After Michael was gone around 4 AM, the rest of us got up and moved toward starting the day around 5 AM. Vanesa, Billy, Greg, Jesse, and I all took off together for the climb up Togwotee Pass. Nothing was open in Dubois that morning in terms of coffee shops so we stopped at the Sinclair gas station minimart and I picked up a couple of muffins to shove in our bike bags as well as a cold Starbucks coffee drink for some calories and caffeine. And then we hit the road riding up this beautiful river valley on the gentle climb. It was something like 25 miles of incline to the top of the pass but the climb was gentle for the first 15 or 20. We all rode at our own pace, but passing each other now and then when we would stop for whatever reason. But my competitive hill instinct kicked in as we got nearer toward the actual climb and I went on ahead because Vanesa was riding with Billy and I knew that she would have help if something happened like a flat tire. I was the first one up to the top of the pass which made me proud because Jesse is on a 16 pound road bike and has completed two IronMan triathlons. He rides faster than me on the flats but on this day he couldn’t catch me on the hill (I love the challenge of climbing, and it’s kind of a badge of honor for me that no one catches me on hills). Togwatee Pass is a special place for Vanesa and me because it is a place where we stopped on our honeymoon to eat lunch and let Trasto run free outside the confines of the car… and when he got too far away and we were concerned there could be bears around that might him, we called him back and not 15 seconds after we called him back to us we saw three grizzly bears walking right where he had just been running and sniffing!!!! So will never forget that spot and how lucky we were! It’s also a really beautiful spot with beautiful mountains and a beautiful lake, as well as the top of the pass before you descend down into the Grand Tetons. After everyone arrived at the pass and we all took pictures, we began the glorious descent. Like many descents, it’s not just one long downhill but a sweet downhill followed by a short uphill followed by another sweet downhill and then another short uphill, etc., and basically just a long, rolling hilly descent for miles and miles. We stopped at a lodge and got ice cream bars, applied sunscreen, and filled our water bottles before we continued on the long, relatively flat entrance into the Grand Tetons. When you come around the corner and see the Tetons for the first time, you’re just filled with a sense of majestic awesomeness because the Tetons are so very impressive! We stopped and took pictures at the “Welcome to Grand Teton” sign but didn’t linger because there were a lot of mosquitoes. As we all continue down the road, the goal ultimately was Colter Bay Campground but about 5 miles before that Vanesa and I planned to stop at Jackson Lake Lodge because some of our very best friends from Portland (Orlando, Gayla, and their son Jett) coincidentally happen to be staying at Jackson Lake Lodge for a week at the same time we pass through. So when we got to the lodge all five of us were riding together and we, on a whim, thought that we would check and see what the cost of the lodge was as maybe we could all split the cost of a big room. As it turns out, a room with two queen beds was $439 and so we quickly nixed that idea in favor of continuing on and camping at Colter Bay Campground for $7 apiece. But minutes earlier, as we had rolled into the busy Jackson Lake Lodge area, I had actually somehow spied Orlando walking in a big crowd of people by the pool and waved at him, and while I was checking the price of rooms we communicated by text and he told us where their room was and told us to drop by since they were sitting outside on the porch having a beer. Billy and Greg headed out, but Vanesa, Jesse, and I stopped and chatted with Orlando and Gayla for five minutes or so and we decided on a plan, which was we would cycle to Colter Bay and set up our camp while Orlando and Gayla and Jett would Drive to the Colter Bay Village and we would meet them in a restaurant for dinner. We said goodbye and hit the road for the flat, tailwind-assisted, 5-mile ride to the campground. When we arrived we checked into two hiker/biker campsites and each site was $14 apiece so the five of us put two tents on each site and were directly next to each other. We fought thick mosquitoes as we quickly set up our tents, and then Vanesa and I rode to have dinner with our friends. It was so awesome sitting down and having a meal with people we love. We’ve been having so many superficial interactions with random people along the route that meeting someone that you’re close to and giving them a hug and having a more real and in-depth conversation was just special and reenergizing. The time with them was far too short and we would’ve loved to take a rest day here and spend it with them but we just need to keep moving toward Oregon so I get back to work by July 29. Orlando and Gayla super-generously picked up the cost of our dinner and beer and insisted that we not pay. What a generous and loving family they are and we’re so lucky to call them our friends. After that we headed over to the showers to clean up where we each paid five dollars for a shower, and then we headed back to the campsite and hurriedly got everything ready and climbed into our tent trying not to get chewed on by too many mosquitoes. Once comfortably inside the tent, we could see 100 mosquitoes swarming in-between the rain fly and the mesh tent body and we laughed because they couldn’t get to us! It was cold that night for sure, down into the 30s, but we were prepared gear-wise and slept pretty well though not perfectly as we hadn’t put on all of the cold weather gear we brought. It rained during the night so our tent rainfly and our tent groundcloth got wet but it didn’t matter in the morning because we knew we were going to camp the next night anyway so the wet tent would be set up again soon and not be packed away for too too long to get mildewed and gross. Next is a morning ride through the north end of Grand Teton National Park before we enter Yellowstone and head to Grant Village to camp.