Halfway to Halfway

Transitions and New Directions in Yellowstone NP

Today is Day 30 of my Cycling for Shelter fundraising campaign for True North Housing Association in Butte County, CA. Thank you to my friends and family who’ve made donations to this civic cause via my personal campaign …. https://www.zeffy.com/fundraising/cycling-for-shelter

James Denman joined are ragtag group of retirees for two days and he’s also doing a personal fundraiser. It is part of a national umbrella organization called Climate Riders. James is one nearly 8,000 riders that have logged over 1,000,000 miles and raised nearly $15,000,000 for nonprofits addressing climate change. He promotional kit included a printed front bag banner - complete with a QR code - and a promotional a t-shirt

Since my start with Paula Sunn on June 3 in Florence, OR at the mouth of the Siuslaw River, I’ve ridden 1,268 miles. My intended endpoint for my 2025 cycling trek across America is Minneapolis, MN - about 2,300 miles - which is the approximate halfway point to the routes I’m taking to Bar Harbor, ME. Today is also a REST day - my 3rd so far - and I’m about halfway to my halfway point of Minneapolis. I expect to fly home to Chico at the end of July.

Yellowstone is full of superlatives and I spent most of my first two days here’swalking around the geothermal superstars in the various geyser basins - those surrounding Old Faithful, Monument, and Porcelain (part of Norris). I saw bison in the wild for the first time, and as equally impressive were the elk cows and calves grazing along the Gibbon river that was less than 50 feet from the paved road where I stood straddling my bike. I never knew that elk calves have mottled fur like a fawn.

Geyser Basins in the vicinity of Old Faithful have large meadow and bog features associated with the geothermal springs and the Fire Hole River. The wildflowers are presently at their peak blooming period. I’ve seen four different colors of similar size Indian Paintbrushes (Castilleja sp.)

Several geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin west of Old Faithful

Vents and hot springs at Artists’ Paintpots

Big Red Indian Paintbrush (Castlleja sp.)

A colloidal pool spring at the Porcelain Basin. Suspended silica in the pool create the blue color.

On the Porcelain Basin overlook, I had a lively conversation with this group of five Cantonese tourists. The younger members of the group did a lot of translating going both ways. They took many photos, and the youngsters posted promptly to their social media app accounts with Moments.

Porcelain Basin

I misread this sign thinking that the steep grade started at the sign and continued for 3 miles. The steep grade started about 3 miles beyond this sign and ranged from 6.0 to 9.7 percent for 0.7 miles; longest-steepest section of road so far.

For the first 26 days, I rode with one or more partners - first Paula, then Tery, and ultimately, Tery (Wisconsin), Mark and Roxanne (California), Bruce (Minneapolis), and James (Minneapolis). I am forever grateful to Paula for her humble strength and experience as an adventurer and cyclist. She left the ride 3 days earlier than expected as her husband, Russ, needed to get an emergency bypass surgery. She got home promptly - before the surgery - and Russ is now at their home in Chico resting and recuperating.

My usual view of Paula - in front of me. We were heading towards Halfway, MT, one of several historic mining towns in the Cornucopia Mountains - the snowy peaks at the far horizon.

The Ragtag Retiree Riders (aka Sheep Shank Rebellion) at the Bunkhouse Hotel in Jackson, MT ( pop’s 36). Tery and I chose to sleep in our tents on the healthy lawn on the side of the bunkhouse. Riders (L to R): Tery, Bruce, James, Me, Roxanne, and Mark.

A midday break along the road to Dillon, MT

My intended cycling route changed directions from the rest of the group, four days ago in West Yellowstone. I am switching from the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) route called the TransAmerica to the ACA Parks, Peaks, and Prairies (PPP): the former heads south into Colorado, then east through Kansas, and finally in Norfolk, VA; and the latter heads east along the northern boundary of Wyoming and into South Dakota where I’ll pass through the Black Hills, Custer, and the Badlands, to name a few highlights. The PPP route ends in Minneapolis.

I just heard this afternoon that Tery sprained his back while moving around camp, and that he is ending his intended trek to Florida. I also learned that Mark had a fall while riding, and I haven’t heard from him on the severity of this fall. Bruce is continuing in his ride which ends in Boulder, CO, and he met a new trekking partner on the road yesterday. If all goes well, I’ll be staying with Bruce in Minneapolis before getting on the plane home.

Lastly, I reflect daily on my actions of pitching and breaking camp. I’ve slept in my high-end minimalist tarp tent for 27 of the 30 days. For unhoused people, this simple act of finding a safe place to sleep, is much more difficult due to a variety of compounding factors related to not having the stability of meeting one’s basic needs.

My new tarp tent at the hiker-biker section of the Canyon Campground - first come first serve only. Yellow flowers in the foreground are a native Arnica sp.

I wash a few clothes often - usually in the evening - and any clothes that are still damp in the morning are strapped over the back rack where they dry quickly. Today I took refuge in the lounge of the Washburn Lodge at Canyon Village so I could use their WiFi to make trekking arrangements, enjoy drip coffee with half and half, upload photos to friends and family, and to post this 10th Cycling for Shelter blog.

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