In the morning , Bill & the boys mountain biked some new trails while Heidi & I hiked up the popular Sypes Canyon. Our reward, a magnificent view of Bozeman sitting centre on a broad valley, known as “The Valley of the Flowers”. Mountain ranges such as the Gallatins, Bridger, Tobacco Root, Spanish Peaks, & more line both sides.

We all met for lunch at the Wild Crumb, on Wallace, then on Tinworks Art Exhibition which blew our minds!

Exhibit – John Buck’s Cats Cradle

Looking closely at the ‘sculpture’, it’s the story of the United States, from the first Europeans, the creation of the nation to present day also makes clear the high human price that was paid!

Exhibit – Chris Fraser’s Asterism 2019

“Inspired by the Renaissance period of retrofitting large cathedrals with the pinholes effectively transforming sacred spaces into solar observatories & reliable time pieces”

For all that, the visual effect on walking into this unlit shed with beams of bright sunlight shining through holes in the roof, was stunning – even took the boys by surprise.

Beyond the exhibition, locals are invited to comment on pictures of the town facilities & important buildings – a great way of receiving community feedback.

The Guys on the porch with Bridger Range backdrop

By 5:00 pm, I was at Bozeman Airport, saying farewell to the gang & starting the first leg of my long journey back to the U.K.

Daytime was unrushed. I did some work, collected my medical notes from the surgion’s office & chilled.

That evening, to thank Bill, Heidi & the boys for their hospitality. We headed for the Montana Ale Works for great local food & IPA. The boys introduced me to an alternative game of OXO – each square having its very own OXO & rules restricting where players can & can’t go. More info is needed before attempting to play.

Spent the day exploring the impressive Museum of the Rockies with exhibits of Gengas Kahan, dinosaurs (incl. one T-rex. & a raft of triceratops), American Indians & 19th Century homesteaders. Quite a mix! Heidi mentioned that the area has so many dinosaurs that it has acquired strong links with the Smithsonian in DC who will loan major exhibits to this small community.

The locals

Tinsley Family Home

The evening & we were returning to Heidi & Bill’s old house downtown for a farewell gathering. The current owners Ruth ‘& Susanne were heading to Seattle to educate their gifted teenage daughter Zora & the street turned up to give then a nice send off.

Here I met Pete & Greta Deichmann who told me their story. Now both in their 70’s, back in 1966, Pete was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska & Greta, & his young wife, followed. On leaving the forces, they retuned to the East but couldn’t settle. Without a job & with very little money they jumped in their car & headed for Missoula MT. The smell of pulp mills was too much so, after 3 days they headed back but only as far as Bozeman. Pete was all for driving on, declaring he needs a plumbing job and nowhere is open to give him one on a Sunday. But Greta turned on the tears, Pete stoped, & they have been here ever since! Moreover, Pete became the towns expert plumbers, taking care of the 19 Century buildings &, where needed, would even produce his own fittings.

Builder, Stewart, ex downhill wold champion, discussed bikes & shared stories. From Andy, I learnt of the down opportunities for multi-day rafting the Salmon to Snake – All now very familiar to me.

Night ended with Bill providing a walkthrough of the work done on what was an enormous project of love.

Overall, a vey enjoyable day!

In need to inform my cycling colleagues that for this trip, cycling takes no part.

Today, travelled with Bill to his office, North Fork Financial, in downtown Bozeman. A nicely repurposed historic industrial building, with original facade & retro interior. Bill introduced me to his team & then I went off to explore the town.

Bozeman is a university town &, for Montana, it is big, population of 50,000 – 4th largest in the state. Without the normal mess of mega store outlets, this town is very healthy, thriving with local shops that are a pleasure to spend time in. However an Englishman entering shops, bandaged & plastered, was never going to go unnoticed & I must have told my story a hundred times before the day was out.

Weatherman Don & his wife

Amy, Grace, Wyatt, Torrin, Heidi & Jack

Our evening was very pleasant. We all went off to Bill’s younger brother, Jack & wife Amy, for a barbecue.

Lots of talk on travel, politics & weather. Jack’s old neighbour, Don & is a retired tv weather presenter & shared some of his less accurate forecasts

Bill & Jack had been raised in the east but gradually progressed west to settle in Bozeman & now rightly feel very privileged to do so.

Glad to report that my hand op went well & have acquired a metal spike in my thumb to keep bits in place.

Bozeman is a very sizeable place, therefore meeting up with paramedic, David Byers, in the pharmacy when collecting my medicine, was a chance in a million.

David Byers & Me.

After the accident, David took the very best care of me during the long ambulance journey to Sky City. He treated my wounds & fluctuating condition, and held my attention with his many army adventures & personal life stories. By the time we arrived at the hospital, thanks to him, I was in far better shape.

66 today & glad to find I was not forgotten back home – lots of best wishes. Unfortunately little time to celebrate. Most of my day was taken up on Insurance & hospital stuff. Further inspection of my hand found that additional surgery was needed & the operation was immediately booked for the very next day!

Heidi, Bill & twins Torrin & Wyatt

Back “home” Heidi & Bill had decided to mark my birthday with one enormous carrot cake! Outside, as darkness fell, the weather started to go wild. The veranda became the perfect spot to watch the dramatic display of sheet & fork lightning over the nearby mountains & the rods of rain move across the night sky.

I posted my previous blog not wanting to spoil what had been a great day up until my arrival in Madison. But here’s the follow up:

Friday was all going too well. The ride thro Yellowstone had been epic but the turn into Madison Campground brought my 2019 America ride to an abrupt end, with an almighty bang!! Driver, Loleta Meikin, “blinded by the sun”, rear ended me at speed, leaving both bike & me in a sorry state. Yellowstone Rangers arrived within minutes & the ambulance came very soon after. Abandoning my bike & gear at the roadside, I was rushed to the nearest hospital 60 miles away, at Big Sky, MT – with thumb bone protruding from my left hand, gashes, scrapes & blood all over. This was the first time I’d ever seen a “living” bone, let alone my own & confirmed my dislike for gory hospital programs on tv.

My dented helmet had taken the main impact of the fall & was, most likely, a lifesaver. My thumb was found to be broken & dislocated & had torn through my hand – but it wasn’t smashed as feared – thank goodness! Other injuries were “relatively” minor. Around 1:00am I got discharged with a bag of medical goodies & checked in to a nearby Wilson Hotel. Although exhausted, the pain made it impossible for me to sleep. I spent the next 15 mins in a failed one handed attempt to remove a childproof top off the painkiller bottle, then the following 30 mins making myself decent to go down to reception for help. Needless to say, the tablets didn’t work but the exercise helped to pass away what became a very long night.

The following day, NP Ranger, Patrick Klatte, called to check on my recovery & offered further support – including getting my bike to Bozeman if needed. He informed me that witness statements had now been taken & the driver had since been ticketed & “heavily” fined. He repeatedly apologised for what had happened – to him it was clearly personal.

Paramedic, Stephen Lageman & Heidi Stoddart

My getting through the last few days in a foreign country has not, in small part, been due to the help & generosity of the following people & offer my sincere thanks.

Paramedic, David, did a great job tending to me & keeping me engaged throughout the long 2hr ambulance ride; most importantly, for getting my blood pressure, pulse & temperature to behave. After arriving at the hospital, Paramedic, Stephen Lageman, handed me his contact details with the offer of getting my bike from Yellowstone to Bozeman! Nurse, Marie, not only tended my wounds but arranged my accommodation & transport to Bozeman, plus contact details in case of further support. Hotel Manager, Mandy Hotovy (Wilson Hotel Big Sky), arranged a very special rate for as long as I needed to stay in Big Sky. My Jackson friends, Bomber & Amy Bryan, introduced me to their Bozeman friends, Bill & Heidi Stoddart, who collected me from the Bozeman bus stop & brought me to their home – with the generous offer that I may stay until my flight out on 10 August.

Bike & me with – both in need of repair

Tomorrow is 5 August, my birthday, and will be looking forward to receiving a splint, opening two birthday cards, and a very uneventful day with no surprises!!

Hammer down with rain last night so was a big relief when I stuck my head out of my tent to find clear a sky above the mist.

The campground was under trees so chance of drying out.

Upper Snake River – Yellowstone

Once in Yellowstone, the climb up to the first of three Divide crossing following the Snake River. The gradient was not too bad & plenty to see

Old Faithful + Everybody waiting in anticipation

Today was a good weather day to ride Yellowstone!! Plus, of course,

Old Faithful, steaming valleys & waterfalls.

My plan was to camp at Madison, 17miles north of Old Faithful but didn’t quite work. More on that another day!

There is much to pull me back to this corner of the US so, this time, my leaving Jackson feels temporary. Amy & Bomber had been as welcoming & generous as ever & Amy’s beautifully prepared dinner on Tuesday with the invited company of Hanneke & Tucker was a great bonus. This morning I also found a nice farewell note by their daughter, Sydney. Even the cat was clawing at me to stay!

Today is the first day of August & not many people in Jackson look forward to this month! It marks the beginning of the end of summer as temperatures start to fall away. Quite a contrast to UT & AZ.

Today, I followed Tucker’s route north into the Grand Teton NP toward Yellowstone. The ride was awesome. A purpose cycle path led me out of Jackson, past the $20 Park entrance all the way to Jenny Lake.

Here, I met up with Brent who plans to take up cycling again & keen to know my set up. Just turned 60, he has a few years to catch me up & is looking to shape up for the Divide.

The day was a continuous display of grand scenes, far better than last years route through this same park. Also, until the very end of the day, the wether was perfect & the terrain not too hilly. My camp was Flagg Ranch, just before the southern entrance to Yellowstone NP.

It was full but shared a site with the Davidson family from Utah. I indulge a a bowl of Peach Cobbler, baked on their campfire – it was delicious & plan to recreate back home. Ingredients include choice of fruit, cake mix & 7UP (optional).

Today, for the first time on this ride, I was among bikepackers travelling though in all direction. Enjoyed exchanging info on routes, weather, facilities, etc. what’s been missing.

Good to be back at in Jackson. It’s only a year since I last detoured here from the Continental Divide, though it feels much longer. By the time my meetings was done, Bomber had left for the office & had the house to myself. Amy wasn’t retuning from Colorado until 7pm so time to chill & recover – having been little poorly the last few days. Cleaned kit, called home & relaxed with a book, then a short walk & then more rest.

Broadway, Downtown Jackson

Amy& daughter, Sydney, arrived soon after Bomber & I returned with our takeaway dinner (of American proportions). We all tucked in and chatted away the evening. Simple but nice.

Tuesday followed a similar pattern, Amy & Bomber headed to work whilst I did some GE stuff. A $1.50 shuttle then took me to Teton village, 10 miles north, the playground for locals & tourists alike. Here I had lunch, wandered the complex & sat and watched the downhills bikers try and break their necks.

Amy had a lovey dinner prepared for the three of us plus Hanne & Tucker.

Amy, Hanne, Bomber, me & Tucker (& Ruger)

The evening was perfect for sitting out & chilling with Tuckers signature cocktail & easy conversation.

A ride in a real stagecoach is yours for only $6

Wednesday was preparing continue my ride. Last night detailed discussions had been had on ride options. I had settled on riding thro Yellowstone NP to Bozeman. Tucker had kindly provided me the maps so checked them out before heading for town for the last time.