Day 37 - Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park to Boulder (August 12)

Bringing it home?

This will be my last post for at least 2 weeks (until September 5 or September 6), because I will pause here in Boulder for a couple of weeks to recover and to plan for the next stage of my trip.

On this day, an early start got me out of Estes Park before the traffic got too thick. Five miles of climbing and the rest was downhill, except for Pinewood Springs.

I stopped in Lyons to rest. There I met a bike messenger who was riding a one-gear (not fixed) mountain bike with a trailer. He rides as a bike messenger in Chicago, but he started his bike tour in Santa Ana, California. Touring is a way for him to stay active and outdoors.

Along the way, he had run into a rock n' roll drummer who was bike touring in the Mojave desert who had to be airlifted out because of a heart attack. This guy didn't have a dime to his name, yet he kept riding.

My destination today was my friend Stephen's house in Boulder. But I stopped at a triathlon he was working at first. On my way from the triathlon, I ran into a professional triathlete, Cameron Widoff, who finished third in the tritahlon. I first heard of Cameron when I did the Wildflower Triathlon in 1999. I think he came in first for that triathlon.

This is typical of Boulder. You can run into professional cyclists, kayakers, adventure racers, triathletes, etc. and just have a normal (well "normal") conversation with them. Cameron and I talked about how to minimize the amount of stuff I was carrying. As you can imagine, to go faster and get better performance, professional triathletes and cyclists try to minimize the weight of their bikes as much as possible. A touring bicycle is antithetical to a racing bike. A touring bike has a ton of extra weight. In my case, extra weight that I really didn't need. So Cameron gave me some suggestions about how to lighten the load.

Wilderness and Too Many People

When talking with Cameron, I found really one topic of conversation to be really interesting. How to find an uncrowded place to hike, camp, play. Here in Boulder and especially Estes Park, there are a ton of people. The outdoors is right nearby, but there are a lot of people out on the trails. We talked about how north of here in some of the areas I had just come through, there was uncrowded hiking to be found. Some of those very same places that I found boring and dreary have mountain ranges nearby where the crowds are much less than here in the front range of the Rocky Mountains.

Even though I saw those areas as being full of motorhomes and motorcycles, if one were to drive off the beaten path, one could find good uncrowded places to hike, camp, and play.

Day 37 - Aspenglen to Boulder - 53 Miles

Day 36 (August 11) - Timber Creek Campground to Aspenglen Campground

Where's there's population, there's tourists. Where's there's tourists, there's kitsch. Welcome to Estes Park, CO. More about the mass of humanity later...

For now, the ride:

The ride concerned me. Even though I had ridden to the campground as far up the climb as possible without actually climbing over the mountain, I was still concerned about today's ascent.

The Timber Creek Campground is locatead at the headwaters of the Colorado. So far, I have ridden by the headwaters of many important rivers: The Columbia (near Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia, Canada), The Snake (Grand Teton National Park), The Yellowstone (Yellowstone National Park, the Yellowstone leads to the Missouri), The Platte (connects with the Missouri south of Omaha, Nebraska), and now the Colorado. Some rivers flow from the parting of the waters to the Pacific, while others flow to the Atlantic.

Headwaters of the Colorado

From my campsite along the headwaters of the Columbia, I would climb to an elevation of 12,183 which was 2,000 higher than any other pass I had ridden to date.

It was suggested that I get an early start and I was on the road by 6:30 a.m. Overall the climb wasn't that bad and I kept with my planned pace - I got over the last peak by a little before 10:00 a.m. My body held up for the most part. Overall during this ride, the aches and pains have not been to bad. Maybe a few sore muscles, an IT band, and a sore derriere. I've had a low grade cold, but it didn't really stop my riding. This climb was the first time I experienced a really bad cramp - my left calf started to act up. I was able though to keep it under control for the ride.

The climb consisted of two summits. So when I went over the first summit at 12,183 feet, I then had to lose 300 feet of elevation and climb back up another steep hill to get to the second summit. Some of the road was gravel because construction was occuring. Why are construction contractors allowed to poorly maintain their construction BMPs? In a National Park?

View From the Top

Because I started my ride early, I was able to miss the bulk of the traffic and crowds. This gave me the opportunity to walk around the tundra. Above an elevation of 11,000 feet to 11,500 feet, the warmest average monthly temperature is 49 degrees. This is where the trees end and the alpine tundra begins. The alpine tundra is only a 1 foot to 3 foot layer of dirt where a fragile ecosystem of plants and mammals exists. Tundra that has been trampled by the tourist foot can take up to 1,000 years to recover.

Interesting Rock Formations at 12,000 Feet

After getting to the top, it was downhill all the way to Estes Park. My original plan was to ride onto Boulder. But, I decided to stay in the Rocky Mountain National Park instead. I stayed at the Aspenglen Campground. I got there right in time. I was actually given a "RV only" campsite because there were no other campsites.

The Rocks at Aspenglen

After I began setting in the the "RV only" campsite, Gary from Placerville, CA asked me if he could swap campsites. His kids had the adjacent campsite, but Gary's campsite was in a different part of the campground. This swap benefitted us both. Gary was able to camp next to his kids and I was able to get a better campsite that was nearer to a bear box.

View from My Campsite

After setting up the campsite, I headed to Estes Park to forage. I had emptied my bags of food as much as possible in preparation for my climb, so I needed to restock. Estes Park was a typical mass of summertime touristy humanity. There were the kids running around; the typical american tourists, a few locals, lots of traffic, people cheering as the noisy motorcylces went by. It's everything to look forward to in a mountain resort town in the month of August.

The Urban Camper

I noticed something different about the campers in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Even though I had heard from people who moved to Colorado that people were friendlier than say, California, I noticed something else. I attribute it to being near a large urban area and the type of guarded behavoir that causes in people.

When I was out in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming and Montana, and Canada, people seemed friendlier and more open to start conversations with strangers.

Now being near Denver, Colorado, a large urban area, I noticed a different way of behaving. I noticed that campers were less likely to approach me and ask me about my trip. People tended to stick to themselves similar to how people act in large urban areas. They didn't want to start a conversation with a stranger. Even though I would be able to connect with friends in the Denver area in another day when I got to my final destination, in the meantime, I couldn't connect with the strangers that were near me in the campground.

Day 36 - Timber Cr. to Aspenglen - 49 Miles

Day 35 (August 10) - Walden, CO to Timber Creek Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park

Riding the Red Forest.

The forest for this entire ride was infected by bark beetles. Some stands of trees had a few red trees (an indication of bark beetle infestation) while other stands were entirely red. Then there were other stands of trees that were mixed - some trees were aspens while others were pines. These mixed forests had red pine trees and green aspen trees.

Bark beetles typically live in these trees, but a combination of drought conditions and mild winters have created conditions that are perfect for bark beetle infestation. If there is enough rain, the pine trees are healthier and are more able to defend against beetles. Also, if it gets cold enough during a winter, the cold kills the beetles and their eggs. But lately, it has been dry and mild. It could be a possible effect of global warming or just part of the weather cycle.

As for the ride, the wind at my back, the climbing was easy…what more is there to say?

I rode of Willow Creek Pass at 9,600 something feet. It was described as a lightly traveled route. In the 50 miles it took to get to Granby, I saw only 60 or so cars. Of course, the drivers sucked and there was no shoulder, but that’s all to be expected. The ride over and down Willow Creek Pass was relatively easy, which didn’t wear me out too much for the next day’s climb.

I started early, leaving Walden at 6 p.m. It was barely light outside. There were clouds over the mountains that I would climb this morning. Some rain streamers dropped from the clouds. In some places the rain was very heavy, but I mostly stayed dry. Over the mountains, there were a few stray bolts of lightning. This concerned me some, because I didn’t really want to play lightning rod with my body and bike. When I did finally begin my ascent, the clouds had dispersed. I was hopeful that there would not be any clouds over the mountains for the next day's ride.

I arrived very early in Granby. So this gave me a little time to rest and get a bite to eat. I was only planning on riding a few more miles, maybe to a private campground within the next 14 miles. In the back of my mind, I was considering riding another 25 miles to a National Park Service campground inside Rocky Mountain National Park. I was concerned about doing this. Although, it would get me much closer to tomorrow’s climb, it would probably wear me out. And the campsites were first-come first-serve. What if I had ridden those miles and had done that climbing and there was no campsite?

Before I entered the National Park, I stopped at a private campground. The campground host said that people had made reservations months ago. It was a Friday night after all. I was a little peeved. What if a tired bicyclist needed a site. No luck!

In Granby at 11:30 a.m., I had called the park ranger and asked about the Timber Creek Campground. The ranger said if I got going, I should be able to get a campsite. I was not so certain. Based on the distance and the climbing, I thought I wouldn’t get there until 4 p.m. and surely, by 4 p.m. on a Friday night, all of the campsites would be taken.

Nevertheless, I continued on to the Timber Creek Campground, determined to try my luck at finding a campsite. And if I didn’t, well, I’d just climb over the pass. It's only 12,000 feet high.

A quick stop at the information kiosk gave me some hope. The ranger said that at 11:30 a.m., there were 39 spaces available. It was now 1:30 p.m., so I wasn’t very confident. But I continued on. Basically, I sprinted the best I could the 10 miles to the campground. It was a slight uphill and instead of arriving at 4 p.m., as I had originally planned, I actually got here shortly after 2 p.m.

I was really happy to stay at the Timber Creek Campground. The Forest Service and National Park Service campgrounds are so much nicer than the private campgrounds. Sure there are less services - no wireless internet, no cell service, no showers, no laundry, but there are nice campsites surrounded by pine trees. From time to time, a moose or a bear saunters through your campsite. A very enjoyable experience!

Day 35 - Walden to Timber Creek - 83 Miles

Day 23 - Cooke City, MT to Red Lodge, MT (July 29)

Welcome to the Beartooth Highway...

This was a very challenging day. This was the first mountain pass that I have climbed on my bike that was over 10,000 feet. My lungs hurt, my legs hurt...actually that was it. Just my legs and lungs. After the climb, it was all the way downhill into Red Lodge (with a wind at my back). The ride was nice for a while - I had wide shoulders, but from 1/4 of the way to the top to 10 miles to Red Lodge I had no shoulder. This made for very irritating riding. I rode in the middle of the road to make sure that drivers didn't try to squeeze by me and run me off the road. Overall, the traffic wasn't that bad.

This is what it looks like to turn back as you drive east out of Cooke City.

Pilot Peak. A very unique peak visible for miles. See later photos.

Well it turns out that bikers do more than sit and rev their engines. They also play bagpipes. At least this guy did.

Climbing the Beartooth. Can you see Pilot Peak in the background?

This curvy road didn't seem so bad from the south summit, but let me tell you...

That little pointy peak in the middle? That's the Beartooth. Welcome to Montana.

In the descent into Red Lodge, these amazing glacial valleys are visible. Actually these valleys are only a 30 minute drive from Red Lodge.

The descent was steep and fast and wet. It had just rained and hailed.

Imagine the ride over Donner Pass from Sacramento to Truckee, CA. I have always found the descent from Donner Pass a little frightening. Now imagine instead of the slowly mostly strainght road that descends from Donner Pass to Truckee that there is another road. This road abrubtly turns right towards Donner Lake and then proceeds to switchback 5 times finally arriving in Donner Lake instead of Truckee. That is what the descent is like.

Day 23 - Cooke City to Red Lodge - 72 Miles - Dedicated to Pat Keegan

Day 22 - Tower to Cooke City, MT (July 28)

Leaving the Park...

This guy wandered through the campsite just as I was packing my bags. I heard a noise and looked up and here was this Bison. Good thing it wasn't a bear.

Here's the first Bison's buddy.

Overhanging cliffs near Tower Falls.

Down at the bottom of the slope near the river is Calcite Springs.

Lamar Valley in the morning. There are a couple packs of wolves and a grizzly bear out there somewhere. Can you see them?

Soda Butte Geyser.

10,000 foot peak near the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Day 22 - Tower Falls, YNP, WY to Cooke City, MT - 36 Miles

Day 21 - Canyon to Tower (July 27)

It's raining outside, so I stay inside the cabin. This leads to a late start.

When I finally got going, I decided to take one last look at the Grand Canyon of the Yosemite before getting to my destination.

Upper Falls. They are not as tall as the Lower Falls.

But these falls are tall. Can you see the people on the other side of the river?

A parting shot of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

After the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, I needed to climb 1,000 feet to get over Dunraven Pass, the highest pass that I had ridden over to date at 9,000 or so feet.

At Dunraven Pass, I decided to do a 6 mile roundtrip hike to the top of Mt. Washburn.

Nice views from Mt. Washburn. This is a section of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone downstream of the earlier photos.

There was an abundance of wildlife on the hike.

There is actually a small rabbit-like mammal in this photo called a Pika.

On the descent, it was getting late, so the wildlife (Bighorn Sheep) came out.

Traffic Jam.

Baby Bighorn

This one had crazy eyes.

Is this a grouse? A hen? A?

Say Cheese.

What a pretty bike.

Tonight's destination. Tower Falls.

The loneliness of travel.

Looking over the land from Mt. Washburn, I can't help but feel somewhat lonely. I look over the distances. In this wilderness, it takes a long time travel from point to point. In past, you would travel and travel and then get to a small town where your arrival signified something. Now the families zoom around from place to place. Stay in this place. Stay in that place. Find this campground. Find this hotel room. Does anyone connect with anyone else anymore? Maybe the bikers have it right. Get a big group of people together - go to a biker bar, socialize and meet other bikers. What if you don't like bars or aren't a biker? They out to have communal lunches and dinners at a given time each day. That way visitors could meet people from different places and have a chance to meet them. Instead of squeezing by each other at the general stores and visitor centers, people would be forced to interact with each other.

What about me? Do I meet people? Yes some, but many times, the hiker/bicyclist sites are separated from the sites at campgrounds. This can be a benefit or it can be isolating. When there are other touring cyclists, then I have someone to talk to. Often I talk to other non-cycling tourists. I have only had a few good conversation with non-cyclists since Canada. But, I've had some good conversations with cycling tourists that were staying at the same campground as mine.

Day 21 - Canyon to Tower Falls - 29 Miles

Day 20 - Norris to Canyon (July 26)

Riding in a fog...

The day began riding in the fog. I didn't mind this because it meant cooler temperatures. The ride from Norris to Canyon was short. Canyon is the location of the "Grand Canyon" of the Yellowstone River. This is a very busy area in the park.

After nearly being talked out of a tent site by the reservations person, I got a tent site for only $6.50. What a bargain! I went to my tent site and met some German bike tourists - Uta and ? They said that bike touring was very different in Europe - there are many bike paths and secondary roads, but no "campsites" per se.

After setting up came the best part - a hot shower and laundry. It costs extra, but after last nights cold and somewhat wet night, I was happy to pay.

After cleaning up and eating, I set out for another hike. This hike was just like yesterday - it rained for most of the hike. After I was finished, I noticed that I was very wet and even more, very tired.

I went back to my tent. After yesterday's rain, I had carefully made changes to my tent to make sure that I didn't get wet. Well my plans were foiled and the floor and my sleeping bag were wet. It is not fun sleeping in a wet sleeping bag. It had rained so hard and long that just about everyone's tent in the campground was wet.

Since I didn't have a car to hide in and stay warm, I decided to try my luck to see if there were any cancellations at the Lodge. There were no rooms in the Lodge, but there was a "cabin," which is basically a motel room. I was very happy to be able to stay inside, warm and listen to the rain fall on the roof (instead of the tent rainfly) all night long.

What follows are my pictures of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River during my rainy afternoon hike. Maybe I will start my hike earlier next time.

The Lower Falls.

When I was waiting to get a dry place to sleep, I stopped in the new visitor center to dry off and to try to see if I could find an Internet connection. I was not able to find an Internet connection during my entire stay in Yellowstone NP. The Federal Government wants all the visitors to Yellowstone to have a visit that does not have distractions like the Internet. Well I think I got my fair taste of wilderness during my visit, so give me my darn Internet! This is why the blog entries were not posted right away.

Day 20 - Yellowstone NP, Norris Junction to Canyon Campground - 16 Miles

Day 19 - Madison to Norris (July 25)

Riding and hiking in the rain...

Another early start to the day. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get a hiker/bicylist campsite. But, it turns out I had no problem.

Today also marked a change in the weather that would make riding much easier. A couple of weeks ago when I was riding, it was very hot. The newspaper headlines said that this was global warming and the summer was only going to get hotter. So it was nice to have thunderstorms for the next three days. Given the choice, I prefer cold and rainy over hot.

I bagged my first moose this day. It just sat there on the other side of the river and stared at us.

I decided to hike to the Monument Geyser Basin.

Fortunately I didn't see any bears on my way to the Monument Geyser Basin ("Go Away Bear"). Neither did I see any people. I did see many weird-shaped geysers.

The best part was leaving the geyser basin. There were expansive views of the Norris River. This view is looking towards Norris Junction. The lodgepole pines left standing were burnt in the large fires of 1988. New pines are growing around this area, some now as high as 15 feet.

This stream was located right next to my campsite at Norris Campground. This water was very cold - good place for a bath. Later during the dusk, a few moose came out to graze in this meadow. And when I got up in the middle of the night, I steeped outside, looked up and saw a ton of stars. Fortunately, I didn't see any bears.

After I arrived at the Norris campground, I walked over to the Norris Geyser Basin. Halfway through my walk around the geyser basin, it began to rain. Hard. This allowed me to have the geyser basin to myself. It also allowed me to get very very wet. Even though I had rain gear, I was soaked after 30 minutes of walking in heavy rain. There were many strange colored geysers and many jets bursting from the ground.

This is an overview of the north side of the basin.

I thought this was an interesting shape.

Day 19 - Madison to Norris - 14 Miles

Day 18 - (July 24) West Yellowstone to Madison Junction, Yellowstone NP

Nice day for a ride.

I began my ride early. After some administrative things - email, etc. it was time to ride into the Park. I was concerned that I would not get a campsite, so I left early. What I found out is that I didn't have to worry. Luckily for me, there are hiker/bicyclist spaces at almost each campsite in Yellowstone National Park. Except for the popular campgrounds (Madison, Lewis Lake, Colter Bay - actually in Grand Teton), a hiker/bicyclist space is always open. In fact, if one were in good cycling shape, one could bicycle tour all of Yellowstone NP in the summer and not have to make a reservation. Read on, because that's just what I did.

What's this? I can't ride on the boardwalk? But I can ride singletrack (see below)!

A Blue Heron in the Middle of the Madison

The original plan was to take two rest days in Grant Village. But the guidebook that I had didn't think that Grant Village was that nice. So, I didn't actually "rest", I changed my route and went to Norris Junction and Canyon instead (see the next two days).

Here's Old Faithful. Right on time (or not).

This Rarely Erupting Geyser (not Old Faithful) really let loose. So much so, it soaked at least 30 people who were walking along on the boardwalk near the geyser.

Back to this day. There was alot to see. The ride to Old Faithful is nice. It is a mostly flat ride along the Firehole River. Yellowstone actually allows off-road riding, so I rode from Fountain Flat Drive to Grand Prismatic Spring.

Not Quite the Grand Prismatic, but Nice Anyway.

Geysers, Geysers, Everywhere.

Many Pools are Blue. Very Blue.

This Geyser Isn't So Active. Just Blue.

Some Have Bacteria Growing in Them.

Leading away from Old Faithful and leading to Upper Geyser Basin was this bicycle-allowed path. I didn't know that you could ride single track in the National Parks!

Day 18 - West Yellowstone to Old Faithful to Madison Junction - 53 Miles