Day 72, Yellowstone

I thought my coffee in the morning was good. Keith carries his own beans, grinder and an ultralight, collapsible pour-over system. Imagine a wire coil, when pulled, turns into an upside-down cone.

As I drank instant coffee, Keith enjoyed his far superior pour-over.

On the topic of coffee, I was intrigued by a friend's aeropress during the 4th of July trip. Although it made an incredible cup of coffee, I think it's a bit too bulky for cycle touring. Definitely looking into the pour-over system.

Once we got on the road, there was no shortage of vistas and lookouts to admire Yellowstone's beauty. I think we both silently enjoyed the frequent breaks - especially with rolling hills.

Keith, killing two birds with one stone: stretching and taking pictures.

And the glorious waterfall we're staring at:

We found a dirt road that allows us to bypass a significant portion of the crowded thoroughfare through Yellowstone.

Taking it was a no-brainer.

We only saw a few cars on the road. Which is great.

And some great, tourist-less views:

We took a little break at Tower Junction. There was a single picnic table we commandeered and made lunch. Two ladies joined us shortly after that were traveling cross country in a brand new Cadillac sedan. That air conditioning sounds nice...

Still not sure if I wanted to head east and exit the park, or ride south with Keith, I dropped in the Sinclair gas station for some advice.

The attendant Kloei just said, if you traveled all the way to Yellowstone for the first time, it would be a shame to not see the lake. And the mud volcano. And the sulfur pits.

To the south with Keith.

Thanks Kloei!

From Tower Junction, Keith and I set out for Canyon Village. In between was a huge climb.

Over the next the 2+ hours, we ascended from 6.3k feet to 8.8k feet.

And from the top:

Oh yeah, it started raining. Hence the jackets.

We setup camp in the Canyon Village campground. Mosquitoes everywhere. I have a feeling it is only going to get worse.

It sure is nice riding with someone.

Once again, I may not have service for a couple days while in the mountains.

Joe