October 5th, 2015
Friendly Faces
We could tell from their clothes (neon green jacket, spandex leggings, clip-clopping shoes) that they were cyclists, and it turns out that Catherine and Peter were just that! These two beauty Brits have such wonderful personalities, and much in common with us. Unsatisfied in their jobs, they set out 18 months ago to see the world, although at first they were just backpacking. Now they’re wrapping up six-month tour of the US that includes the Pacific Coast route, across the deserts of Arizona and Utah, and finally north through Yellowstone.
Cycling Stats
Start Point: Goose Lake Rec Site, Yellowstone NP, United States of America
Destination: Lewis Lake Campground, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming, United States of America
59.0 km trip, 4:25 time, 54.8 km/h maximum speed, 13.3 km/h average speed
What happened…
Andrew writes: Our goal today was to survive not one, or two, but three crossings of the Continental Divide. Mission accomplished! Actually, it didn’t seem that hard, because we had climbed much of the elevation required for the crossing in the previous days. There were a few grunty climbs between Old Faithful and the first crossing at Isa Lake, and then again at the second crossing, but each was followed by a wonderful twisty, turny downhill.
Yet somehow the day kind of dragged on. There was little in the way of wildlife to see; there were no more geysers or springs. The landscape was mostly just small pine trees and remnants of old growth that had burned down in forest fires in 1988. I think our pictures today reflect that…nothing to see, nothing to do, except go up and over the Divide.
Arriving at Lewis Lake Campground, we found it filling up quite quickly with vehicle traffic. As we were eating dinner though, we noticed several other cycle tourists. There was Dave, from New York, who is cycling from West to East. There was the young college student Jimmy, from Philadelphia, cycling from Portland to Virginia, and there was Catherine and Peter from the UK. We ended up sharing a campfire with the two bright Brits until the stars came out, just sharing stories of our travels. Perhaps moreso than the journey today, the highlight came at the end, spending time with like minded spirits.
Amanda writes:
Maybe crossing the divide multiple times didn’t seem hard to Andrew, but I was sure feeling it. I was very happy to get to the campsite and even happier when we had a lovely dinner followed by hanging out with Catherine and Peter. I really felt like we connected with them more than we do with most cyclists. We are not in a rush, don’t ride fast and enjoy small distances each day. They also take their time; in fact they took over 2 months to cycle the pacific coast. That takes most people maximum one month. They also enjoy house sitting opportunities and have a long one coming up. It was great to talk to them after dinner and share a camp fire.