Teton Pass & More

We started the day into Ashton, Idaho by climbing the much talked about Teton Pass. I was really nervous and excited going into the start of the climb, and when we got to the bottom there was an overwhelming feeling like "ok this is it, there's no turning back now". I started climbing with Dubansky, Lindsey, and Marita and ended up catching up to Kourtney and Kate. We all slowly chugged up the enourmous 10% grade climb that left us taking multiple breaks in between and moving at about 4-5mph. Although it was by far the toughest climb we have ever done, and will do on the trip, taking us about an hour and a half, it was still manageable due to our new cycling fitness.

Climbing Teton Pass was one of the most exhilirating experiences I have ever accomplished in my life. The feeling you get from all the hard work climbing up a mountain is so incredible. The best part of the entire climb was getting to the top and having everyone up there cheering you on. =) It was so awesome that all of us stayed and waited for the very last one of us to climb the mountain and cheered each other on until the very end. It really brought us together as one cohesive unit, and we all shared the moment blissfully. I really felt like I was on a team again, and it felt amazing to share the accomplsihment with so many people I've come to care so much about.

The decent was so fun! But also a little scary. I reached 45 mph before my trouble ridden computer stopped working. It was really cool to go that fast, but the switchbacks provided some tight turns that required a lot of hard braking and hoping that my brake pads were not worn out after 3,000 something miles. Luckily, it all turned out ok and provided an amazing and safe decent right into Idaho.

The rest of the day was somewhat anticlimatic since Teton Pass was such an emotional high, and then we still had about 50 miles to ride. For some reason I also had it in my head that after Teton Pass there wasn't going to be much climbing, which turned out to be extremely wrong. Idaho was full of hills and some short climbs, which was fine, but I was just not mentally prepared for them. Idaho was really pretty though; it reminded me a lot of Iowa except you could see the mountains to the right. The best part of the whole ride after in Idaho was that you could see the back of the Tetons and knowing that we just climbed over them... wow.

The next day we biked into West Yellowstone, Montana. I decided to take the day nice and slow, and use it as a recovery day in preparation for the following two long days. The 55 mile ride was really pretty with mountains and great company. I rode all day with Frannie, and we took our time and arrived in West Yellowstone just as the first shuttle was leaving to go to Yellowstone National Park. Frannie and I scoped out the public library for a bit before the second shuttle came back to take us to the park. We took a scenic drive once insde and saw the most amazing scenery including rivers, moutains, trees, a bear, and some deer. It was so beautifel. It was also really crazy how much damage there was as far as trees being knocked down and dead due to a wildfire years ago.

We went and saw some geysers, hot springs, bacteria ponds, and bubbling mud. It was all so unbelievable and like nothing I have ever seen in person. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to see Yellowstone. I feel like it's a place you hear about, and see pictures of, but there's nothing like experiencing it yourself in person. I would love to be able to go back again one day and spend more time there. It's so huge, and we only got to see so little. We did go for a swim too in the river, and it was really fun until Eagle Scout Jake had to ruin it all and tell us there were leeches... I definitely got out immediately.

Today's ride was so amazing. I never knew it was possible until today to have 80 miles of downhill. We even got to bike through part of Yellowstone National Park, and it was so gorgeous. The ride today is my second favorite so far of the trip. My first still being the ride into Jackson, WY and then today is a close second. I rode pretty much the entire day with Sophia who had 3 flats for the day, but nothing could keep us down with the amazing scenery and complete downhill trend of the ride. We seriously flew the entire 90 mile day at an average of 20mph. It was the most fun ride, and one of the most scenic. We followed a gorgous river the whole day until coming into the town of Bozeman. Which was so cool coming into and being able to see mountains surrounding you on three out of four sides of you... so incredible.

Tomorrow is going to be a 100 mile day of mostly flats and downhills once again (yes!). We are heading for Helena and hopefully it will be a cool town to explore for a bit when we get in, if we have any energy left to do so. Otherwise, I am looing forward to our day off in Missoula which is quickly approaching, and hoping for the return of Julie on that day. She is going to the doctor soon and seeing if the cast can come off and be replaced with a brace instead. The last message I got from her didn't sound very optimistic, but I am crossing my fingers since I miss that girl like crazy. I am also trying to see if I can find a rodeo in Missoula for our day off. I think it would be really fun for us to get to see an authentic rodeo in the wild west lol. We will see what I can find.