We packed up Monday morning and piled into the van for the ride back to Jackson. We all stopped at the BigHorn Sheep interpretive center for about an hour, a very interesting place. We stopped for coffee and for a "to-go" lunch which we ate later in a parking lot (shown in the photo).
I wrote a song for the trip. It is sung to the tune of "Blowin' in the Wind".
We started in Jackson and rode up to Moose, past Jenny Lake and beyond.
At Signal Mountain we set up our camp, took a bath in a pond.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin'the winds.
We climbed rocky roads up to Togwotee Pass, hitched a ride in a truck.
Slept in a hostel with a roof overhead, hot showers and brownies, what luck!
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
We rode out in the morning and climbed half a day, just to reach Union Pass.
Pedalled the downhills with cows in the road; we couldn't go very fast.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
We learned to lie down if a grizzly bear comes near; for black bears to look very tall.
We shared campfire stories and sang a few songs, and don't forget Granny Small.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
Brian is leading with Eli, Steve, and John; and Linda is not far behind.
Brian and Judy, Joe and Dianne, Ray or Lynn at the end of the line.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
Bruised hips, sunburned lips, blown out knees, headaches too, & don't forget raw butt cheeks.
In primitive campsites we buried our waste, and washed ourselves in cold creeks.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
We climbed the Great Divide and looked down on the world, a vista we'll never forget.
Ice covered mornings and sweltering days, we faced with the new friends we met.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
We rode through the Tetons and the Wind River range, and rested in Pinedale one day.
We saw Wyoming as few people do; now we'll be on our way.
On this bike tour my friends, we're wheelin' the winds;
On this bike tour we're wheelin' the winds.
It was fun seeing some of the places we cycled, including Togwotee Pass, the highest we climbed at 9,658 feet above sea level. Some of our route is inaccessible by car, and will live fondly (or not so fondly in some cases) in my memory, my blog, and my photo album... It was a bittersweet goodbye to new friends we made along the ride.
When we got back to Jackson we spent several hours scrambling--check into hotel, retrieve bike box, disassemble and pack up bike, pack up other stuff and walk it to post office, contact Fed Ex for bike pickup, check in on line for next day's flight. Dinner, Scrabble until very late. Set the alarm for 4:30 AM (and got up at 4:00 anyway).
On Tuesday we took a cab to the airport at 5 AM for our 7:00 flight. On the way to Denver Dianne and I played Scrabble on the plane, and we were in the middle of a game when it was time to land--I gingerly carried the half finished game off the plane and into the terminal where we finished that game and played one more before it was time for her to leave. We played a total of 30 games this time around, and the point spread??????????? 3 points total difference between our scores. Not 3 points a game, but 3 points total after 30 games.
I picked up a sandwich to go and hiked from gate B16 (where Dianne caught a plane to Tampa) to gate B60 to catch my own plane to Detroit. Bill picked me up curbside, and it was such a treat to sleep in my own bed! And I slept--quite a change from my habits on the trail.
Life is good!
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