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How was the Yellowstone Ride? Buffalo, Old Faithful, Singing Cowboys, Coyotes, good friends, and a special moment with Bigfoot, what more could you ask for? We left Salt Lake Saturday morning headed for Jackson Wyoming, we rode through Sardine Canyon to Logan where we picked up a couple of friends for the ride to Bear Lake and about 1000 bicyclists for the rest of the ride. We had chosen the weekend of Lotoja for our ride. Lotoja (short for Logan to Jackson) is a masochistic way of proving yourself as a die hard bike racer. With 10,000 feet of overall climb and that little tiny seat I had to admire (question) these people as I shot by at 70mph chugging coffee from my drink holder (thanks Tony), shuffling the songs on my I-pod, and trying to shift my weight to the part of my backside that still had feeling. We arrived in Jackson early in the evening and set up at the Snake River KOA, a beautiful site in the pines overlooking the Snake River, we paid no attention to the "Rough Road No Motorcycles" sign mostly because our camp guide didn't seem to notice it as he led us to our spot. We figured this was a special site for bikers that looked like they should be kept away from families with small impressionable children. Day two was set aside for a roundtrip ride to Yellowstone, we left bright and early (noon-ish) excited for our visit to America's First National Park. The ride past the Tetons and the countless lakes was just a warm up for the geysers and wildlife of Yellowstone. I will never forget the words of my wife after a close up roadside encounter with a monstrous buffalo "I got the picture, just go you Idiot". Strangely she had roughly the same reaction while getting the close up shot of a Coyote who had obviously been using growth hormones. West Thumb Geyser basin was fun but did cause some argument between Michelle and I as to the origin of a strange sulfur like smell that seemed to follow us for the rest of the trip, restaurants, souvenir shops, our tents, etc. There was some attempt to blame this and an accompanying trumpet like noise on a rogue Moose that seemed to know no boundaries but I lost faith in this theory when Michelle stated that "yes, the Moose was capable of running at 50mph to stay with the bikes". Old Faithful was a little disappointing (due to the cold temperatures, clouds of vapor pretty much hid the geyser from view) but Violent Geyser lived up to its name and put on quite a show, it was nearly as entertaining as the bus load of foreign tourists trying to avoid the leather clad bikers on the narrow boardwalks at Fountain Paint Pot. By this time the sun was beginning to sink and we left Yellowstone much earlier than any us were ready to. Day three we rode past Teton Village on the Moose Wilson road and from there into Teton National Park. The Tetons are always my favorite part of any visit to Jackson, the glaciers and towering mountains of stone are awe inspiring and worth the ride by themselves. The perfect clear water of Jenny Lake with the mountains as a backdrop made for a great stop and photo opportunity. From there we rode on to Signal Mountain Lodge where we arrived the day after they had pulled the tables off of the patio overlooking Jackson Lake! Brenda had been dreaming of cold drinks on that patio all day, we still managed to have a great time in the restaurant but did miss that view. We kept this ride short as we had tickets to the Bar-J Chuck wagon that evening. Before you laugh keep an open mind and try it for yourself next time you are in Jackson. The food was good and fast and the entertainment was great! I nearly shot a baked bean out of my nose when Granny's bosom popped, and the old boy they had picking guitar could give Eddie Van Halen a run for his money. This was our last night in camp and I think we were all a little sad as we sat around our last campfire before turning in for the night. However, I think by this time Charese had just about had it with the trumpeting Moose routine and was going to be glad to leave him behind for good! Day Four saw us on the road for home, we returned through Tin Cup and Soda Springs (thanks Brenda for the suggestion) and found plenty of twistys on this lonely mountain road to make the ride fun. If you were to ask anyone that went on this ride how it was I am sure they would reply with a hint of a smile and a tear in their eye "I know why the buffalo cry". - Chad Johansen |