West Yellowstone, Montana: After spending every-other day in the park, we had a restful day in town. DT promised I would have time to stitch and he delivered. After Dave rode his bike for an hour this morning, he came back to the RV park to fetch me so we could go on a nice ride together and then have lunch in town. Dave has found a great paved bike path just behind our RV park that goes for (unknown) miles, and he has been riding on this trail since we arrived here Sunday. However, I put the brakes on hard when I saw this sign about two miles into the trail:
Though I did spend a very long time this morning adding a bell to my handlebars, there was no way I was going to ride on this bike path. Call me a wimp. Go ahead. I don't care.
Just next to the above sign is another notice for a moose habitat. Did not see a meeser today, but just imagine a moose here, waiting the The RV Goddess to ride by on her bike. Didn't happen.
I am not understanding why e-bikes are not allowed on this path. Bikes are okay. We saw people using roller-ski things, people jogging and walking.
After cycling through town and along the bike path, we cycled to the Buffalo Bar in town again for lunch. We pulled our bikes into the covered patio area and ordered ground bison tacos and a salad to split. Not sure what was going on. Yes, a new server, but can we blame him for delivering our food to another table - and they just ate it? Never mind that they ordered chicken tacos and buffalo chili. How did they not realize they were delivered the wrong food? No matter, they ate our order, and then the server brought them their original order BEFORE they delivered our food. A complete different experience we have had at our other visits to this restaurant. Whatever. Our food was delicious, but should have been comped. Over one hour later, we cycled back to our campsite and I was able to stitch for several hours.
Yeah, me.
Our dinner tonight was grilled chicken (marinated in paprika, garlic, and white wine), with potato au gratin and a tomato salad.
We are leaving West Yellowstone tomorrow, heading to Jackson, and Grand Teton National Park. We have several fun things planned. Check back, and don't forget to request a postcard from the road (below).
Until my next update, I remain, your Yellowstone correspondent.
Campground Information: Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park - This is the best commercial RV park (in my opinion) to camp in to explore the park. We paid $121 per night with a senior discount for a full-service gravel back-in with picnic table. Laundry, bathhouse, playground, gift shop, ice - and you can walk to town to a large variety of tourist shops and restaurants. The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is less than two blocks away.
The prevailing concern about allowing electric bicycles on trails is the question of safety—particularly related to speed. The perception is that motor-assisted riders will race down trails, making them dangerous and unpleasant for other types of users. Also, According to Electrek’s report, NREL’s hardline approach towards e-mobility devices stems from safety issues, more specifically, fires. Indeed, e-bike fires have proven to be deadly and difficult to control due to the chemicals and elements found in their batteries, so NREL’s concerns aren’t a 100% unfounded. And then in California: In an exhaustive report, the authors assessed noise impacts to nearby bat populations, potentially excessive uphill speeds, fire risk, soil impacts, and the potential for conflicts among e-bikers and other visitors. My Husband is a veteran, disabled and his has a Specialized brand eBike allows him to ride with our grown sons where allowed. (ps – they can call me whatever they want but I am not riding anywhere near bears ever if I can help it) 🙂