Day 15: Thank you Idaho! Welcome to Wyoming.

September 2, 2024

Good sleep! Woke up to the nice sounds of the river running 20’ from our tents. We had a quick breakfast of bagels with black bean hummus.

The start of the ride was surprise…a big climb up a paved road. After peeling layers we got on to some really nice paved roads surrounded by farms. The contrast between the light grain, green, and the views were spectacular.

As we were rolling along another biker rolled up beside us and wanted to hear all about what we were doing. He was very friendly. He commented that he’d love to join us but to be honest it’s good he didn’t. He was on a fast gravel bike with. I gear so we likely had 40 pounds on him and it was all climbing.

The pavement ended and then we were into difficult gravel and dirt for hours and hours. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t easy at all. There was a lot of washboard and ruts to navigate, all the time was mostly uphill.

During another little break a couple more riders rolled up to us. This time it was obvious they were bikepacking as well. “Hello friends” was her greeting. We quickly learned that Cassandra and Ian were from Portland, Oregon. We chatted about their adventures so far and shared stories of our own. Although they were faster than us riding they were taking the trip at a slower pace. They started 10 days before we did so that’s a pretty chill pace.

They moved on as we stopped for lunch. Today we didn’t find the most picturesque place but it worked out fine. We enjoyed wraps again and started climbing again. The climb was significant because we were climbing over a valley in the Grand Tetons. The mountains themselves are so beautiful. They are sharp similar to Banff but then there are no other mountains around.

Somewhere while we were chatting with our new friends I was informed we were now in Wyoming. We were only in Idaho maybe 24 hours and we basically just chewed off the smallest corner of it.

As we neared the tip of the climb and started descending I spotted a bear and stopped quickly. She/he was already running away and we were about 150 feet away. The colour was right for a grizzly so I’m happy we didn’t formally meet. The perfect scenario.

I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw another elk. And a skunk this morning.

The scenery through the top part was spectacular. The colours were fall but we couldn’t figure out if those were because of fall or just naturally that way. There was a major forest fire at some point because all the trees were dead.

Eventually we rode out of the pretty scenery and we were at the visitor centre. It was a stark contrast to the wilderness to be at a tourist stop and feeling a bit grubby and out of place. I restocked some snacks and we enjoyed another cold drink while chatting with our new bikepacking friends. We headed off a bit before them for the final 25 km to the campground. The final stretch was all pavement with a huge climb and descent and then incredible views of the Grand Tetons and lakes. Absolutely spectacular!

We arrived at the campground at 5 which is early for us and we wanted to get a lot done. We made our way to hiker/biker camping after checking in and set up our tents. A piece of my pole somehow fell off where the poles join but luckily Peter’s tent had a solution so I’m still good.

We quickly gathered all the dirty laundry and headed over to the laundromat. This campground is massive. It has a full grocery store, restaurant, and laundry/shower area. We got cleaned up and then ran across to the restaurant for a huge fill of pizza. Bonus leftovers for tomorrow. On the way out we grabbed a few things to make breakfast more interesting and headed for bed.

Another big day tomorrow. We have to figure out the re-route due to fire closures. It likely will not be great scenic riding unfortunately but that’s how it goes.

Another great day. New map up for this section of Wyoming.

Highlights:

-Farm fields and views in Idaho start of day

-Views of Teton from the distance and from up close

-Pizza, laundry, and a shower at camp

-Seeing a grizzly bear

-Meeting new trail friends

-Fall colours

Distance - 104 km / 1396 m elevation gain

Today's ride: 104 km (65 miles)
Total: 1,744 km (1,083 miles)

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