Day 36 - The Tetons phase of my "Killer" trip

Today I rode from Bozeman MT to Jackson Hole WY along Highway 89 - perhaps the most beautiful ride I've been on in the continental USA. The sea of dead trees from the fires of 1988 in Yellowstone surprised me; I thought they would have been long overgrown. But no, it is a sea of dead burnt trees with new trees working their way to the sun and plants, flowers and bushes thriving underneath in the brightness of the open sun. As I told a friend yesterday - its the perfect display of new healthy life building off of the devastation of the past. Perfect! It is a weekend in the summer in a big national park so the number of cars can be frustrating but luckily enough it is also a chance to practice letting go which I did with good success. In fact at one point I even found humor in the situation - I was at a stand still in traffic when along comes on of my friends (a bison) just strolling down the street on the other lane just as happy as you please. He couldn't have cared less about the traffic jam he was creating, he just was out for a stroll. As soon as he walked by me all the traffic freed up and I was off again. I saw large herds of bison and elk in huge open fields and also bears eating a dinner of fresh fish with eagles and hawks soaring overhead looking for prey. I forget sometimes just how special these national parks are until I get in them and marvel at their beauty. On a completely different note, due to popular requests I did have some beer at The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar - a fun place that is practically an institution around here. I met a flock of Australians here who had rented Harley's and were tooling around America. They envied my trip and called it "Killer". Tomorrow I explore the Snake River canyon region - I am excited!