A 42 mile stretch of Yellowstone National Park opened to bicycles only on April the second. Being a runner, I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the entire stretch. My legs just aren't conditioned to it, and having done the Tour de Farm with my father in New Jersey, years ago, I remembered just how hard cycling could be. Anytime you can access Yellowstone before the summer horde makes their appearance, you jump at it, so I was able to round up an old mountain bike, and head into the park

Having quick access to one of the most popular national parks in America may seem like a blessing, and it is, but with the summer crowds invading like a swarm of biblical locusts, I tend to stay as far away as I can. You'll normally find me wandering around Yellowstone National Park when it first opens, or towards the end of the season.

It's January the 13th, 2023, and for the past week or so my emotions have overtaken me. Like an avalanche cascading down the side of a mountain, grief, fear, and questions have come crashing down. It's a slide that swallows me up from time to time, but one in which I've learned to ride.