We started our fifth week in Sheridan, MT where we enjoyed a nice motel since there were no campsites in town. We treated ourself to pizza, many yummy snacks, and my favorite — cranberry juice! We felt like royalty with all of the amenities and the next day we left feeling refreshed. The next day we passed through Virginia City: a gem of a town with semi-preserved ghost town buildings. When we arrived at our campsite, the camp host was so excited to see bikers that she let us stay there for free!
We went to bed that night excited to head towards yellowstone. When we woke up, we weren’t too worried about camping because we figured, “Aw heck, it’s a Thursday. There has to be at least one free spot somewhere.” As we were packing up to leave for the day, I happened to notice where else but from my birth control that in fact it was Friday, not Thursday. We rushed to West Yellowstone and were stressed to see as we finally approached the campsite that all of the hundreds of spots were filled. Luckily, the camp host was very empathetic and let us stay in a clearing behind his trailer. We went into town to get dinner and had amazing milkshakes in a decorative, old fashioned diner.
From there we embarked on our journey through Yellowstone and thus the start of Wyoming. I had never been to the park and Paula had but only as a younger girl. It was breathtaking. I can truly only describe it as the Walt Disney World of National Parks. The experience of seeing Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic in real life was unforgettable. That night, we scored a “hiker biker” spot in Yellowstone and our site “neighbor” went to the store and brought us back some gatorades!
After we left Yellowstone we entered the Grand Teton National Park which was just as astonishing. At lunch, we ate next to a pull out with an extraordinary view of the mountains and the glistening water. Once we exited the park, I got my first flat tire of the trip! It was stressful, however, because this conveniently happened as we were exiting a “Bear Crossing: Do Not Stop on Highway!” Warning area. Of course, as we were repairing it, a middle aged man thought it would be hilarious to lean out of his truck and shout, “Bear!” At us. Tldr: it was not funny at all. After the tire mysteriously not filling back up properly, we got the help of a Park Ranger passing by who not only made sure we were all set for the day, he also made some calls and got us a really good deal at a lodge next to our campground (which had filled since we were arriving two and a half hours later than we had planned on a weekend).
At the lodge we relaxed from a stressful evening with dinner and a bed. After getting a nice breakfast the next morning, we headed out for a ride of 25 miles and 3,000 ft elevation gain. It was hot, but we were excited because after this peak we would have two days of a long, sweet downhill.
A Funny Moment of the Week: The day before we arrived in West Yellowstone, we looked for a convenience store to stop at to stock up on some dinners and get some gatorades for lunch. The only store was attached to a newly constructed “lakeside resort” and we soon realized this was not the place for us. The only dinner food they offered was imported pasta from Italy for $6.00 and artisanal pasta sauce for $9.00. From our usual routine of Knorr Pasta Sides that cost a dollar each, we were peeved but desperate. The humor to this comes when we actually cooked the pasta. It was disgusting! The sauce was so bland and the noodles just tasted off. After this overpriced, ubderwhelming Penne we’ve decided to never sell ourselves short and to just wait for the cheap, good stuff instead.
What We’ve Learned: You don’t always have to please everybody. When we stopped for lunch in the Grand Tetons it was sweltering, we were starving, and we miraculously had service for the first time in 36 hours. We were excited to call our parents and I was looking forward to calling my boyfriend who was moving into college that day! As we approached our spot of refuge, an older couple started asking about our trip. I politely went into the spiel of “Oh we’re biking across the country! Yes, it’s been so fun! About 90 days for the trip, yeah.” Then, I politely excused myself to enjoy my lunch and wished them a great day.
About four minutes later as I was visibly FaceTiming my family, the couple came up again and said, “So sorry if we’re being bothersome, but XYZ.” They went into more questions. Despite my obvious preoccupation, they seemed to feel like I was their personal google without my own needs or issues. All I was there for in there minds was to satisfy their curiosity. I normally would feel bad for being so brute with someone, but I realized then that I don’t owe these curious onlookers anything. It’s not rude — it’s just understanding my limits. So, I answered them curtly and went right back to my call until they got the hint.
Something as simple as that was nice to reflect on because I think a lot of the time, especially of young women, we’re taught to appease others and accommodate despite discomfort. But it’s okay to put yourself first and you should. In the end I thank that couple for frustrating me so much that I went through some character development — Cheers to you.