Day 46 Idaho Falls > Island Park

Got a text from my dad when i woke up - mark had been in contact and wanted to meet up! Had a great cooked breakfast with dan before going to meet mark in town. Cycled with him EAST enjoying a tailwind! Shared loads of stories & chatted about both of his big tours. Great, down to earth guy as you would expect (for those uneducated folk out there.. mark broke the record last year for cycling around the world)! Had lunch on the BBC :) before answering a few questions on camera!
As I had made such detour (gone back on myself) i had to hitch back to west yellowstone! Ended up in the car of an ex female body builder! By the time i found a campsite (20miles south of west yellowstone) it was dark & windy. Heard bear noises during the night which didn't do my sleep any wonders! Ended up sleeping in a toilet block with a chair blocking the door. Nice.

Day 45 13/08/09 West Yellowstone > Idaho Falls

Late start today was planning a semi rest day as i hadn't had one since minneapolis! Went to the library to check emails and my route and saw on facebook that Mark Beaumont was on his way to Idaho Falls which was 125miles south of where i was! I hastily sent him a message and hitched a lift down there with a cool guy called Brian!
After arriving in Idaho falls i realised i was on a wild goose chase as there were 3 exits off the road i figured mark would be on.. i waited anyway on the corner of a freeway exit for about 3hours. Got fed up with that grabbed an ice cream then ended up at a healthcare rally in town! A wide array of people! Met Dan and his family who took me out for dinner and put me up which was lovely! Was awoken in the night by their nutty puppy 'Pepper' who worked her way into my room whilst bringing down the blinds!

Day 44 12/09/09 Bridge Bay YNP > West Yellowstone

Not a great nights sleep as the howling wolves kept waking me up. Was also dying for a piss but didn't dear exit the 'safety' of the tent for fear of being eaten by bears. Idiot. Very chilly in the morning. Left Seth & Nick and headed for old faithful. Fantastic sights shown in the photos. Had to wait just over an hour for the Old Faithful erruption. More interesting wildlife today - Bald eagles, bison, elk & woodpeckers. Bumped into some cyclist who i thought i would join but they suffered from personality defects! Got myself a motel in West Yellowstone as i was told the Police were very strict on illegal camping & the campsites in the town started at $30 a night!

Day 43 11/09/09 Cody > Bridge Bay Campground, Yellowstone NP

Got an early start today as there were a lot of miles to do! Met fellow Brits Keith & Louise on the way who had been travelling in a campervan for best part of a year. After cycling through a LONG dark tunnel i came across a dam... Unfortunately i had not planned for a strong headwind today which meant i would not make the booked campsite on time so i hitched 25-30 miles to the entrance of Yellowstone - meant i didn't have to pay the $25 fee which was cool! Absolutely stunning cycling up into the park barely noticed the sharp incline! Met a few people .. a swiss guy cycling the country the other way.. and the Willis family from miami who were very concerned about me and put me on their prayer list at church!
Thought i saw a mountain sheep.. turned out to be a rock! Other wildlife spots today included a bat & deer.. a bear entered our campsite and was shot at by the ranger although i didn't get to see this - most definately heard it! Once camped up i tried to get a tour of the north of the park via hitching tho was told off as it is apparently illegal in the park..
Camped next to two awsome guys nick & seth who i will meet up with in San Fran! They had been travelling on the freight trains for a few weeks. Shared loads of stories & polished off a few beers & a bottle of whiskey!








..the goat!

Day 42 10/09/09 Greybull > Cody

Ate breaky with Shannon in the morning as she left for the Big Horns which i did the other direction. Cycle to cody was desolate, hot, boring & uphill. Not fun! Few wild horses en route made it a little more interesting.. Cody is home of 'Buffalo Bill.' Camped down by a river after only a short days riding.

Day 41 09/08/09 Rochester > Greybull

Today was the BIG HORN MOUNTAINS. Cloudy start going through a lot of drizzle. Was greeted at the top by a hail storm at well over 8000feet. Had to change into winter gear! 38miles in 6hours was pretty slow going to say the least! Good views of the plains at the top. 5miles of unpaved road didn’t make the journey any easier. ‘Moose Country.’ Fantastic ride down with a local cyclist stopping at some water falls on the way down. Awesome scenery riding through the canyon. Met Shannon in Greybull, a girl cycling from Seattle to Wisconsin alone with a lot less kit that me! Shared loads of stories and went out for a meal drank lots of dead men.