Mood:  energetic

There was no hurry to decamp.  It was very cold in the morning, warming quickly once the sun rose over the mountain. 

The ride to Colter Bay was uneventful.  They let bicycle campers stay in a special area reserved for "Hiker/Bikers".  As I was setting up camp I chatted with a fellow on the camp site next door, Chuck Bell.  It seems that we were both riding the same route, but a day or two apart, and just met now because of my two rest days in West Yellowstone.  Chuck is also riding solo.  This was a great opportunity to examine each other's gear and bikes and bicycling philosophies.  Several other bicyclers trickled in and we compared notes for potential problems up the road.

Getting groceries at the Colter Bay store, I noticed a crowd of people watching something.  About 75' into the woods a red fox and her three kits were relaxing.  Rather mama was relaxing, the kits were all over the place.  It was fun to watch.

Chuck and I had dinner together in the Colter Bay Restaurant and it was interesting to see the similarities that we shared.  One was our faith, and our attempts to get to know God better.  He lent me a book for the evening called "The Shack".  It read well, and I intend to purchase it in Boulder when I will have a lighter load as I send my winter stuff back home.

That night as I was lying in my sleeping bag, someone in the campground played "Taps" at 10 PM.  Played slowly, almost mournfully, it just seemed right.  Still sleep kept evading me.  Suddenly, I heard something that I had always wished to hear:  the howling of a wolf pack.  It was eerie and fascinating, and soon every dog in the campground joined in.  It didn't last more than 30 seconds, I think, but I will always treasure it.  What I didn't hear, was a bear trying to get into the metal "bear box" that every two campsites share.  It woke Chuck up since the metal container was on his campsite.  I now understand all the warnings posted everywhere in the campground.   We had put all our food in the container as well as toiletries and water bottles.

Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Jackson Hole.  The town called Jackson is the center of Jackson Hole and is supposed to be very interesting.  It is only 40 miles, so I will take my time in the morning.  I have two scheduled rest days there.

Will McMahan