1 July Update

July 1, 2008 Today finds TransAmerica duo in Lander, WY. Jack writes: 

After posting the last blog from a lodge near the top of Togwatee Divide we returned to what I thought was a pretty primitive campsite about a half mile from civilization. Along the way we saw a huge moose grazing in an open field. Later just as we were getting into the tent I spotted another one behind the tent. What a sight, the moose in the foreground with snowcapped mountains in the background and a beautiful sunset arching above. I tried to take a picture zooming in on the moose, but it looks a lot like a closeup of the mosquitoes we seen on the OUTside of our tent in the mornings, immobolized by the cold. 

The campsites throughout Yellowstone and the Tetons all had warnings about Grizzily Bears in the area and not to have food around that would attract them. After camping in the Park Service camping area in Grand Teton Park along with LOTS of other campers, and having a kid whiiiiiing all night long in a tent not 30 feet from our tent, we both decided we would rather be attacked and eaten by a Grizzily than listen to whinning all night long. So Philip is the self-appointed campsite locater since he has the mobility of a Honda Passport and I only have a Bianchi bike. The campsite two nights ago had the Grizzily warnings and also a large steel box with an impressive door that latched with a hasp and chain. It is for the purpose of putting all of your food items in so the bear cannot get them. However, that box was only three feet from the pad where the tent was located, meaning that my head was three feet from the box where a very frustrated bear was going to go berzerko after smelling food that he cannot get to. He most likely would then settle for second best, a nice gummy humonoid. Since I am writing you can tell the night passed without incident. 

By the way, if one needs to venture out of the tent in the middle of the night for any reason, the sky full of stars is well worth the effort of leaving a warm sleeping bag. The stars are so bright it is almost frightening. Unbelieveable!!

So last night Philip located an even MORE privitive camp site. He now zooms ahead of me, actually it is not much of a zoom since I am going an average of 12 miles per hour and he is doing 60, goes to a fishing tackle store, finds a grizzled old fisheman and asks where a good place would be to camp. 
So using that technique, last night we were REALLY in a primitve site. It was three miles south of Dubois, WY, a good mile off of the paved road across three cattle guards on the Jakeys Fork River. This one did not even have a picnic table with the bear warning or the steel bear bate box. It was a beautiful site. 

Today along my 77 mile ride to Lander, WY I met a number of interesting people. Crowheart, WY, population 163, is basically an all in one general store. They jokingly called it the Crowheart Mall. That one building is the post office. hardware, grocery, filling station and community center. I took a picture of the postmistress, Nancy, beside the wall of mail boxes and one of the clerks. At a rest area about half way into the ride I met the Godfrey family from Missouri and told them about our ride and effort to generate funds in Jim's memory to support medical students to do cancer related research. They have a bed and breakfast south of St. Louis and offered that we can stay there when we reach that part of our journey. It would be great if they are somewhere near our route. 

Lander, WY where we are staying tonight is home to NOLS, National Outdoor Leadership School. Philip has done two 4 week backpacking trips with this organization, so he feels as if he is home. Surprisingly he has arranged for us to stay at the NOLS hotel with real beds and a hot shower. Now it is time to do some grazzing in town. We hope to be in Rawlings, WY in two days, the fourth of July. Rawlings has a population of 8538 so we are thinking there should be some hoopla going on for the 4th.