The three of us had breakfast and then made our own way back out onto the trail. After catching up to Doro we exchanged the classic line about seeing each other down the road and then I pressed on. 

 

After completing the climb of Union Pass, there was a shark's tooth section of constant up and down for about 20 miles. Although the climbing was tough, the views were amazing and only improved as I approached the Tetons. After a brief pavement section the next major climb of Togwotee Pass began, winding up through the trees overlooked by dramatic rocky peaks. Once getting to the top I knew it was downhill all the way to the campground but the strong headwind meant peddling was still required for much of the way down. 

 

There were two restaurants I’d earmarked for an early dinner but the first wasn’t serving until 5pm and the second was closed for a private event. And so it would be another evening accompanied by a Knorr rice packet. I did at least manage to get a drink and an ice cream from a gas station. 

 

Got to the campsite and checked in with the host. It’s been a while since I’ve stayed at a paid-for official campground, making good use of the ability to wild camp in many of the areas I’ve travelled through. However, now in Grizzly country, I’m slightly more wary of doing that and thankful for the food storage lockers in the official sites. It’s a nice site with tree covered pitches mainly used for those travelling with horses, with many of the pitches featuring a pen for keeping your animals alongside the customary picnic table and fire pit. Slightly alarming when three of the horses decided to break through the gate and go on a trot around the campsite followed by two unenthusiastic young lads who had been tasked with rounding them up. Maybe I should have taken my chances with the bears after all. 

 

I’d been debating taking a bit of a detour further into the Tetons towards Jackson but booking anything last minute during peak US holiday season has proved impossible or crazy expensive. So I’ll keep pushing north and I’m sure there will be equally nice, but less touristy areas where I can take a day off. I really enjoyed today though, one of the best riding and scenery days so far.