Being in Yellowstone again after 12 years has been my favorite part of this trip so far.  We went camping there and the Grand Tetons for 3 weeks one summer with my family to celebrate my Grandma and Grandpa's 40th wedding anniversary.  Even though it was a very long time ago, I remember it being my favorite vacation and one of the most amazing and beautiful places. Sadly though, due to wildfires we would not be able to ride through the Grand Tetons and had to re-route which ended up making us stay in Yellowstone for an extra day.  It was definitely a blessing in disguise. At the beginning of the day we did a short hike and decided that biking 20 miles uphill to maybe see a waterfall or something cool was to taxing on our exhausted bodies.  Unfortunately (and looking back I have nooo idea why) I decided I would just study for my nursing boards down by the lake.  As I was grabbing my NCLEX book out of the van four cross country cyclists, riding to raise money and awareness about Graves' disease, we met briefly the day before drove up to see if any of us I4Kers sitting around the campsite wanted to go explore Yellowstone via van.  Casey, Lauren, Sarah and I jumped at the opportunity.  Tons of bison jams, two grizzly bears, hot springs, waterfalls, and 112 miles later we made it back to the campsite having seen more than we ever anticipated and a lot more than the inside of my NCLEX book.  So a big big thank you to Elias, Keating, Dave, and David for their generosity and helping me re-experience the beauty of Yellowstone.  (check out greaterthangraves.com too) The day brought back some memories of our vacation and it was the perfect opportunity to dedicate the ride the next morning to my Grandpa.  He passed away from cancer a little over 5 years ago and he is my main driving force that keeps me going on this trip.  It was such a treat to be able to ride for him in Yellowstone.  I miss you so much Gramps! <3