Today I knew was going to be a short one. It was also a late start which was 8:40. To start the day it was another crossing of the continental divide at 7800 feet but when one starts at 7600 feet is a short climb. It was also my day out of Yellowstone National Park with only seeing a few deer and one bison. No herds of bison and no bears. As soon as I left Yellowstone there was a shoulder and grand shoulder at that. The Tetons are show picturesque and I can never get tired of looking at them. Two years ago when I was here with Ann and Bobby we did a lot of hiking in the Tetons and got over 9000 feet on one hike but this time there was no hiking involved, nor the time. My destination was Colter Bay Village to another packed campground with set aside hiker/biker sites. I was the first biker there today and 6 others arrived after I did but there was very little interaction between groups.
Colter Bay Village is along Jackson Lake with a swimming beach. However the beach is not sand but pebbles and at over 6000 feet the lake water in the shallows was warm. Colter Bay Village consists of a general store, a few restaurants, a marina, one very large campground and thousands of tourists. It was a good day to chill out in anticipation of a long and high climb the next day.
Today’s daily stats: total mileage 40.37 miles; average speed 12.9 mph; max speed 35.7 mph; total elevation gain 1394 feet; and total descent 2359 feet.