Day 30
June 30, 2005
What a day. I still haven’t seen that moose and/or buffalo I’ve been looking for, but the peaks of the Grand Tetons were more majestic than any animal I could have hoped to see.
I just uploaded my pictures for the last two days and was able to review what I’ve seen. What an incredible ride I’m on… Sometimes, not often – I’ve been really good about making sure I’m taking everything in and not taking things for granted – but sometimes I get a little used to my surroundings and get focusing on other things. Everything I’ve been able to see out here, in the past two days especially, have been the kind of things that you’ll remember for the rest of your life; little mental snapshots that will never fade. Yesterday had a few of those, but the ride today seemed to be filled with them.
The first instance of being “re-awestruck” came with a two to three mile stretch that traced the perimeter of Lewis Lake, my new favorite lake. The lake was tightly guarded by a close wall of trees that lead back to the forest. The clear waters calmly stroked its banks as it seemed you could walk across them if you were brave enough to try. The lake seemed to know some kind of secret. It was as if it were waiting, or preparing itself, for something to happen. It was the first time I pulled off to just watch. Watch nothing, really, but I think that was part of its secret – stillness.
The second came as I started rounding Lake Jackson, which lies at the feet of the Grand Tetons. The best way I can describe it is to say that it, one: was a completely humbling experience, and two: I felt for the first time in my life that I was standing in front of a truly “majestic” sight. The Tetons stand there, with yet another pristine lake before them, and just broadcast the indescribable power of God and the great gift He’s given us in this beautiful planet. You can’t help but stand there in awe; I couldn’t anyway. It was like standing in front of the Mona Lisa and thinking of how some 500 years ago Leonardo DaVinci sat in front of the same canvas and created this timeless masterpiece. I felt like I was standing in the same spot God sat and carved the beautiful view in front of me; there was a real sense of His presence as I circled the lake. There’s a song by Lifehouse that kept running through my head and asks: “How could I stand here with you and not be moved by you. Could you tell me how could it be any better than this?” I don’t think it gets any better than that.
Like I said, an experience I’ll never forget. I hope everyone has at least one of those experiences in life. Just go for a ride around Lake Jackson…
And I almost forgot the clouds! They were so close today. It was like if you really, really tried hard, you could reach up, snag a handful of one, and satisfy your curiosity for what they taste like.
Just great moments of bliss on the ride today… It was the closest to heaven I’d ever been. And it all started with a flat tire, now viewed as a blessing.
We got rolling pretty early after a nice breakfast buffet at the same lodge we ate last night. Paul left and got a nice jump on the three of us behind. Shortly into the trip I fell behind the two Kiwis. I’m finding it takes me a mile or two to let my body re-acclimate to the altitude. That and just morning slowness made me an extra bit slow getting going today. It wasn’t too far into the ride that I had that flat. I pulled off, changed it, and got back on the bike about a half hour later. I started to repair it, but ended up throwing an extra tube in it, there were multiple bites.
After that delay, I pretty much wrote off catching up to my new mates until we hit camp at the end of the day, which allowed me to take in and enjoy all I saw at my leisure. I didn’t see them again until Colter Bay, shortly after Lake Jackson. I saw Paul and, together, we continued up the road as Heather and Jackson wrapped things up with the lunch they were having. It was close to 4 when Paul and I came upon a couple from England on a tandem. We were talking to them when the Kiwi’s rolled up, it was the first I saw them since the morning.
John and Ivon started in Yorktown two months ago and were a great help in filling us in on what was ahead. They also were very helpful to Heather and Jackson who are flying out of Denver on the 13th to go over to London and begin the second half of their trip in Europe.
We finally got to our campground around 4. After we got settled, Heather went over to the motel and sweet-talked a round of free showers for us as I went on a little hike for firewood. The showers were great and the hot tub that preceded the shower was even better. The three would later give me a bit of a hard time for helping myself to the hot tub, but it was only a little ribbing brought on by a bit of jealousy; gotta take advantage of those open doors…
I came back to camp and made myself dinner for the first time in a while. It was actually nice to return to the Beef Ramen, even nicer to skip the $15 dinner tab. After dinner I went down to the creek and washed out my bowl and silverware since there was no running water at the site. It reminded me of my run as George Milton in Of Mice and Men, “Lenny don’t drink so much, you’re gonna be sick!” Ah, the days in the theatre…
I made a nice fire with my hard earned firewood that nobody enjoyed due to the warmth of the evening, swapped an inflatable pillow for a portable shower with Jackson, and made my way to bed.
Heather is an ardent fan of cleanliness; has to have a shower every day. Can’t say that’s a bad obsession. In West Yellowstone they picked up a portable camping shower in the event they were without proper facilities. Later, they found a better and cheaper one, giving me their first one. When I asked if they rigged a tarp from the trees while they showered with the pop-up they replied with a great, “Ah, if they want ta have a gawk, let ‘em. There’s plenty of moose and bears running far more prettier than us.” Not quite as shy as we Americans, the Kiwis aren’t.
Today: 59.67 Total: 1,327.56
What a day. I still haven’t seen that moose and/or buffalo I’ve been looking for, but the peaks of the Grand Tetons were more majestic than any animal I could have hoped to see.
I just uploaded my pictures for the last two days and was able to review what I’ve seen. What an incredible ride I’m on… Sometimes, not often – I’ve been really good about making sure I’m taking everything in and not taking things for granted – but sometimes I get a little used to my surroundings and get focusing on other things. Everything I’ve been able to see out here, in the past two days especially, have been the kind of things that you’ll remember for the rest of your life; little mental snapshots that will never fade. Yesterday had a few of those, but the ride today seemed to be filled with them.
The first instance of being “re-awestruck” came with a two to three mile stretch that traced the perimeter of Lewis Lake, my new favorite lake. The lake was tightly guarded by a close wall of trees that lead back to the forest. The clear waters calmly stroked its banks as it seemed you could walk across them if you were brave enough to try. The lake seemed to know some kind of secret. It was as if it were waiting, or preparing itself, for something to happen. It was the first time I pulled off to just watch. Watch nothing, really, but I think that was part of its secret – stillness.
The second came as I started rounding Lake Jackson, which lies at the feet of the Grand Tetons. The best way I can describe it is to say that it, one: was a completely humbling experience, and two: I felt for the first time in my life that I was standing in front of a truly “majestic” sight. The Tetons stand there, with yet another pristine lake before them, and just broadcast the indescribable power of God and the great gift He’s given us in this beautiful planet. You can’t help but stand there in awe; I couldn’t anyway. It was like standing in front of the Mona Lisa and thinking of how some 500 years ago Leonardo DaVinci sat in front of the same canvas and created this timeless masterpiece. I felt like I was standing in the same spot God sat and carved the beautiful view in front of me; there was a real sense of His presence as I circled the lake. There’s a song by Lifehouse that kept running through my head and asks: “How could I stand here with you and not be moved by you. Could you tell me how could it be any better than this?” I don’t think it gets any better than that.
Like I said, an experience I’ll never forget. I hope everyone has at least one of those experiences in life. Just go for a ride around Lake Jackson…
And I almost forgot the clouds! They were so close today. It was like if you really, really tried hard, you could reach up, snag a handful of one, and satisfy your curiosity for what they taste like.
Just great moments of bliss on the ride today… It was the closest to heaven I’d ever been. And it all started with a flat tire, now viewed as a blessing.
We got rolling pretty early after a nice breakfast buffet at the same lodge we ate last night. Paul left and got a nice jump on the three of us behind. Shortly into the trip I fell behind the two Kiwis. I’m finding it takes me a mile or two to let my body re-acclimate to the altitude. That and just morning slowness made me an extra bit slow getting going today. It wasn’t too far into the ride that I had that flat. I pulled off, changed it, and got back on the bike about a half hour later. I started to repair it, but ended up throwing an extra tube in it, there were multiple bites.
After that delay, I pretty much wrote off catching up to my new mates until we hit camp at the end of the day, which allowed me to take in and enjoy all I saw at my leisure. I didn’t see them again until Colter Bay, shortly after Lake Jackson. I saw Paul and, together, we continued up the road as Heather and Jackson wrapped things up with the lunch they were having. It was close to 4 when Paul and I came upon a couple from England on a tandem. We were talking to them when the Kiwi’s rolled up, it was the first I saw them since the morning.
John and Ivon started in Yorktown two months ago and were a great help in filling us in on what was ahead. They also were very helpful to Heather and Jackson who are flying out of Denver on the 13th to go over to London and begin the second half of their trip in Europe.
We finally got to our campground around 4. After we got settled, Heather went over to the motel and sweet-talked a round of free showers for us as I went on a little hike for firewood. The showers were great and the hot tub that preceded the shower was even better. The three would later give me a bit of a hard time for helping myself to the hot tub, but it was only a little ribbing brought on by a bit of jealousy; gotta take advantage of those open doors…
I came back to camp and made myself dinner for the first time in a while. It was actually nice to return to the Beef Ramen, even nicer to skip the $15 dinner tab. After dinner I went down to the creek and washed out my bowl and silverware since there was no running water at the site. It reminded me of my run as George Milton in Of Mice and Men, “Lenny don’t drink so much, you’re gonna be sick!” Ah, the days in the theatre…
I made a nice fire with my hard earned firewood that nobody enjoyed due to the warmth of the evening, swapped an inflatable pillow for a portable shower with Jackson, and made my way to bed.
Heather is an ardent fan of cleanliness; has to have a shower every day. Can’t say that’s a bad obsession. In West Yellowstone they picked up a portable camping shower in the event they were without proper facilities. Later, they found a better and cheaper one, giving me their first one. When I asked if they rigged a tarp from the trees while they showered with the pop-up they replied with a great, “Ah, if they want ta have a gawk, let ‘em. There’s plenty of moose and bears running far more prettier than us.” Not quite as shy as we Americans, the Kiwis aren’t.
Today: 59.67 Total: 1,327.56
posted by SuperByron3000 at 7/06/2005
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