Sisters To St. Paul
Day 9

 

 

Date: August 2, 2005

Route: Buffalo Valley Road

Distance: 26 miles

Ride Time: 1h 50m

Elevation Climbed: 800’

Weather: 80s in sun and rain

Log

We got up early-early to make the 75 mile drive to Old Faithful. Although the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are contiguous, the geyser area is well into the park. We crossed the Continental Divide three times on our route. I didn’t realize Yellowstone was so huge and so mountainous. I was glad to be in the car rather than on my bike.

It was worth the pain of getting up in the dark. Old Faithful erupted only 20 minutes after we arrived and, as you can see, we were nearly the only people enjoying the show. We spent the next hour or so on the boardwalk exploring the area. I had known that the basin held many geysers, but I didn’t know they would be so vocal: simmering, gurgling, gargling, spitting, coughing, boiling, roiling water. The whispering of the wind, the pattering of the rain, and the lapping of the creek made beautiful morning music.

I took a short ride in the afternoon while Jon did the laundry. Since I was missing quiet county roads, I thought I’d see what lay ahead on Buffalo Valley Road. We had passed this road many times on the way to the park. It looked promising, skirting the hillside along the Buffalo River. I was not disappointed! I had the sun, a light breeze, and the Tetons at my back. It reminded me of riding around Sisters except that I was at 7500’ not 3500’.

 

I made my way over the ridges and down to the valleys until the pavement ended. I had encountered only 5 cars in 10 miles … just what I had been looking for. When I turned around to start back, I was shocked to see black sky and a fast-approaching front. Lightning and thunder were in the distance so I pushed hard to try and make it back before the storm arrived. I had 8 miles to go when the first raindrops hit. By the time I stopped to put my raincoat on, I was deluged. I just had to laugh: two days in a row of getting caught in a downpour! This one didn’t last long and I made it to the motel before the second assault arrived … and before Jon returned from the laundromat. He was dealing with wet clothes and a power outage while I was clean, warm, and happily reading my book.

We refueled with a monster burger in Jackson then finished our packing for our early morning departure.