Two bison and a mule deer, but no bears - Day 24: West Yellowstone to Grant Village (56 miles)

Day 24 was another highlight day of this Cranking Odyssey. Yellowstone National Park lived up to all its expectations and more. In my opinion, everybody should visit this gem of a geological area at least once in their lives.

The road from the West Entrance

The Transamerica Trail took us through the south-western corner of the Park. This was just a minute portion of the Park overall, but what we saw made us want to come back some day and explore the other sections we didn't get to see.

We wanted to start riding early to beat the tourist traffic that the Adventure Cycling maps warns is heaviest from 12-5pm, but this was not to be. A thick fog had enveloped West Yellowstone severely cutting down visibility. We were ready to roll at 7:30 am but ended up waiting in McDonalds until 9:30am for the fog to lift. It was not until then that we felt safe enough to brave the road through Yellowstone NP with all the tourist drivers around us who were concentrating on looking at the scenery, rather than looking out for cyclists riding on the edge of the road.

Despite all the traffic, most vehicles were very courteous, except for the odd massive RV or campervan driven by people who probably shouldn't be driving them or who don't recognise the dimensions of their vehicle. Our riding comfort was also hampered by the narrow shoulders or lack of shoulders on the road.

We took time out to stop and look at the sites along the way. The ride, once again, was mostly uphill. We gained 1,400ft in elevation, crossing Craig Pass at 8,261ft and the Continental Divide Pass at 8,391ft. Neither pass was that long or that steep, but were just a little challenging on weary legs.

Our 3rd crossing of the Continental Divide this trip

As we rode, we saw a lot of geysers venting steam in the distance, thick green pine forest, grey leafless trees, rocky bluffs and anglers fishing in their little boats along the Madison and Firehole Rivers.

Madison River

View on the primitive bike trail

We took the opportunity to get off the busy road at Fountain Flat Drive, taking the gravel bike trail through the Middle Geyser Basin out to the Grand Prismatic Spring. I am so glad we opted for the touring tires on our bikes as they are highly versatile and seem virtually indestructible, letting us go almost anywhere. The decision to take this route rewarded us with two separate sighting of bisons.

Taking the touring bikes off road

Middle Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Spring

Sapphire Pool at Biscuit Basin

Biscuit Basin

Eventually we made it to Old Faithful at about 1:30pm, timing it perfectly as he went off just as we parked our bikes, venting steam high into the air, reaching the clouds or so it seemed.

Old Faithful

Kepler Cascades

Our campsite in Grant Village

Our destination for the night was meant to be Lewis Lake Campground which only has 7 first come, first served campsites. By the time we rolled into Grant Village where we were going to stock up with provisions for the night and next day, it was 4:30pm and we decided to call it a day rather than ride another 11 miles. Yep, we wussed out on making our planned destination for the second day in a row, but this time we could justify it as we still got to camp under the trees in Yellowstone NP and the store sold beer and firewood! Plus we saw a mule deer grazing.

The night got really cold in Yellowstone but our campfire and the gazillion stars in the finally clear sky above us made it all alright.

The new handcrafted hunting knife is dangerous!

CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS

Total Odyssey miles: 1,401

Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (39.9 miles per hour) Mandy (35.4 miles per hour)

Bludge Days: 1

Bonks: nil

Dog chases: 3

Dummy Spits: Steve (2 - Day 10 because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery)

Mandy (0.5 - Day 14 those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!)

Flats: Katie (4)

Wrong turns: 6

Beer of the day: Lewis and Clark Yellowstone Golden Ale

Lesson of the day: hunting knives are really sharp and Mandy cannot be trusted with one

No. of days with no shower: 10

No. of days in a hotel: 6

Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)

 

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From happiness to misery in one day - Day 21: Jackson to Dillon (50 miles)

The one thing we knew we were light on when we packed was rain gear. Here we were, thinking we'd be riding in summer. If it happened to rain, we'd either be able to sit it out or tough it out. Summer to us means it will be hot. Riding in the rain, getting a little wet should not be a problem when it's warm outside.

Turns out we were wrong.

Surrounded by the country's expansive and greyness

It rained all night in Jackson and we finally got a break in the weather to pack our wet tent at about 7:45am. The day looked miserable, but after a good breakfast at the lodge we decided to tough it out and hit the road. Camping another night at Jackson Hot Spring Lodge and soaking in the hot springs all day might have been a better option. Or at least I should have spent more time warming my butt in their camp toilet before we left. They use the water from the hot springs in the bowl and it was a very toasty place to sit and contemplate for a while on this cold morning.

It seems we have hit some unseasonably cold and wet weather in this neck of the woods. It is meant to be warm and dry this time of the year, but today it did not stop raining the whole ride. Actually, it hasn't stopped raining around here for the past 2 weeks. The whole way to Dillon was un-sheltered, with only one place along the way to get out of the elements to try and warm up a little - a tin shed where they store the salt and grit for the roads during the snow season.

Our highest elevation to date

Fingers wet and frozen, stabbing pins and needles from lack of blood flow.

Toes cold and burning, shoes and socks wet.

Pitter patter, pitter patter on my jacket and helmet.

Lips blue and tingling.

Cheeks red and stinging.

The icy, biting wind cutting through; hitting me head on, side on, but very seldom from behind.

Water spraying off my front wheel cutting into my face on the descents.

Two passes to climb, neither very long but a little steep and slow especially into a headwind and crosswind. After each pass a downhill that would have been welcome on any other day but today. Speed is your enemy when you're cold and wet. You get there faster but you pay the price.

Getting up Badger Pass in the rain

The weather forecast is not looking good for the next couple of days. There is more cold and rain in store for us. I wish I did not let Steve convince me to send my insulated winter cycling gloves back with Tiffany. To make up for it, he headed straight to the Patagonia outlet store in Dillon and came back with fly fishing gloves to put over our cycling gloves in hope that this will do the trick.

It's the Sundowner Motel tonight in a futile attempt to dry everything out and get ourselves warm for the coming days. Good news is our Ortlieb Panniers and Sea to Summit dry bags are holding up really well.

Trying to dry out our gear

The status of Steve's beard after 21 days!

CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS

Total Odyssey miles: 1,200

Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (39.9 miles per hour) Mandy (35.4 miles per hour)

Bludge Days: 1

Bonks: nil

Dog chases: 3

Dummy Spits: Steve (2 - Day 10 because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery)

Mandy (0.5 - Day 14 those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!)

Flats: Katie (4)

Wrong turns: 6

Beer of the day: Red Hook Longhammer IPA

Lesson of the day: we should have packed rain gear. Those gay shoe covers would be so nice right now!

No. of days with no shower: 8

Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)

 

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A Journey into the Unknown

Only 6 more sleeps until we start riding and with this knowledge comes a lot of nervous excitement and a little bit of self doubt. Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Will we make it to our end goal of Cedar City, Utah some 2,800 miles (4,500km) down the track? Now that we have told our friends and family about this blog, the pressure is on to accomplish what we have set out to do. Maybe it would have been smarter for us to make this journey incognito, suffer in silence and if it happens to be, we fail anonymously. Sleep is becoming harder to find as we get closer to our start date of August 3, my mind wondering what will be in store for us over the coming 2 months.
These are the things I do know about our upcoming adventure.

1. Our touring bikes are waiting for us already at the REI Portland store in Oregon - unpacked, reassembled and tuned up, ready for us to collect on Friday after we land and more ready than we are to start putting the pedal to the metal.
2. We must cover on average, about 60 miles per riding day to reach our end destination (that's almost 100km per riding day) regardless of weather, illness or injuries, or we just plain blow a head gasket! (This sounds so much more do-able when you use American distances - it's deceptive bro).
3. We have allowed ourselves 7 whole rest days for the entire trip.
4. Our bike set-up is frickin' heavy - steel frame touring bikes, super heavy duty touring tires (Continental Tour Plus tires on the front and Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on the rear - these Schwalbe tires weigh about 1kg on their own!), rear rack, plus after final weigh-in it seems our touring load has ended up evenly distributed between the two of us at 18kg per person. Then we still need to add food and water ....
5. We have a couple of "D Days" .... a) we need to be in Granby, Colorado around 4-5 Sept if we want to take on the Great Parks South route thru the Rockies ... b) we need to be leaving Granby by 8 Sept if we want to have any chance in hell of making it to Utah but taking the easier, shorter route ... c) we need to be ready to roll out of Telluride, Colorado on 16-17 Sept if we are definitely going to ride thru Utah otherwise we will change our plans and end the ride in Durango, Colorado ... d) in the back of my mind, and as an extreme fantasy where we are totally smoking this ride, it would be fun to make it to Telluride for the Blues and Brews Festival 12-14 Sept.
6. We are starting the ride in Astoria on the Oregon Coast.
7. We most likely have not adequately prepared for this ride.

Things I am uncertain of about this trip.

1. Where we are going to eat and sleep every day / night.
2. Whether we can actually do this. Sure we can ride 60 miles in one day, maybe 60 miles a day 2 days in a row, but will our bodies let us ride 60 miles a day for 2 months without breaking down? We have only cycle toured once before back in 2001 around the wee island of Tasmania covering 1,000km over 1 month with plenty of rest days. This sounds like a small feat in comparison to this trip but, hey, it was our honeymoon after all!
3. Whether we will lose any weight from cycling so many hours everyday, or whether we will somehow manage to consume all the calories we have left on the road each day. I would put my money on Steve to lose the most weight (seeing as he has the most to lose) so start placing your bets people.
4. How long and feral Steve's beard will be by the end of this thing, and what may be living inside all that facial hair.
5. Whether Steve will survive the whole trip with only 1 pair of underwear.

And this is what keeps me awake at night!

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The prep is done, now for the waiting ....

This is my first blog ever, so all / any readers out there - go easy on me!

A Cranking Odyssey could be described as a cry for help as we navigate our way through a mid-life crisis, but in reality, it is just an excuse to escape the monotony of day-to-day work life for 2 months, be outdoors in the fresh air almost 24 / 7, spend some (hopefully) quality time with the other half, use our legs to transport us around America under our own steam and continue to test our theory that the world looks better on two wheels.

Steve and I have kitted ourselves out with Novara Safari touring bikes from REI complete with Ortlieb Classic waterproof rear back panniers (keen to see how they hold up in our first rain shower) and Sea to Summit dry bags for the top of our rear racks. 

Packed gear weight is approx 16-18 kg per person.

The plan is to follow the Transamerica Trail starting from Astoria on the Oregon Coast as far as Fairplay in Colorado, with the option to make our route more challenging by climbing the mountain passes of the Rocky Mountain National Parks on the Great Parks South route to Poncha Springs, then follow the Western Express across to Cedar City in Utah - a total of approx. 2,800 miles.

What are these routes you ask? 

Well, the Adventure Cycling Association has mapped out a complete network of bicycle routes throughout America, making the planning for a testing endeavour such as this sooo much easier. We'll be travelling old school, relying solely on their hard copy maps (with the occasional sly glance at our Iphones when needed).

Our friend, Katie, is accompanying us from the start of the trip until the end of August. I'm not quite sure if she realises just exactly what she has gotten herself into, agreeing to embark on this journey with a couple of bickering, married Aussies; but she'll find out soon enough, I'm sure!

If all goes to plan, we'll start our ride on 3 August 2014, so check back closer to this date for more updates. 

My mission for this adventure, should I choose to accept it, is to try my best to keep this blog up-to-date whilst on the road. No promises!

Testing out the load around the country roads of Double Lake / Coldspring, TX.

The touring bikes handle pretty nice and as stable as can be with the extra weight.