Coast to coast plus...

What goes up must come down. I sure hope so cause it's cold up here! Last night was the coldest night on the trip so far. 28 degrees F and I was wearing all but one of my shirts, and I had long underwear and socks on. I wasn't uncomfortably cold but cold enough to interrupt my slumber. I'm pretty excited for the day however, because it will be the first sunny day in 3 whole days! Three days without the sun and rainy weather doesn't seem like a lot especially coming from NE, but when you're traveling on a motorcycle and predominately camping, sun is very important.

After eating breakfast and warming my hands on my stove, it's time to break down camp and wash my cookware. Not exciting when it's still freezing out and the sun has yet to crest the trees. If I wait for the sun, it will be 11 before I'm on the road, so I get to it. Everything is covered in frost, which quickly freezes my hands. Every couple of minutes I do a few jumping jacks, stair climbs on the picnic table bench, and some rapid fire punches into the air aimed at the ground. It you don't know what I'm talking about with the rapid fire punches, yes it looks ridiculous (just like jumping jacks) but yes it also gets your heart pumping and warms you up a bit. Try it some time. I eventually get the bike packed and ready to go. All my gear is on and it's hard to move. I guess the temperature made my jacket and gives a little stiff, as well as the 4 wool shirts I'm wearing underneath. I get on the bike and try and start her up. The starter motor cranks the engine several times and nothing. I wait a couple seconds, and slosh the fluids around in the bike. Attempt number 2 doesn't get the engine started either but it sounds better. I should note that this is the coldest start I've attempted as well as the highest elevation, a double whammy for a carbureted engine. So I was a little unsure I would get the bike started. Luckily for me, the machine I'm riding is very well known for being reliable and simple. Third time's a charm and the bike starts up! Ever since I got into the Tetons (due to the elevation) I'd been having to give it a little gas on the start. I always thought motorcyclists were just showing off when they revved the engine on startup, but there are times where it's necessary and boy does it feel good when that engine cranks over under the power of combustion after a few failed attempts.

I'm off to see Yellowstone! One of the most well known parts of the US. As I drive to the West thumb of Yellowstone lake it is gorgeous out, but damn it's cold. Luckily the speed limit in the park is only 45mph, so my hands and feet don't totally freeze off. The heated grips that my fine co-workers at CSS got me as a parting gift are doing the trick! I crank em up to 11 and they work like a charm (at least for the palms of my hands, which makes the ride doable and not unbearable). If I didn't have those heated grips, I would have had to pull over and punch the air every 5 miles. So thanks a million if you're reading Amit and crew. I've also put my newly acquired gators to work and they seal up the gap between my boots and pants nicely. When I get to the west thumb, the park is already proving its worth. There are bubbling mud pots and gorgeous hot spring pools. I walk around for a bit, but there is much to see, so I get back on the road. Immediately I am stopped in traffic at the exit of the parking lot. Two elk are walking around near the exit and people decide to stop and gawk. I knew this would happen, but I didn't think it would be so soon. After the jokers in front of me snap their precious photos while blocking the road, I head towards Ol'faithful. To be honest I wasn't that excited to see it since I knew how crowded it would be. Once I got there, I stood off to the side. People were crowding around this one area as if they were going to get the best view because it was in the center. Maybe they were right, but it looked like I was closer. I wait for 10 minutes and the crowd grows bigger. A man with his wife pulls her towards the masses saying, "it's not THAT one (there are three mounds that look to be geysers, the one he pulls her away from is the one with a column of steam steadily flowing out), it's the one that all the people are close to. You just have to see were the biggest crowds are and that's how you know what you should be looking at!" I have the complete opposite view of what I should be looking at. And just as the universe would have it, the geyser that's closest to the center is not old faithful. The one that's closest to me is. I felt bad for that woman, but was happy that that guy was wrong. As for Ol'faithful, it didn't disappoint. I have to say it was more impressive than I thought it would be. What a cool natural phenomenon. That was the theme for the rest of the day. I was in awe at nature. The landscape didn't seem like it was of this world, or at least the world that I knew. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to happen upon these natural wonders without knowing they existed. Then telling my friends what I had seen and sounding crazy.

The day was going well. I had seen some pretty awesome things, but I had to secure a campsite. I was told by the rangers that campgrounds fill up fast, so get there early. This presented a problem as the campground I wanted to stay at was at the end of my route for the day. If I visited all the places I wanted to see first, it would be 4 or 5 o'clock before I arrived at the campground. My investigation the day before gave me the intel that the camp that I wanted to stay at tonight filled up before 4. It was just after noon when I decided that it was in my best interests to secure a campsite before checking everything else out. That meant a meaningless 60 miles and a loss of two hours, but at least I would have a place to sleep. I wasn't happy about it but I went for it. Luckily the drive was beautiful. Yellowstone was exactly what most Americans wanted, a beautiful landscape full of large wildlife all accessible from the seat in your car or RV. But it also had more to offer. I'll get to that in the next post.

I finally arrive at Norris campground. Like all national park and forest campgrounds that I've been to on this trip, there is no one at the office and there is a self service pay station that accepts cash or check. I have cash, but not in the correct denomination. This is fine except for the fact that every one of these campgrounds has a host working there, but they never have change and you're usually in the middle of nowhere several miles away from anything. It's somewhat OK because I have more things to see that day which gets me within a few miles of an establishment that can make change. After setting up my tent and dumping some gear and food in the bear box, I head back out to see more of the park. Bison continue to hang out on the side of the road, and I see a few coyotes. The road winds next to meandering rivers and undulates up and down the sides of mountains. The ride is beautiful, the best roads for a motorcycle I've been on. While going to the campground wasn't convenient, it wasn't a waste of time like I had previously thought. It was actually one of the highlights of the day.

Geyser after geyser, and vista after vista it was finally time to call it. That ever so dangerous dusk was approaching. Hitting an animal in a car is scary, but most likely you will be fine. When you're on two wheels, the animal you hit may come out of the incident with less injury than you. A new concept for me but something I respect and try to avoid.

Wow what a day. Yellowstone was exactly what I thought it would be and I was still amazed by its beauty and vastness. The park is massive!

Pictures: My frost covered,... cover over my motorcycle. A beautiful pool at the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Ol'faithful. Another view of Yellowstone lake at the west thumb, a gurgling mud pot in the foreground. Geyser activity in Black Sand Basin. Bacterial mats near Grand Prismatic Spring.Read more