Hello again! It’s been a while! On our ride from Dubois to the Grand Tetons, we lost internet/signal and haven’t had enough since to post— so let me get you all caught up! The ride into the Grand Tetons on day 48 was a good challenge, with climbing for the first 30 miles and downhill/flat for the last 35 as we approached the base of the mountains. It was incredibly windy that day, and even with the twists and turns of the park road we had headwinds for the whole ride. It’s frustrating going 14mph when you know you should be going 20mph, but in the end we made it to our campsite, just happy to be in the Tetons!

Some of us ended the night with stargazing, as the light pollution was essentially nonexistent. We saw shooting stars, watched satellites fly by, pointed out constellations, and admired the Milky Way!

Our rest day (day 49) was great; we went to Jenny Lake, hiked, and took a bunch pictures. Back at the campsite we napped, went for a swim, had dinner and watched the sunset!

On day 50, from the Grand Tetons into Yellowstone, we had some big climbs and absolutely gorgeous views as we rode along the tops of canyons and down them again, next to rivers, geysers and springs! Our total elevation gain and loss were equal (so we ended at the same elevation as the start) but it didn’t feel like as much climbing as it was; we had beautiful scenery and felt great after our rest day.

Today is day 51, and we unfortunately had to shuttle. There are some wildfires west of us (not close) that are giving us some air quality issues. Yesterday we spoke to park rangers about the smoke haze rolling in from the west, and they suggested that the air quality wouldn’t get any better today. So this morning we made the tough but safe call to shuttle instead of ride. We took two trips to shuttle, with enormous thanks to Ellen, a 2014 I4k alum who stopped by the campsite yesterday and then offered to come again this morning to help bring our bags to Ennis! It was so lovely to meet her and hang out, and we are so grateful to have such an amazing alum supporting us even when we can’t safely ride! Thank you, Ellen!!!

Some of us hung out at the campsite in Yellowstone while the others shuttled, and then we were all in Ennis by around 1 pm. It’s likely that tomorrow will be the same situation, and our stayover here in Ennis is so amazing for keeping their doors open to us for an extra unexpected night. We’re pretty bummed that we aren’t riding, but it’s the best choice for our health. For the afternoon, we went to the river and then watched movies before our I4k New Year’s Eve: a countdown to 10pm, a toast, and sparkling grape juice! We’re making the best of the situation, and are resting up for when we’ll get to ride again!

— Marielle