Madison, Wyoming, to Flagg Ranch, Wyoming -- 66 miles

We woke at 3 am, to start biking by 4:30 am, but one of our flashlights was not working. By the time we packed up camp, we were on the road at 5 am. As we were riding in the twilight, we saw a female elk on the left side of the road - we looked at her and she stopped grazing to stare back at us. We heard a cracking sound, like something big stepping on a dry branch; we looked to our right and saw a second female elk. She gazed at us and then crossed the road to be with the other elk. We heard a hauntingly eerie howling sound in the distance - it caused an instinctive visceral reaction of fear, and the hairs on the back of our necks stood up. A few moments later, we realized it was a pack of coyotes. While we were riding down the road looking for animals in the early morning, we could see steam rising in the distance. We were approaching the geysers. As we came closer, Lorraine spotted a bison walking across the geyser field. He slowly moved across the field as the steam rose from the ground, then he disappeared into the distance. 

There were many signs warning people not to walk in the geyser fields. We found out later that as many as 20 people had been scalded to death when the thin crust gave way and they were exposed to the intense and caustic effects of the water and minerals it contained. There were many types of geysers, some bubbling mud, some gurgling water, some shooting intermittent spurts of water and others sending up almost continuous sprays. One such geyser sprayed us as we walked along the wooden elevated walkway. There were bacteria living in and around the geysers that created an array of pastel colors. 

We took our time touring the geysers, taking photos, and stopping to watch Old Faithful erupt. We rode across the Continental Divide three times in the space of a couple hours as we rode out of the park. We ate lunch/dinner at the Grant Village Grill. Met a few more bike tourers on the road - Pat & Tracy, who are traveling from Missouri to Seattle, and Alejandro, who has been on the road for 1 year, 4 months traveling from Argentina to Alaska. We got one of the last campsites at Flagg Ranch. No fireworks for the 4th of July! Stayed up until 10:30 pm taking care of cooking, showering, and laundry.