It was a tough day today. 70 miles and 4000 feet of ascent. We climbed over Togwotee Pass at an elevation of 9,700 feet. I think it was a bit easier than Cameron Pass. We had a slight headwind but the climbs didn’t seem quite as steep. Over the morning the wind picked up and it was a Westerly wind so a headwind for us. When we came down the other side we had a rather stiff headwind, making us pedal to go downhill! I was only making maybe 21 mph going down some up to 6% grades! And then after the downhill, the headwind continued on the flats so it was a tough second half of the day. We all got into our campsite at Grand Teton National Park around 4 PM.
The ride sure was spectacular- getting that first view of the Grand Tetons. A beautiful clear blue sky, the Tetons were still snow covered and the valley below all green and verdant from the spring rains. I swear it looked fake- like the mountains were a big post card picture hanging in the sky. During the downhill run after the pass we were treated to this view for a long time, the mountains getting closer and closer. The park itself is on the East end of the mountain range on the Eastern shore of Jackson Lake, so you get these spectacular views of the mountains with the lake and the pine forests in the foreground. As you ride into the park it is just a fantasy land of green glades sprinkled with yellow flowers, surrounded by pine forest, with the mountains as a backdrop. If I was a moose or a bear I would definitely want to live here! But alas, we have yet to spot a moose or bear. There are tons of signs with precautions against stopping to view wildlife, and using bear lockers for any food stuffs, but so far, no sightings!
It was my turn to cook that evening, along with Theo. We did mini meatloaf burgers with potato’s and green beans. Didn’t cook the burgers all the way through, leaving some disgruntled folks, but Than recooked several of them and it was all good! Got to bed rocked to sleep by guitar music and singing from the group next door. There are A LOT of people here in the park- very crowded. That being said, I had a very good sleep and woke to complete silence! Nary a whisper- it was great. No train whistles. Nothing. There are bugs here, the first mosquitos we have encountered on the whole trip. I imagine that will be the case as we continue into Yellowstone in the next several days.
Here are the RidewithGPS stats:
Biking across the USA with Mike 
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