West Yellowstone Tour??

[Shiraz]

Hey,
Any other TE fans riding in the WestYellowstone road bike tour this weekend??
It looks to be a bit chilly and a chance of rain, but will prove to be beautiful fall colors.

[Tater]

I did it last year and loved it, but won't be riding it this weekend. I might be doing the spring version though. Have fun!

[Kano]

A spring version? PLEASE -- where do I find out more about this in time to put it on my calendar?????????

Karen in Boise, who would love to see the world on a bike (and make DH go to stinky places and ride too -- today's assignment is noplace stinky)

[Shiraz]

Hey Kano and Tater!
My two Idaho partners!!!! Good to hear from you:D Kano, here is the web site for the Yellowstone ride http://www.cycleyellowstone.com/falltour.html. I am afraid it is going to rain on us but hope it clears enough to enjoy the colors. We will have to plan a ride together sometime in Boise.

[DDH]

OH WOW, I just wish. We went to Yellowstone this past summer for vacation and it was so beautiful. Please get lots of pictures and post them. I would love to see what it looks like there in the fall.
Wish I could here the elk bugle!!!

[SadieKate]

Such a small world. I was cruising the site because I love that area (Bubba was born in St. Anthony). I bet the coordinator, Jamie Greene, is the same Jamie that used to manage the shop for Henry's Fork Outfitters. How many guys can there in that neck of the woods with that spelling?

There is a 200k brevet in May that starts in Driggs and goes to Jackson. I wish, I wish.

Grand Teton Brewing makes a mighty tasty rootbeer if you can hunt some down.

[Tater]

Kano, if you decide to do the ride (there is a 30 mile option from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful or vise versa, or the full 62 from West out to O.F. and back) we will have to hook up! I can get us really cheap lodging so that should help with the cost of going up there.

SK- that brevet sounds cool!

[sbctwin]

I rode the West Yellowstone to Old Faithful ride this past weekend. It wasn't as cold as last year, but it was WET!!!! I had my twin sister sagging for me and I was glad. I had to change my clothes 3 times because I got so wet. Unfortunately, I wimped out at mile 48 at Madison Junction on the return because I could no longer feel my feet or hands. I didn't have any dry clothes left to change into and at that point, I wasn't having anymore fun. But, I plan to do it again next year because it is just so fun to bike the park. A lot more traffic this year in the park, IMO. The spring ride isn't exactly in the park and is in mid-May. I haven't done this ride yet, but have thought about it. Next year, it sure would be nice to hook up with other riders. I think if I actually rode with someone else, I wouldn't have wimped out. As it was, my sister bagged her fly fishing ambitions for the day to sag for me and she was just too "convenient" when I wanted to quit....

[Shiraz]

I had a great time with friends but it was so wet and so cold! I shared a condo at the Faithful Street Inn with 5 other friends. Great place to stay. Very clean and 6 beds ,3 rooms 2.5 bathrooms, nice kitchen and living room. But the ride.....It rained and rained and rained. My core stayed dry but I did not have waterproof gloves or shoe covers only toe covers. I wore winter running pants over my biking shorts and wool socks but never did I warm up after getting wet.My biking shrts just collected the water in the padding...which lead to a very cold behind. We grabbed lunch and hot drinks at the Old Faithful Inn and snuggled up to a wall heater but as soon as we were back on our bikes I froze. I would have seriously sagged out in I could have. Some of our riders stopped to use the restroom at Madison Junction and I said if I stop I will never get back on so I just kept going until I got to the condo. I got into a hot bath and just kept filling it up with hot water. I could not feel my feet or fingers for a long time.I wish they would have had hot drinks at the stops. I found I didn't drink anything the hole 60 miles of riding because I couldn't handle drinking cold. I did drink hot chocolate and a red bull during lunch whcih helped but not enough water. I was hoping for fall colors but really there are only pine trees not colors.sorry I didn't get pictures because of all the rain.

Ladies next year, if you want a beautiful fall ride come and ride the Tour D Vin in pocatello. The colors are amazing!!It is the weekend before the West ride. I will post it next year. The ride takes you out to McCammon and back in over buckskin with colors of yellow, red, orange and green!! In the evening they have a wine tasting and beer tasting event included in your ticket and all funds go to the local Family Alliance program to help families in need. Great event!![/B]

[Tater]

Ladies next year, if you want a beautiful fall ride come and ride the Tour D Vin in pocatello. The colors are amazing!!It is the weekend before the West ride. I will post it next year. The ride takes you out to McCammon and back in over buckskin with colors of yellow, red, orange and green!! In the evening they have a wine tasting and beer tasting event included in your ticket and all funds go to the local Family Alliance program to help families in need. Great event!![/B]

Sorry about the rain on your Yellowstone ride! But do keep us informed about the Pocy ride. I'd be interested.

[sbctwin]

Yes, please keep us informed...that sounds like a wonderful ride and the wine tasting afterwards, yummy. I realized, too, that I didn't drink or eat properly on the ride. I too, was just too cold to think of drinking anything cold...I guess because I was so WET!!! inside and out. I wore rain pants over my thermal tights and a rain jacket, but I sweat so much that I was wet inside and out...very little chance of getting warm. This weekend, the weather would be perfect for the ride...oh well...such is life....

[pooks]

Somebody wanted to hear the elk? Here's a recording my husband made this August:

"Here's a recording that includes thunder in the mountains south of La Veta, Colorado, bull Elk in Moraine Park, at Rocky Mountain National Park.

http://www.thestormshop.com/audio/thunder.mp3

The sounds in RMNP were recorded around sunrise one morning, while Pooks was still asleep."

A picture of the campsite where I was asleep while he was down in the meadow with his recorder:

http://planetpooks.wordpress.com/files/2006/08/second-site.jpg

You can see our 30-year-old canvas tent down in the lower left; the meadow is further down (out of the pic).

[DDH]

Wow, thanks pooks. I love to hear the elk bugle. I will have to let my husband hear. Glad to know that the canvas tents last so long. We bought one this past year and for what they cost, they better last. LOL

[pooks]

I didn't know anybody still made canvas tents!

I was warned to NEVER EVER EVER put one up damp, because it will mildew and next time you go camping you'll open it and find holes. So if it's damp or raining when you have to pack up to go home, when you get home pitch the tent in the yard and leave it out until it's perfectly dry, then fold and store.

I don't recall ever having to do that, but I had a friend who didn't!