June 30, 2012
Grant Village Campground to Madison Campground: Old Faithful
I left Grant Village fairly early to see Old Faithful and head on to the next campsite. There are two Continental Divide crossings, and it was a challenging ride.
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Traffic wasn't too bad for the first hour or two, but then picked up. I made it up both crossings without stopping, but the second was a long, slow grind and definitely reminded me that getting up these things is as much mental as it is physical.
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When I arrived at Old Faithful I was somewhat confused by the road signs which direct cars this way and buses that way, but don't suggest which way bikes should go. I think I took a long way in to the Inn and Visitor's center. I went in to the visitor's center, which was quite crowded. I was waiting for my chance to talk with one of the rangers, when there was an announcement that Beehive Geyser was likely to erupt soon. Beehive does not follow a schedule like Old Faithful, but has an indicator next to it that starts to blow a bit before Beehive does, so the rangers keep an eye on it and announce when Beehive is expected to go. Beehive is one of the tallest geysers. I went out and waited about 10 minutes, and sure enough, it blew. It was fun to watch, but people were jostling around to try to get closer or to get a better picture.
After that, I went into the lodge and had lunch. It was about 11 am, too early for lunch and too late for breakfast, so the restaurant wasn't open. I got a sandwich at the deli, which was just a bit soggy inside the plastic wrapper. And after lunch it was time for Old Faithful, so I went and watched that eruption, too. After Old Faithful blew, I decided it was time to move on. I took a bike trail that went past a couple of other, lesser known geysers, but turned to gravel rather quickly. At the first opportunity I got back onto the paved road.
I rode on, and stopped at Madison Picnic Area, looking for Madison Campground. Someone told me it was just down the road, but said she hadn't been able to get in because she didn't have a reservation. No problem for me. The hiker biker sites are first come first serve, and the campground cannot turn away anyone without a motor! So I went on to the campground and got a site just behind the entrance. It wasn't a great place to be, but was set up with bear boxes and the ranger offered to microwave some water and perhaps provide some coffee in the morning. The campsite is actually very nice, right on he Madison River with fishing and swimming, although you could completely miss that from the hiker biker sites.
Stats
dist 40.35
odo 6358.4
Max 37.5
Av 10.4
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 494 miles (795 km)
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