WYOMING

Hello everyone,

I left West Yellowstone, which is on the border of Montana and Wyoming. Yellowstone was beautiful with lots of wildlife. I stayed at the Old Faithful Inn and had a chance to watch Old Faithful. While leaving Yellowstone, I once again crossed the Continental Divide twice.

Two points of history I think are worth mentioning:

March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill creating Yellowstone National Park, which is 3,470 square miles. It is the first National Park not only in our country, but also in the world.

John D. Rockefeller visited Yellowstone in 1926 and was profoundly impressed with the grandeur of the Teton Range. In 1929, the Grand Tetons received National Park status, but the ranchers did not want to give up their private holdings of the land in the area, so he formed The Snake River Land Company in 1927. He acquired 35,310 acres and deeded the land to the government to be part of the Grand Teton National Park.

I am now in Wyoming, which has been my least favorite state of the ride. It is mountainous, dry, cold in the mornings, and warm and windy in the afternoons. If the wind was not in my face, it was trying to knock me off to the side of the road. The road snakes through the mountains so the wind is basically in your face during the entire day. Speaking of snakes, I was riding up a mountain in slow gear, when I thought I was getting a flat tire. I heard a hissing sound, but it was not a tire, it was a rattlesnake coiled up on the side of the road ready to strike at me. I quickly dodged it. I did not stop, but got a view of it. It was a large snake and I was probably about three feet from it. The closest medical attention would have been back in Lander, Wyoming, and 40 miles from my location.

Lander to Jeffrey City was the toughest day of the ride. It was 60 miles and against the wind. Jeffrey City is an abandoned uranium town. Lots of vacant buildings; however, a few loyal residents remain. This is a place of no phones - there are no phones in the motel room, no phones in the one bar in town, and of course no cell phone coverage. This is a very remote and desolate place.

On Memorial Day, I thought of so many families that have lost a son or daughter in the war. I pray for all those effected by the senseless war.

On your list of places to visit leave off Wyoming. The only bright stars of Wyoming are Yellowstone and The Grand Teton National Park. Both are beautiful.

I have now traveled approximately 1700 miles. Togwotee Pass has been the highest pass for far on this trip.

Until next week,

Larry