Campground to Tetons NP

40 miles. Happy to be out of Yellowstone!

Today, we were tailgated by rv's going downhill at nearly 40 mph. I loathe rv's. And I loathe that they fill the roads of a national park. We are so, so happy to be out of the park; it made McKinley and I equally miserable to travel through such an overly populated place.

Leaving the park brought us into the outer edges of Grand Teton National Park; holy beauty, I couldn't believe that what I was seeing was real. We rode alongside jagged, snow-capped mountains that rise 12,000 feet above the ground. The mountains seem to go on forever. I always think I've seen the most magical place ever, and something always supersedes it.

As we rode along the Tetons and a lake that I cannot recall it's name, aspen trees were in abundance. I remember them from hiking in the Rockies 2 years ago, and fell in love. The white bark looks similar to a paper birch, but it does not peel. There was also lots of Indian Paint Brush along todays route.

We made friends with Ben, a guy from upstate NY riding the Great Divide mountain bike route. Our routes paralleled for a handful of miles. Ben Is an adorable soul with a contagious laugh, and riding a single-speed mountain bike with extreme minimal gear. He also hiked the AT in 2003. Small world, I keep running into AT hikers out here. Somewhere along the road of life, I hope to connect with Ben again; he had a catchy, happy personality.

Towards the end of today, the forest looked and smelled like Maine. I inhaled deep breaths of warm, springy alpine air, and smiled at the memories that flooded my brain. Certain scents will always remind me of specific places on the trail.

Some days are harder than others, and the last few have been a bit frustrating. But, I'm riding a bike across the freakin United States. Life doesn't get much better than that.