the clock tower in the town square?  Yup? Well...  this ain’t it, but it looks a bit like it.”  You had to be there, it was funnier than you might think.

Not a DeLorean in sight...

The exuberant Jessika and her bus

We were dropped off at the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West, and spent much of the afternoon there.  It really is exceptional, especially the Natural History section, which seems to go on forever but is so compulsive – you have to keep going to see what’s in the bit around the next corner!  Having said that, there were a couple of clangers in there - mis-labelling of geological faults and Elk, but I couldn't be bothered to inform the authorities that they'd got stuff wrong!  The Plains Indian section was also fascinating, whilst the museum dedicated to Buffalo Bill gave a really comprehensive overview of his life.  It’s amazing to see how many towns and cities he visited in Britain with his Wild West Show (and Annie Oakley).  I don’t think I’ve ever spent so long in a museum before (perhaps with the exception of the London Natural History Museum) and I didn’t bother with either the Art or the Firearms.

Welcoming hologram of Buffalo Bill - projected on dry ice

Bobcat (with Chipmunk in its mouth)

Moose

Tiled floor, photographed from the floor above

As you'll all know, this is a Normal Fault, not a Slip Fault.  Tut, tut.

Plains Indian Section

For our evening meal we went to a nearby Italian Restaurant.  The sound of English accents at the next table prompted me to introduce myself (I'm so shy, really!) and found that our neighbouring group was over for a family wedding in Las Vegas, and they were taking in some sightseeing whilst in the States.  Naturally they thought we were all mad.  Beforehand we'd visited the hotel's Wild West bar and on the way out were studying a motorised bicycle when the owner appeared - from the bar and a little worse for wear.  He said he'd just had a couple of drinks but Tony said his bike hadn't moved since lunchtime.  After a slurred attempt to answer questions about the bike and an even funnier crack at donning his crash helmet, he set off, only to reappear 30 seconds later travelling in the opposite direction!

Man with motorizhed bishycle

And finally, the mystery of the Buffalo Bill Burial Controversy?  Take a deep breath – this is from the blog of Corrie N Cody (www.yellowstonecountry.org/)....

As the folks down in Denver know, there is a huge museum visitor area near Buffalo Bill’s alleged grave site on Lookout Mountain. I say “alleged” because there are some people who believe that the only person buried under 20 tons of concrete at the Denver site is a one-time Cody ranch-hand who looked a little like Buffalo Bill and whose name has been lost to history. Many people right here in Cody believe that the real Bill is actually buried on Cedar Mountain overlooking the town of Cody.

While visiting relatives in Denver in the spring of 1917, Buffalo Bill became ill and died. Soon after, his wife Louisa arrived to claim his body and settle his affairs. While in Denver, Louisa was approached by representatives from theDenver Post newspaper and the city of Denver who offered her $10,000 each to bury Cody in the area where they felt his grave would be a tourist attraction.

Although Bill Cody was at one time regarded as the best-known person in the world and his Wild West Show incredibly popular and profitable, he was also prone to bad investments and was incredibly generous. As a result, he and his wife were broke when he died, and Louisa understandably accepted this offer.

When Louisa returned to Wyoming and the town of Cody, its residents turned out to greet her with the expectation that she was bringing the town’s founder home to be buried. The townsfolk were shocked and more than a little upset when Louisa informed them that she had sold Cody’s body and that he was to be buried in Denver.

Among those who were unhappy were the town’s undertaker and two of Buffalo Bill’s old friends, Fred Richard and Ned Frost. These three hatched a plan to travel to Denver to switch bodies and bury Cody on Cedar Mountain where he had often said he wanted as his final resting place. When a local ranch hand died and his body went unclaimed, the three put their plan in motion. After trimming the unfortunate ranch hand’s beard in the Buffalo Bill style, the three loaded the body in the undertaker’s vehicle and drove for two and a half days to Denver.

At the mortuary Frost and Richard presented themselves as old friends of Cody and asked if they could view his body. After their request was granted, the three returned later that night, switched bodies and left for Wyoming. Back in Cody, they privately buried him on Cedar Mountain.

And here’s the really fun part. Once they had completed their job, they proceeded to make the rounds to all 13 of Cody’s saloons where they riled up the townsfolk and convinced them they should all go to Denver to bring Buffalo Bill back to be buried where he belonged. A caravan of 100 cars filled with Buffalo Bill’s friends left for Denver. In Denver, meanwhile, the locals heard about the plan to retrieve Cody’s body, and they hurriedly and unsuspectingly buried the ranch hand’s body on Lookout Mountain even though permission to do so at the site had not been granted. For good measure, 20 tons of concrete was poured on top of the casket.

The final resting place of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody is a closely guarded secret.  A few people know where it is and share the location with just a select few people they know and trust. They will say that it is on private property on Cedar Mountain, but as with any good legend, there are always a few details that must be left up to the imagination.

Like I said…it’s a good story. I believe it; do you?

Tomorrow we set off for Cooke City on the toughest day of the Tour.  So it’s an early night, breakfast will be at 6.00 am!

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 8

Saturday 13 September –Shoshone Lodge to Cody – 48.5 miles

You may remember me saying I’d lost a filling on the second day of cycling.  Well the sharp edge ot the tooth was beginning to lacerate the side of my tongue, so as we were heading to Cody, a town of some 10,000 citizens, I thought it worth seeing if I could find a dentist there.  Well of course dentists don’t normally work at weekends, but after a quick exchange of emails with big brother Captain Greybeard (someone who knows how to use Google to find any information) I had the emergency telephone number of a dental practice.  The lovely ladies at reception allowed me to use the phone, but the best I could make contact with was an answering machine. I left my details – including phone number at Shoshone and mobile phone number, the nature of the problem etc.  They haven’t rung me yet.

Shoshone River

Time to hit the road and follow the Wapiti Road to Cody.  It looked good on the map – nearly 50 miles generally downhill (following the Shoshone River downstream), described by the guidebooks, and the people at Shoshone Lodge, as perhaps the most scenic road in North America.  The first 25 – 30 miles didn’t disappoint.  The scenery – rivers, rock formations (including the ‘hoodoos’, great pinnacles of sandstone resembling stalagmites at times), the distant snow-clad mountains, were all spectacular.  No bears though.  A few Clark’s Nutcrackers stuffing their cheeks with pine nuts, rather like hamsters.  The Nutcracker is a pretty grey , black and white bird related to the British Jay, which is obvious as soon as it flies in that bouncing, butterfly-like way.

Spectacular Hoodoos...

All I can see is a man on a mobility scooter chasing a bear!

Clark's Nutcracker - sorry about the poor quality

Near Wapiti village we stopped at a filling station and general store called the Red Barn.  We had coffee and cookies, and Richard, who had bought a week’s supply of teacakes the day before, made us all turkey sandwiches as we sat outside.  My phone rang – the dentist perhaps?  No, it was Val just ringing on the off-chance that I might hear it.  She must be psychic with timing like that.

Great Scenery

It's easy being a postman

I'm getting mixed messages from this one

Beef on the hoof

Is this the Pilsbury Dough Man or someone else?

Buffalo Bill Reservoir

Now the wind picked up and for the rest of the day we had a strong headwind, negating any benefit from the gradual descent.  We reached the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and continued along its shore until we reached the visitor centre, where we learned that the dam was for a while the highest concrete structure in the world.  The trunks of dead trees washed down by the river accumulate behind the dam and are an impressive sight until they’re cleared once a year.  The paving stones outside the centre are all inscribed with the names of people who made a financial contribution to its construction.

A year's supply of logs

Don't look down!

These aren't nice to cycle through...

...this is much better!

We noticed as we turned into the visitor centre car park that just a little further on was a long road tunnel through the adjacent mountain.  I think Kathryn expressed to one of the officials her concern about our safety cycling through it, and he immediately offered to open up the security gate which would allow us to cycle, tunnel-free, down the old canyon road, which was superb!  We passed the hydro-electric plant and before long were in the outskirts of Cody, founded by Buffalo Bill himself and now Rodeo Capital of the West as well as much more.

Cody Rodeo Centre

Cody Old Town, now a reconstruction

The famous Irma Hotel

Once in the town centre we found our lodgings for the next two nights – the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill and named after his daughter.  It’s an iconic feature of the town with a wild west bar, another huge cherrywood bar given to Bill by Queen Victoria, traditional (old-fashioned!) rooms... and outside, every evening at 6.00 pm, a gunfight is staged.  I was eagerly anticipating this but it turned out to be rather less exciting than you might expect.  As I posted on Facebook, “A few people were shot dead in the gunfight, but many more simply died of boredom”.  The ‘commentator’ asked at the outset if there were any retired ‘vets’ in the audience, and I was pleased that Tony, our retired veterinary surgeon, understood the distinction between American and English with no difficulty!

...zzzzzz.... BANG!!! ....zzzzzzz......

Dinner was in the hotel dining room, near the Cherrywood Bar, and being in the heart of the Wild West I thought a steak would be just the ticket, but I’m afraid it was too juicy, or should I say fatty, for me.  Tomorrow would be reserved for seeing the town, and in particular the massive Buffalo Bill Centre, five museums in one.

Total mileage 256.1 miles

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Cycle Tour, September 2014. Day 7

Friday 12 September – Canyon Village to Shoshone Lodge  – 49.3 miles

Boy! Was it COLD first thing! At least -7° - and it felt more like -10°: as we assembled after breakfast Andy’s drinks bottle had grown a big icicle and at just the right angle, against the sun under a blue sky, you could see an absolutely magical shower of tiny, tiny ice crystals falling like rain, yet they were so small there was no sign of them as they landed on your clothes or on the ground.

Wrapped as well as possible against the cold, we set off from Canyon Village, cycled past a frozen-looking Bison on the edge of the village and headed (past a few more Bison) to the South Rim Road.  We’d decided to detour along here as far as Artist Point where there is a superb viewpoint of the Lower Falls, made even better today by the clear conditions and the fact that the low sun was directly behind us.  I was surprised how many tourists were already there at this early hour (presumably their guides knew that this was when the light was best, as many were in coaches).

View from Artist Point

The views were absolutely stunning – this is certainly the best vantage point for the Lower Falls.  I mentioned the cold to a passing park ranger, and she replied “This is warm! Come back in February, you’ll think this is great!”  I won’t be coming back in February.

Yellowstone Canyon Lower Falls

Kathryn was the only one of our group using front panniers.  I would have thought that they would make the front of the bike unstable and difficult to steer, so while we were waiting to regroup I had a ride on it, and was amazed at how stable it was.  The panniers are low down at the front – mostly below the axle height, and of course create a much better front-rear weight balance.  I may well try a similar set-up next time.

Yellowstone River, Hayden Valley

Once back on the main road we followed the Hayden Valley south, alongside the Yellowstone River. Not only is the scenery fabulous but this valley is one of the best in the Park for wildlife.  There were Canada Geese and Trumpeter Swans on the river, and Bison, still cold even as the sun rose.  As I cycled past a small group on the skyline of a nearby hill, I looked back and saw the gibbous moon directly over them – a great photo opportunity.  I wished I could have brought a much bigger lens and a tripod!

Trumpeter Swans

Hayden Valley near Alum Pool

No caption required

At Sulphur Cauldron there is a boiling, stinking fumarole whose pH of 1.3 makes it one of the most acidic in the Park.  It even has a little satellite which appeared almost overnight some years ago in the middle of the turnout!  Nearby is the huge complex of Mud Volcano, where we spent at least half an hour following the boardwalk around the various fumaroles.  Lots of birdlife here, with American Robins, Steller’s Blue Jay and a flight of White Pelicans.  Then a Red-tailed Hawk arrived overhead, and an American lady nearby exclaimed “Look! A Golden Eagle!”  Those of you who know me will know that I’m not one to keep quiet under such circumstances, so she left with slightly more bird knowledge than she arrived with!

Sulphur Cauldron

White Pelicans

Next up were some rapids where there were several Harlequin Ducks (a long way inland for a sea duck, but the females gather here in Autumn), and then we arrived at Fishing Bridge (don’t you just love the signs!).  We stopped to photograph a Bison close to the road in some trees, then stopped for food at the village service station.  The ‘Danish’ with blueberry and cheese was delicious, but I wished I hadn’t bothered going to the loo.  It was to be a recurring feature of the tour that I would be queuing for a loo as the occupant fell asleep, lapsed into a coma or even died.  There were times when I could not believe how long people could spend in there!

Roadside Bison near Fishing Bridge

Setting off again, a couple of frisky Bison by the roadside gave me cause for concern but I used the slowing-down cars as protection by placing them between me and the beasts.  I have to say that drivers always quickly cottoned on to my motives when this happened.  The road skirted the north shore of Yellowstone Lake, with Spotted Sandpipers, Mergansers, Goldeneye and the closely-related Bufflehead, and then a long climb began, past acres of dead trees, towards the top of Sylvan Pass, which would be the highest point reached on the whole tour (8,530’ / 2,600 m).  The scenery was gorgeous, the weather was now warm, and the world seemed perfect.

Sylvan Lake

Avalanche Peak

Sylvan Lake was perfectly photogenic, Avalanche Peak majestic, and even a lazy Bison looked happy as it sat just off the road.  Sylvan Pass itself feels quite stark, then on the other side the descent is much longer than the ascent was, and for mile after mile I sped along at 30 mph, with the deep defile of the Wapiti Valley on the right hand side, trying to look for bears on the left whilst staying on the road!

Enjoying life

Before long we passed through the East Entrance to the Park and entered the Shoshone National Forest, still looking for bears (unsuccessfully).  Jeff and I stopped for a coffee at the Pahaska Tepee resort about two miles short of our destination.  Pahaska is Sioux for ‘longhair’ and was Buffalo Bill’s Indian name.  As I sat down by the window to drink the coffee I told the waitress that we were going to sit there until a Grizzly wandered past.  “You’ll be there a long time” she drawled.

Another couple of touring cyclists were there too, heading in the opposite direction and staying overnight at Pahaska.  They weren’t looking forward to the long climb tomorrow, but at least they were to get a following wind, though they didn’t know it yet.

Shoshone Lodge

Finally we arrived at Shoshone Lodge, a wonderful family-run ranch with a really authentic feel – lodgepole construction, stuffed Moose heads big enough to put Fawlty Towers to shame, and where everyone had a sense of humour.  The cabins were comfortable and we enjoyed an excellent dinner- and a fireside chat to end the day.

Even Andy couldn't finish the Full Rack of Beef - massive!

Total Mileage now 207.6