Despite the many wonderful aspects of this trip, there was one inevitability I was not looking forward to; saying goodbye to George. Today was that day. George had to leave today to make his way back home, finishing our epic journey a few days before me. I could not have asked for more accommodating, gentle spirited, interesting and generous travel mate. We shared a common appetite for adventure which allowed us to experience so many things on this trip. We spent most of the past 38 days together and never had one disagreement. I especially missed George today because he was often the one to second-guess some decision to turn right or left. After leaving George I made the decision to turn left at a particular intersection, and ended up going over 20 miles out of my way. I sure could have used George then!
My solo itinerary took me from Cody to Thermopolis, one of many cities that prides itself in its hot springs. From there I traveled along the large Boysen reservoir and then west through the majestic mountains of the Grand Teton National Park. As you will see from the pictures above, the photographs of this particular part of Idaho are spectacular. The roads were under construction as usual for peak summer periods but they left the best curvy bits and very cool tunnels for us bikers. The center of activity in those parts is the city of Jackson, which was bustling over the lunch period I was there. However, I do not think that the ski facilities there are anything compared to Whistler.
Moving into Idaho through the town called border town of Freedom, parked directly on the dividing line between the 2 states, I enjoyed the back road through to Pocatello. One of the curious sights along the way was the town of Soda Springs. This is where Monsanto strip mines for elemental phosphorus (leaving an unpleasant landscape and enormous slag piles), which is used for a variety of food products (such as soft drinks) as well as detergents, matches, light bulbs, fertilizers and bombs. If you ever wondered who made Roundup and where, the answer is Monsanto from phosphorus mined at Soda Springs.
While it does not seem like much distance was covered, this wass a total of 506 miles or 815 kms. The journey that begun on May 29, 2009, has now exceeded 20,000 km (more than 12,500 miles). And there are a few miles left for discovery and adventure.