Days 72 and 73, enjoying Yellowstone

Day 72, September 16th, 30km and 100m climb, West Yellowstone return

Day 73, September 17th, rest day, Yellowstone Park Tour

So we've had two full days off route in West Yellowstone (well close, the KOA is still 12km from town but the cheapest we could find and also gave us options for our exit day - more about that later). On the first day the forecast was for rain but we had to go into town to pick up Gordon's medications.  Our efforts to cadge a ride were unsuccessful so on the bikes we got. We managed to get in to town before it rained so sheltered in a cafe and had some brunch (Gordon had biscuits and gravy for the first time and kind of enjoyed them) and did some grocery shopping while it rained. Once it stopped we started back to the campground. Two kilometers out it bucketed down! So we got test our wet and cold weather gear properly and we're happy with it. It also gave us an excuse to chuck it all in the dryer and spend the afternoon in the warm, dry laundry reading books. 

On day two (today), we were picked up at the campground by the Yellowstone Vacations tour bus and headed off into the park for a full day of sightseeing and to make a decision about whether we wanted to ride through the park on our way south or head back on the Divide route.

We had a great day, seeing Buffalo, Elk, geysers including Old Faithful, hot pools and the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. The weather was really good too. Cool but clear. We also decided not to ride out through the park as the roads are quite narrow with no verge in places. So tomorrow we will head back over the Targhee Pass and back onto the Great Divide route.