The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-17
STORY Of A BICYCLE TRIP
Adventures of Wheelman in
Yellowstone Park.
WAS A NOVEL JOURNEY
Charles s. Young Says It Far Exceeds
the Ordinary Bicycle Tour-Coast-
ing Down Hill From the
Divide.

Many Anaconda people have made
trips from here by team through the
National park, but the knowledge that
bicycle trip through that region is
this city.
Here is an article from the Omaha
Bee that tells of such a trip:
You have asked me If a bicycle trip
through the Yellowstone National park
is practicable, and in reply l say that
if the opinion of the Omaha quartette
which has just completed a tour of
the park on wheels counts for any
thing, it is the grandest bicycle trip in
America" writes Charles S. Young to
the sporting editor of the Bee. In
magnificent scenery, in sudden and
pleasing changes, in agreeable climate,
the outing so far excels the ordinary
bicycle tours that it stands as the
ideal vacation for any one fond of
wheeling. There are some hills to
climb, and l should not advise any one
who has never ridden much or whose
physical gearing isn't all right to I'M
dertake the trip. But for those who
are III SOOu lTlI1l anu WHO lONe 10 get
out into the open for some vigorous
exercise the ride over the 150-mile cir
cult of the great national park cannot
be eXcelled.
Save Harry Gibbs of Buffalo, who
has ridden over good part of Europe,
England and Scotland on his wheel,
none of us were experienced riders, yet
we made the trip without discomfort.
We walked a good part of the 1000
feet rise from Mammoth Hot Springs
to Golden Gate, and pulled our freight
through the mud up the second cross
ing of the Continental divide. Practi-
cally every other stretch of the circuit
we rode. The roads are in fairly good
condition, infinitely better than any
roads in the vicinity of Omaha, and
they are gradually being improved by
the government road engineer. For
miles and miles we ran along level
roads, by the side of some clear noun
tain stream, and then again would
coast down the sharp descents border
ing the deep canyons. 1t would have
taken only the slightest swerve to land
us at the bottom, but the good tandem
just ran down the hills like deer
and didn't change from its course by
the width of a hair. Not once after
starting did we have to pump up our
tires, and it was only in the last sew
en- miles that any of the wheels met
with an accident. That one was hard
ly worth mentioning. The coaster
brake on our tandem broke down and
knocked out our rear wheel. Stocky
Heth and Charlie George had pushed
ahead on their single wheels, and when
they learned of our mishap they Were
scared for fear we would spoil the par
tvs record by getting a stage to haul
us in. They didn't guess right. We
merely pushed the double-header along
for three miles and coasted from the
Golden Gate to the Mammoth Hot
Springs hotel, four miles, so fast that
we finished right on the heels of our
leaders and frightened a government
mule, bound the other way, so badly
that he tumbled in a geyser and the
soldiers had to get a derrick to extri-
cate him.
THE rattlesnakes are very numerous
in some portions of the National park
They don't bite very often, but when
they do bite the object bitten swells
up very rapidly. One of the biggest
rattlers we saw fastened itself around
a telegraph pole one night. BY morn
ing the pole had swollen so that they
had cut two carloads of timber off it,
and as it was still expanding the next
day the natives decided to locate
lumber mill there.
Novel and Delightful Trip.
Coming down in the Burlington
sleeper from Montana, we fell in with
an Iowa man who had rather novel
and yet delightful trip through the
Yellowstone. 1t was George w. Richey
of Tingley, Iowa. With his wife and
two little girls comfortably ensconced
in a heavy mountain wagon he drove
from Denver up through the hills and
valleys of Colorado and Wyoming till
he reached the Wonderland. Just think
of two months life in your own mi
gratory house, stopping where you
please and when you please, taking
time to enjoy all the beauties of ma
ture, with leisure to pull the speckled
trout out of the crystal stream and
cook it by your own fireside for sup
per! Luxury? Why, that man Richey
wouldn't give up the experience and
pleasure of that trip for the job of
county treasurer. He left home with
his family on May 90, taking the Bur-
lington train right to Denver There
he fitted out, buying a strong wagon,
team of good horses and a complete
camping outfit. He started from Den
Yer on his long drive on June H. and
was about three weeks on the road.
The rest of the time. till Aug. 5, he
put in camping through the park He
sold his team, wagon and outfit at Gin
nabar, Mont, getting enough money to
buy tickets from there to Omaha.
where he and his family of campers
are now enjoying the big show.
Scientists Visit the Park.
"A party of scientists and their wives
have just come out of Yellowstone park
after being in their saddles. riding all
over the vast pleasure ground, for 80
days. Prof. J. p. Iddings of the Uni
Versity of Chicago, who has drawn the
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