Day 26 - May 16

Wow!
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Greetings from Grand Teton National Park.  After yesterday's journal entry in Dubois, WY, I got back on the road and got a 17 mile jump on Day 26 (today).  I stumbled upon some folks who are in the process of rebuilding an old run down KOA campground on the route up to Togwatee Pass.  They were very friendly - and even though they were not officially open - gave me the green light to camp on their property right on the banks of the Wind River.  After another Ramen Noodle and Tuna dinner, it didn't take long to enter dreamland - I had riden 83 miles today and was tuckered out.  The night was cold - I'm guessing in the 20s - water bottles were frozen.  I zipped up my sleeping bag, pulled on my night cap - and slept just fine.  I was up at 6:30 to test out the hot showers the campground had.  They worked brilliantly.  I had no soap or shampoo - but the hot water took the mornings chill out of my body.  I was on the road by 9:00am after a delicious bowl of oatmeal and hot tea.  I had Togwatee Pass ahead of me - 17 miles.  I summitted the 9,250 foot pass around noon after a steady but not excessively steep climb.  At the top I met a guy who had just come down from mountain climbing and skiing.  We had a nice 30 minute conversation.  He lives in Lander in the summer and works as a backcountry instructor for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School).  In the winter he is a ski instructor at Jackson Hole.  We said our goodbyes and I sailed down the backside of Togwatee mountain.  There is still a lot of snow on top and you can still see the snowmobile tracks in the snow.  This area is a major snowmobile destination in winter and has several winter lodges/resorts on the west side of the mountain.  After summitting Togwatee the Grand Teton mountains came into view - absolutely magnificent.  I would stop every mile or so coming down to take a picture - they were incredibly beautiful with the snow capped, jagged peaks.  I had to make myself stop taking pictures or staring at the mountain or I would never make it home.  At the bottom of the mountain pass I stopped at gas station/motel for lunch.  Not much to choose from on the menu - cheese sticks, buffalo meat sticks, snickers bars, and chocolate milk.  And, the store had a computer - yes, here in the middle of nowhere they had Internet access.  I couldn't pass buy it without giving a quick update.  I hope to cross Grand Teton National Park today and make it to Yellowstone.  I'll camp there and should get to West Yellowstone, MT tomorrow.  If things go well, I may even get past West Yellowstone and make some progress towards Ennis, MT.  Danno and crew, I'll give you guys a call tomorrow and we'll figure out a rendevous plan.  2 more days.  The legs are tired.  The last day I'm already looking forward to drafting the Bozeman crew the entire 75 miles. Can't wait to see my family!!!

After summitting Togwatee the Grand Teton mountains came into view - absolutely magnificent.