So I still thought I had some catching up to do on what happened on what day. Last night I started typing what I remembered of day 40 only to discover I had already written about that day! I decided to post both of them and you can see how they compare.

The following is what I wrote after the day was done:

Dubois to Grand Teton National Park
I woke up around 6:15 feeling very refreshed. I rolled over in my sleeping bag to discover the air above was really cold. I poked my hand out and immediately put in back in. It was definitely the coldest morning yet. I couldn’t hear anyone else. That meant they were almost ready or hadn’t gotten up yet. No reason to delay the inevitable. I changed quickly into my bike outfit and put my warm layer back over top. I packed up my stuff and exited my tent. Everyones tent was still up so I wasn’t running late. I walked over to our ‘room’ to brush my teeth and grabbed my electrics. It wasn’t much warmer inside so I loaded up my bike and headed for the end of town gas station. They didn’t have any fresh goods so I settled for a packaged banana muffin. In the distance the smoke from the fire looked bad. I really hoped the wind would be pushing the smoke away from the road. It was going to be a slow climb and I dreaded to climb through smoke. A slight headwind picked up out of town. Thankfully Ellen and Brent rode with me. We talked about random things and the first 10 miles flew by. We then hit the fire. Brent bikes faster so he dashed ahead to get out of the smoke. While visibility was good, I could taste smoke whenever I drew breath. I fished my bandana out of my backpack and covered my nose and mouth. I was surprised it worked so well. Biking along side the forest fire was very sad. Occasionally I would see a burst of flames. I know fire is a part of nature but it was a little disheartening to see so much damage. Apparently this was a small forest fire too.  

I was glad the road turned right and we got out of the smoke. While the road wasn’t super steep it was a slow grind up to the top of Towegee Pass which stood at 9674 feet. With 2 miles left the road started to whined straight up. I knew I had to be close but I was slowing down a lot. I only had one gear left that I could shift down into. I checked my phone and saw I had service. I called my mom to see how she was doing. I finally saw the sign for the top of the pass and said goodbye to my mom. It was such a good feeling to be on top of the pass! I was feeling on top of the world! There was a cool rock formation with a lake at the base. We relaxed and took pictures of the beautiful scenery before heading out again. I soon passed a sign that said ‘next 17 miles 6% downgrade’. I turned on my GoPro to record the descent. For a while it didn’t seem like it was going down and the trees blocked anything in the distance. Finally with 11 miles or so left I rounded a corner and there they were: The Tetons. Unfortunately a sidewind blow up so I had to concentrate on not wrecking instead of staring at the mountains in the distance. We regrouped at the bottom and continued another two miles to a little restaurant/store. The food was really cheap! They had hand scooped icecream too. Before heading out again we noticed that the smoke was getting a lot worse. You could really see it over the pass. I was glad we got through it when we did. 

From there it was another 18 miles to Colter Bay Campground. It took us longer than usual because we kept stopping to take pictures. We also had to wait in traffic to get inside the National Park. I was a bit annoyed that it cost me 20 dollars to get in. That’s the same price as a car. And a car can fit as many people as they want in there. Oh well I couldn’t just say that’s too expensive so I paid and continued to the campground. Next to our stop there was a general store, laundry and showers. It cost 4.75 for a shower. There was no way I was paying that much for a shower. I would rather buy more food. I put my laundry in and wondered around the gift shop. Since The Tetons are popular their gift shop had a lot of cool things. I had to keep reminding myself whatever I bought I had to carry. So I stopped walking around and went to buy dinner. The store had some premade salads that looked good. They didn’t have any tomatoes in them so I bought half a pint so I could add them. I flipped over my laundry and called my mom to let her know I was done for the day. I didn’t have any service but the laundry area had wifi so I got to use FaceTime again. After eating we biked down to the lake to try and watch the sunset. It wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be. Soon it started getting dark and I had to set my tent still. I headed back to my campsite to finish the day. I put all my smell-ables in the bear box and that’s about it. The Tetons are absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Tomorrow we head into YellowStone National Park. It will be interesting to be back without my fellow geology classmates. I hope all of them are doing well.  

The following is what I wrote a few days later. I wonder if all the details are close. 
Day 40: Dubois to Grand Teton National Park 

Woke up freezing. I donned on my gloves, hat, every shirt I had and walked back to our ‘cabin ‘. It was much warmer inside so I took my time brushing my teeth and getting ready. I headed back out and threw my stuff in my bags. I was so cold I didn’t even care my panniers weren’t balanced. I went to the gas station out of town to find food. They didn’t have any fresh baked goods so I had to settle for a packaged banana nut muffin. Everyone else showed up and we hit the road. It was going to be a long climb up to Togwotee Pass. It wasn’t long before we hit the forest fire. I could see the smoke from town but now I could see trees smoking. There was a sign that said ‘beware fire and smoke on road. Do not stop.’ I cringed and debated hitchhiking up the pass. I decided for now I would continued and if it got too bad go from there. Biking along the fire was depressing. Trees were smoldering and smoking. Occasionally I would see one whoosh up in flames. The smoke got thicker and thicker. I dug my bandana out of my bags and covered my nose and mouth. I could see the road turned away from the fire on my map so I just pressed on. Finally I got out of the smoke but unfortunately the road became really steep. I was at the base of the pass. Mark and Jolee started later than me but soon passed me. I was taking my time and not going to push myself. About a mile from the top I called my mom and talked to her until I could see the top of the pass. Success! It was such a good feeling biking into the picnic area on top of Togwotee Pass. We high fived and took a picture next to a lake on top of the climb. I could have sat up there all afternoon but we still had a ways to go so we headed down. I saw my favorite sign. Streep grade: next 17 miles downhill. I turned on my GoPro and attached it to my helmet. It was pure ecstasy to watch the Teton Range come closer and closer into focus. A couple miles from the park we stopped for lunch. It was really cheap! Five dollars for a soda, 4 chicken fingers, fries and two of the biggest scoops of ice cream I have ever seen. I’m talking huge! I think it was really four scoops of ice cream. And it was favorite, mint chocolate chip too! 

Looking back we could see the smoke from the fire had gotten a lot worse. We were informed by the manager than Togwotee Pass and the road to Jackson Hole were closed. We had made it just in time. We started biking again but kept stopping to take pictures of the mountains and the Grand Teton National Park sign. For the first time we had to sit in traffic to get into the park. I think the admission price was unfair. For a car it costs 20 dollars and you can have as many people as you want. But for a biker/hiker it cost the same! I think it should have been cheaper for us. They tried to charge Mark and Jolee as two bikes even though they are riding tandem. After getting in it was 18 miles to our campground. Hands down the most beautiful bike ride so far. Jenny lake was right next to me and the Teton range stood in the distance. It was truly amazing to experience the scenery at such a slow pace. We got into Colter Bay campground around 6. They had laundry, showers, a gift shop and a grocery store. It was nice to eat a salad and veggies for dinner. It cost 4.75 to take a shower. There was no way I was paying that much for a shower. Especially when I could buy icecream for the same price. It started getting late so we biked down to the lake to watch the sunset over the Tetons. It wasn’t that impressive and I think it had something to do with all the smoke particles in the air. I headed back to our campsite to set up. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. The Tetons are so majestic the only way to describe them is for you to see them for yourself.