on two wheels
Gerry with wife Nancy and David Okano P’07
3000 feet to the 9658 foot elevation of the pass. “The combination of light traffic, beautiful scenery, sunshine, blue sky, no wind, and an average uphill grade of around 4% made for one of the best days of riding on the trip. I am sure that the leg strength gained and body mass lost in the weeks leading up to that day had something to do with the level of enjoyment.”
Another Suffield connection awaited Gerry as he pedaled down from the Togwatee Pass into Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. “I was, for the first time on the trip, overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment. All I could think was, ‘I’m in the Tetons and I rode here by BICYCLE!’” Gerry spent the next several days immersed in the natural beauty of the Grand Tetons. The enjoyment of this four-day respite was enhanced by the fact that his wife Nancy flew in for the weekend. They spent four days hiking the remarkable Tetons while enjoying the cooking and gracious hospitality of David Okano P’07. “For four unbelievable days in the Tetons we had to keep pinching ourselves to remind us how lucky we were!” On his final day in the Tetons, while awaiting the arrival of Jerry and Sam, LaPlante encountered Nicolas, a cross-country cyclist from Paris. Nicolas had departed from New York City only one day before Gerry had left Suffield. He had ridden a parallel path and was also headed for San Francisco. “We talked for about 45 minutes when we realized that we were both headed for San Francisco. We hoped that we might meet again down the road.” Gerry, Jerry, and Sam headed out of Wyoming through the Snake River Canyon and into Idaho via the Alpine Junction. They discovered some amazing scenery and geology in central Idaho. Gerry says, “After a warm night camping at Craters of the Moon National Monument, I arose at dawn and went for a six mile hike through the park. Not surprisingly, I had the whole place to myself for over two hours.” The next day, the trio connected with former Suffield Headmaster David Holmes ’60 and his wife Toni in Hailey. The Holmes’ were gracious hosts and wonderful companions. Gerry witnessed firsthand the aesthetic power that attracted David and Toni to this part of the country. The natural beauty was stunning. “We headed 38 www.suffieldacademy.org