After taking a day off for the fourth of July in Pueblo, CO, Erika and I were ready for tackling the mountains. Just before we left town we took a quick pitstop at a bike shop to get some supplies where we met Kevin, a 56 year old high school tennis coach and teacher.

Although I was inspired by Kevin’s ambition and physical fitness given his age, I was more inspired by Kevin’s cause. In addition knocking off a bucket list item, he was raising money to beat cancer. He surpassed his fundraising goal of $10,000 and ended up raising over $14,000. What an accomplishment!

We wished Kevin good luck for the rest of his trip and embarked on our route through America’s greatest mountain range, The Rockies. Although we were in shape from riding through the plains, riding through mountains is a different ball game. Our first day back was challenging in both distance and elevation.

Although the road looked flat, it was going up pretty steadily. Eventually we made it to our campground before sunset and made sure to get a good night’s sleep for a big day ahead. The next day’s ride would be one of my favorites.

To continue through the Rockies we climbed up CO-9 for the first part of the day and then rode through a flat basin called South Park.

Admittedly it was a big ride, but I think the beauty and excitement of being surrounded by mountains made the day fly by.

We even saw what I believe is a fox on our way up the mountain.

I didn’t realize quite how remote this part of Colorado would be. In fact, we had to flag down some cars to get more water along the way. The ride also had a series of false peaks. I kept thinking I was at the top, but then realized that wasn’t the case.

During the ride, we crossed paths with The Great Divide Mountain Biking Route, a mountain biking trail along the continental divide spanning from Canada to Mexico. We met a guy who was doing the whole thing and I thought his bike setup was really cool.

Our destination for the day was Fairplay, a town which is the basis for the TV show “South Park”. I found a cool looking gate with the name “IKE” written on it.

As it turns out, there’s a character in the TV show with the same name. I still wonder if it’s a coincidence or not. I tried googling it but found no information linking the two.

By the time we got to Fairplay we were tremendously hungry and headed over to Subway for dinner. I asked for an 18” sub which unfortunately didn’t exist. However, I ordered both a foot long and a six inch so I still got my way with it.

That night we had planned on staying with a Warm Showers host. It’s amazing how kind and trusting people are because this man wasn’t even home but told us we could feel free to use his house and camp in his yard. Better yet, our absent host had a bunch of adorable little kittens that greeted us as we arrived.

Although it was summer, it still got a bit chilly camping at 10,000+ feet. Despite the conditions we managed to make it through the night and the next day made it over Hoosier Pass, our first of many encounters with the notorious continental divide.

We ended up staying at a couchsurfing host that night in Breckenridge, the picturesque ski resort town. Our hosts were very friendly and we got to meet another couchsurfer who was also staying there as well. The next morning we were heading to Idaho Springs and had another big climb ahead of us.

On our way out of Breckenridge, Google Maps led us on a bike path that was truly stunning.

After passing through Keystone, we mentally prepared to traverse our next pass. Although the climb was difficult, we were rewarded the whole way up with beautiful views. It was great when we finally reached the top!

After conquering the mountain pass, the next 30 miles involved very little pedaling. We also enjoyed a nearly traffic free ride, as most travelers elect to take the parallel I-70 route.

We settled into a cute house in Idaho Springs we found on couchsurfing and cooked ourselves a nice meal. Our host wasn’t even home but had trusted us with her house anyways. Yet again, we had found another amazingly generous and trusting host!

Our host ended up returning to her house the next day and we had a great time chatting with her. She told us stories about the other guests she had as well as her journey hiking the Colorado Trail. Thanks to her I have another thing to put on my bucket list.

The next couple days we took off to rest a little bit. I had met up with a cousin living in Denver who took me to this great glacier with some nice cliff jumping.

The next day we decided to take on Mt. Evans. I had heard about Mt. Evans a couple years ago from a friend and ever since had been hoping to climb it. In fact, Idaho Springs wasn’t even on the original route, but we made an extra effort to come out here for the mountain.

The ride itself was a total 56 miles with 6,800ft of elevation gain. Twenty eight miles would be up and the other twenty eight back down. We started riding around sunrise so we’d be able to get the road to ourselves before traffic hit. Starting early was a good idea because we had pretty much the entire road to ourselves for most of the climb.

Seeing the mountain goats at the top was almost like a reward for the strenuous climb. I’m always fascinated by the new animals I find out in the wild. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay up at the top for too long because it was cold, but the view from up there was spectacular. Some even say that from that height you can start to see the curvature of the Earth.

After Mount Evans we started heading north towards Wyoming and made our way over Berthoud Pass, another big climb.

Our destination for the day was Tabernash. We had only planned on staying one day there, but the area was so nice that we decided to spend two. Our Warm Showers host was really nice guy who had done a bit of touring himself. He told us about all the delicious meals he prepares while he tours and almost inspired me to buy a camping stove.

Our host was also an avid Tour de France fan so I watched some of the races with him.

In the morning we got to catch a fresh glimpse of the beautiful area we had the pleasure of staying at. Showcasing her sense of humor, Erika insisted that her family had come to retrieve her once after we saw the hot air balloon.

The next day we headed towards Walden Colorado. Yet again we had a mountain pass and crossed the continental divide, however this mountain pass wasn’t as high. The climb up Willow Creek Pass was very pleasant and traffic was super light. This climb was gentle compare to the preview three continental divide crossings that came before it.

When we got to town, we met a supported cross country bike touring group called the Fuller Center. They invited us to the church where they were staying and we shared some stories about our trips. They were a great group of people.

Wyoming

The next day we made our way into Wyoming and had some stunning scenery to ride through. One of the main differences I noticed upon arriving in Wyoming is that it is a lot more open and empty than Colorado.

Also, this part of Wyoming doesn’t have as many trees so most of the time you can see for miles and miles in any direction.

I noticed that the mountains in southern Wyoming aren’t as grand and tall as they are in Colorado, but rather they are more modest and dispersed. I can’t say I prefer one over the other, but there was something special about the landscape of Wyoming that’s hard to describe.

What’s was cool about riding through Wyoming is to realize just how high we were. Most of the time we were riding at about 7,000ft but sometimes it’s easy to forget that since we were used to it. I learned that people in Wyoming take pride in both the high elevation and sparse population. As local man I met told me, “You can’t trust a city whose population is higher than its elevation.”

The next town we stayed at was Jeffrey City. At 6,335ft and with a population of just 58, this town would be very trustworthy according to the saying.

As a former uranium mining town, Jeffrey City’s population rose to almost 5,000 in the late 1970s. The uranium produced from this town was a valuable resource in the production of nuclear power. However, after a nuclear power accident in 1979, nuclear power brought about major safety concerns and the government imposed strict regulations on its production. Consequently, the industry fell downhill rapidly taking down the price of uranium and Jeffrey City along with it.

Despite being an absolute ghost town, Jeffrey City was the perfect place for a bike tourist seeking a unique experience. Just walking around the streets felt like traveling through the past. Also, there did happen to be a couple of shops that were still up and running. One of them happened to be a nice little pottery shop run by a friendly man.

At first I thought it said “Mockingbird Pottery”, but after a closer look I realized it was “Monk King Bird Pottery.” I still have no idea what that means or why it was named that.

This shop looked too interesting not to go in and browse around. As I entered, I was greeted by the potter and he showed me his art. I found a bunch of cool pottery pieces as well as other random stuff in his shop like a fox hide. After googling the name of his shop, I found a cool video that the potter had posted on youtube called “Pot Shots”. The video is really well done and I’m impressed with his work!

As for accommodation, there was a church that graciously opened up its doors for touring cyclists. We ended up staying there and cooking ourselves a nice meal in their kitchen.

As we continued along the nothingness of Wyoming, we were continually rewarded with great scenery.

During one of these rides, I saw my first bald eagle out in the wild. I saw it from about 500 feet away and as I kept getting closer, the eagle kept flying away to perch further along the wooden fence.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera scope or binoculars with me, but even seeing the great American icon from a distance was a special experience.

Our next stop was one of my favorite locations of the trip. We ended up finding the most friendly, welcoming couchsurfing hosts in Lander, WY that we planned on staying with for two nights. Being so close to some beautiful riding and hiking, our rest day did not involve much resting at all. Instead we spent the day exploring the mountains right outside of the city. In the morning a went riding on one of my favorite climbs of all time.

In the afternoon, our hosts were kind enough to lend us their car so we could go on a beautiful hike. I was amazed by their trust and generosity.

As if we hadn’t already been spoiled enough with the natural beauty of WY, our route was about to lead us through two National Parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Grand Teton NP came first and we found a great campground just next to Jackson Lake.

Some of the riding around this area exposed me to some great views of the Tetons. Formed roughly 6 to 9 million years ago, these mountains are the youngest in the Rockies and their jagged peaks reflect it.

The area is also abundant in wildlife including big game animals like the moose.

As we headed through Yellowstone, we passed by the famous Old Faithful Geyser and ended up staying in the heart of the park with Clay, a park ranger we found on Warm Showers. In addition to being a park ranger, he is a traveling circus on bicycle and a skilled photographer. I managed to find a great photo of his bike on his website.

Being a park ranger, Clay was a great person talk to about the park. He offered us tidbits of information of the geological phenomenons that happens at this part of the Earth.

As we were setting up our tents in his yard, we spotted some elk walking around nearby.

Although both are a type of deer, the elk is quite different than the typical deer I am familiar with back east, the white-tailed deer (also called a whitetail). The greatest different is size. While a whitetail buck can weigh up to 300lbs, a male elk (called a bull) typically weighs more than double that.

One host I stayed at was very passionate about elk hunting. He told me about elk bugling, a sound involving squealing and grunting that the bull makes to intimidate foes or gather its cows (females). As he explained to me, any true elk hunter is intimately familiar with the spectacular vocalization.

In addition to the man’s excitement about elk, I could tell the animal was a special part of Wyoming by some of the amazing displays of antlers.

As impressive as the arch was, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Man, they must have had to kill a bunch of elk to make that. How cruel!”

It was only until later when I learned that the bull sheds and regrows his antlers each year. So rather than killing the elk, these pieces of bone are typically collected by boy scouts at the national elk refuge after the winter shed.

Apparently the species is plentiful on both public and private lands so endangerment is not a concern. As a matter of fact, there are estimated to be about a million elk living in the US and strict hunting regulations ensure their abundance. Although I lack both the expertise and equipment to hunt the great beast, I hope to some day photograph a bull in the wild. Some others species on my list to photograph are wild horses, pronghorns, and mountain lions. I’ve been told that mountain lions will be especially hard to find since they are stealthy hunters by nature. As one man told me, “You’ve probably never seen a mountain lion, but there’s a good chance they’ve seen you.”

Montana

Leaving Wyoming was bittersweet. On the one hand we were leaving an incredibly beautiful state, but on the other hand we were about to enter another state with a similar reputation.

The next interesting geological place that we stumbled upon was Quake Lake.

As evident by the photo, there are dead trees rising up from the lake. The question is: Why were the trees were growing from the bottom of a lake to begin with?

As it turns out, these trees didn’t initially start growing from the lake, but grew as regular trees on dry land next to a river. However, that soon changed on a quiet summer night in 1959 when an unexpected earthquake shook the earth so hard that 80 million tons of land came crashing down from the nearby mountains into the river.

The mud, rocks, and debris from the landslide dammed the river, resulting in the birth of a new lake called Quake (or Earthquake) Lake. Something tells me the geological anomaly reveals only a hint of just how powerful this geothermal region really is.

It’s hard to tell exactly the difference transitioning from Wyoming to Montana, but Montana seems to be a bit more green.

In general we either stayed in campgrounds or public parks in Montana, however in Ennis, MT there was a distillery that allowed cyclists to camp in their back yard for free. We decided to take up the free offer and met about five other cyclists that were staying there also.

We met a young couple that were heading the opposite direction as us and I had a great idea of a gift to give to them. Since Erika and I were leaving bear country and they were just about to enter it, I would give them my canister of bear spray that I had bought in Wyoming. Not only would I be helping out some fellow travelers, but I be able to shed off an item that was no longer useful for me.

Before I handed the couple the bear spray, I figured I would do them an extra favor and teach them how to use it.

I took off the safety, pointed the canister towards the ground, and pressed down the trigger. Shortly after releasing the spray, I realized I hadn’t quite pointed it close enough to the ground. As the orange mist spread through the air, the four of us began to coughing and wheezing. Some of us even began tearing up.

After about ten minutes of discomfort, we were all fine and I apologized profusely. I learned exactly how not to give a bear spray demonstration.

Our journey continued to Missoula where we were planning on taking a day off. Shortly after arriving to Missoula, we got word that Erika’s grandmother’s friend’s cousin and her husband lived in town and had offered to host us. They were the kindest elderly couple and had some great stories to share about their adventures and hobbies. We decided to spend an extra day in Missoula and went on a little hike with a spectacular view of the city.

They told us some great stories and cooked us up a delicious moose steak for dinner.

Our final stretch of the trip was about to begin. We would cross over the continental divide one last time at Lolo Pass in Idaho and make our way down to the Pacific.