Welcome back to civilization. Being without wi-fi and signal is a little cleansing and all went away when we rolled into Yellowstone and the days that follow, which were collectively my favorite days. On the way into the park we rolled through a number of national forests and state parks. I have never been in a place like this before and am throughly enjoying the colored rocks, pine trees, and mountains that surround us at all times. Luckily many of the roads weave in between many of the inclines and I thank whoever did that. Another new experience I had was seeing wildlife up close. As I entered Yellowstone, I felt like I was in a zoo where there were no cages. It was fantastic. On the bike ride in we saw a bison and a herd of elk. Luckily on the next day we had an event day, allowing us to explore. And lucky for me...I got a ride around the park. The event day in Yellowstone will forever be in my memory as being one of the most carefree, fun, hilarious days of my life and it was made possible by some fellow cross country cyclists. **Please check out their website, Greaterthangraves.com.** It all started as I was on my way to my tent to take a nap... I know I'm lame... when the Keating, Dave, David, and Elias rolled up in their van and asked if a few of us wanted to tour the northern loop of the park. From that point on, we all had a blast. We traveled a total of 112 miles and saw sights that were not possible by bike. We got stuck in grizzly jams and many bison jams and sat in a magical hot spring where time became irrelevant. Jokes were exchanged and by the end of the day we had made great friends. We were sad to say goodbye, but luckily we ran into them at the Prismic Pools where we were promised we'd meet again in San Francisco... and I hope it happens. But then, it doesn't end there, my family from Colorado decided to meet me at Old Faithful which was the best surprise a girl could ask for. Seeing them made me very happy and realize how important my supporters are. So with that, I had the best days of my life. Sadly the high didn't stay because I hit a small wall of hard luck.Throughout the entire state of Montana I have had the meanest case of strep throat I have ever had. Sadly it kicked my butt right into the van for a few days, but don't fret, my recovery is coming along swimmingly and I will hopefully be back on the bike tomorrow...Missoula is where we are residing right now and it is a hoot. I have never been in a more bike friendly community. I have now put this place on the list of places I would love to live in. "It's like Urbana, but more open" (-Sarah Hidder) is a good way to put it, plus, everyone has amazing gardens! What could be better?Oh-and yesterday we jumped into a clear spring next to the road. It was complete with a waterfall and underwater cave. It was very beautiful.In closing, thanks for all the reads and Ellen P. for her letters and generousity.A special shout out to my family who has supported me in ways I cannot explain.