National Parks Day

Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone were on the slate for today's ride.  We packed up the bikes and headed out about 8:30 with high hopes of seeing some wildlife.  We pulled into the Grand Tetons at Moose, Wyoming, where the road followed Jackson Lake on our left and tall stands of pine on our right.  This was the only through road inside the park, but we were not successful in our wildlife search.

Our destination was to be West Yellowstone in Montana, but there were rain clouds forming in front of us.  With the crowds in the park, we wanted to start looking for a place to put the tents up before it got too late.  We stopped for gas a Summit Mountain in the park, and found the campground full, but were also directed to a campground 17 miles north that still had sites available.  We proceeded to Lizard Creek Campground, a primitive one with no showers, and found a few sites.  I was successful in getting the tent up before the skies opened up and drenched Steve, Ken, and Barry who had yet not tried to set up their new tents.  I felt a little bad has I sat in my tent staying dry while they were getting soaked.  I'd be less than truthful if I told you that I did not chuckle a little bit at the profanities coming from their direction.

After the rains ended, the campground hosts came to meet us and collect the site fees.  They told us of an encounter with a grizzly in the area the night before and explained the campground rules of storing food.  When we asked were the bear encountered happened, they told the story of how the sow was within 20 feet of them right where we were standing!.  I think the night's sleep would had been better had we had that conversation the next morning.  With every twig snap and between Schaller's snoring episodes, I did not get very much sleep.  We survived the night without a grizzly episode, to which I was disappointed and satisfied all at the same time.