My first opportunity to update my log in a while, and boy, have there been some events in the past week!

This story was supposed to be about how I had to hitchhike through Yellowstone because the RV's in the park were playing a game of 'who can get closest to the bicyclist'. Fortunately, I can write something different. In fact, I can write about something much more exciting!

As I got closer to the park, I heard all kinds of things about the ridability of the roads in the park. 'The roads in the north are too narrow and have no shoulder!', 'If you know how to ride a bike, you should be fine.', 'It was so crowded, we had to hitchhike.', 'Start early in the morning to avoid traffic and see wildlife.'

I decided that I wanted to see wildlife and avoid traffic, so here I was at the park entrance at 7. After seeing a bunch of elk crossing the road and gazing at me ('geez, just take a picture, will you?'), I thought it was pretty exciting already. Little did I know...

The great thing about travelling by bike as opposed to by car is that you don't just see more, you also smell everything. And I can asure you, the smell of rotten eggs in the morning isn't the greatest breakfast one can think of. Luckily, it doesn't come from rotten eggs, but from the amazing hot springs that are all over the park. That sort of makes up for it!

At the campground I met up with Marga and Kees, whom I had first seen a week before and who are also cycling to Denver. We lost track of each other after a few days, but miraculously bumped into each other again! To end the day in style, two bison came over to the campground and checked if the trees were strong enough, and if the campsites were nice. Poor people who camped next to them...

I had by then found out that there are two rules in Yellowstone: 1) Don't stop on the highway, 2) Stop on the highway when everybody else does. Between 2 and 3 in the afternoon (remember, 'early in the morning for wildlife'), I had to stop for a grizzly, a black bear, a moose and a black bear mother with a cub. Who said it's too dangerous to cycle all around the park?!

The Tetons are awe-inspiring as well. Joshua, how the hell did you climb that peak?

Right now I'm in Wyoming. The wind (there's a reason Wyoming starts with a W) seems to be helping me a great bit, blowing me to Colorado at great speed. Not today though, as I'm recovering from the most beautiful views I've seen in my life!