Day 51 & 52

Day 51
49 miles

I woke early. The air was cold. I packed up immediately. I headed out early, eager to experience more of the Rockies.
I rode around the outside edge of the Glacier National Park. It was mostly downhill. I stopped almost every 500 ft. I was taking pictures and taking it all in. I felt bad for the motorists driving by. They only stopped at the pull offs. They missed so much beauty rushing by at 55 mph. Sometimes my 15 mph felt too fast. How could anyone not want to see this by bicycle?! Sure, by foot one would be even more capable of taking the scenery in, but bicycle seems the best way to take it slow, but not too slow.
I can say that for the first time on this trip, my camera was less than what I had hoped for. I left my good camera at home to save weight. I was wishing I had just taken on the extra. But even if I had had the my good camera, the clouds were low and the haze from the nearby fires made the hills dark. Still, I got some beautiful pictures. See....

I got another headache about 3. I was holding my head at the side of the road for almost an hour. I was sitting in the hot sun. I would have moved to the shade, but my head hurt so bad that I just had to sit still until it passed.

I rolled into Whitefish around 4. I enjoyed a cold drink and rode around the town. My brother had a friend in town. I was hoping to find a place to sleep for the night. Julie got a hold of me a short while later. I told her I was just looking for a place to pitch my tent. She gave me directions to her mom's house. It took me awhile to realize this though. She was in town for a bit of a family reunion. Julie and all her siblings were in town and at her mom's house. Despite this, they all welcomed me. They let me take a shower and even offered to wash my clothes. I let them. They also fed me some delicious dinner and talked with me about my trip. 

After dinner, Julie decided she would take me up Big Mountain.She borrowed her brother Seth's car. We headed up the mountain. The gas gauge read low but we risked it. She pointed things out as we rolled up the mountain road. There was some antique car gathering going on. Hundreds of Model T Fords were in the area. I had seen them earlier throughout the day and night before as well. The Model T's chugged up the mountain slowly. Soon we were rolling to a stop and the antique cars were passing by us on the curvy road. We were out of gas. This was only the third time on this trip that I had been in a car. I found the adventure amusing. Julie called her brother and brought some gasoline up. After that we were on our way back up the mountain. It was just before sunset. It was beautiful. I was told that without the haze the Glaciers on the mountains to the east could be seen. It was still beautiful. We rolled down the mountain and drove around town. I got to see more of the town. It was a really cute town, even if it was a bit touristy. We drove to the lake. It was shaped like a fish. It was a really pretty lake. The whole area was beautiful.

Julie and I headed back to her mom's house. I sent up my tent on the back deck. They gave me the cushions from the lawn chaise.

Before heading to bed I went inside and hung out with the whole family. I felt like I was intruding. But they still made me feel welcome. What a great bunch! Julie, Michele, Kristin, Lisa, Seth, and especially Janice, thank you so much for all the hospitality!

I went to bed warm and cozy.

Day 52

No real miles

I slept so so well. It was amazing. Upon waking up I was offered breakfast. I enjoyed some yummy Shredded Wheat with honey. I packed up and thanked everyone. Julie hugged me and wished me well.
I texted Lily and Matt early. I didn't really know when to expect to hear from them. I headed toward town and explored some more. I hung out at the library for a bit. I found a State Park. It said the camping was full. I would wait to see if it was still full later. I didn't know if I would be seeing the gang this day or the next one. I really enjoyed my day in the town relaxing, even napping in a local park. I did feel a bit like a bum, but at least I had clean clothes.

I heard from Lily around 5. The Flaming Wheels High-Line Bicycle Gang would be riding into town the next day. I headed out to the Whitefish Lake State Park. It still said that the camp was full. As I'd been lucky many other times, I headed down the road to the park. When I arrived, I was assured the regular camping was full. However, they had a hike/bike site. Sweet! It was only $7. I headed down to my site. I was next to a family of adults. They were kind. I set up on my tent on the gravel covered site. I headed down to the lake. The water was cold and I opted out of swimming. But I did enjoy the views. The cheapest camp sites always seem to have the best views.

The gravel site turned out to be really comfortable. I passed out early to the sound on a train clinking and clattering nearby.

Day 50

89 miles

Despite getting up earlier than 7 it was after 9 before we all set out for the day. The ride started down a beautifully steep hill. There's nothing like a little pinch of adrenaline to start the day. The ride wasn't hard from there. It was a slow climb to higher elevations. I barely noticed the climbs. I was of course far behind the other three in my group. The gap was especially large because we didn't come to a town and store 34 miles. Our stops were usually only 20 or so miles apart. This doubled the gap. My gang was waiting nearly half hour before I caught up with them.

The town was on a reservation. The signs of poverty were everywhere. Aside from the very touristy facade that you encountered on the main strip the town was a bit rough. The main strip provided tourists with a sense of the west and set them up for the National Parks. Most people probably had no idea what was behind the souveneir shops and gas stations. We encountered a few shady characters that asked a few too many questions to make any of us comfortable. We were going to go to the library but rode past it when we were chased by some fierce looking dogs nearby.

We did however find a Post Office. Lily and I both shipped off a good ten pounds of gear. I was trying to lighten my load before I tackled the mountains. Also I was becoming aware of how difficult it would be to travel back by plane with all the gear I was carrying. I sent back as much gear as I thought I could spare and that would fit in the flat rate box I had decided to use. Incidentally, I saved quite a bit of money. The postal worker took pleasure in telling me how much I had saved.

We all ate together. We joked around a bit before I said my "I'll see you soons".They were still pressuring me to ride to them. I can't say I wasn't tempted. Nonetheless, I parted ways with the gang.

The sky was hazy. I heard people talking of a forest fire somewhere nearby. The was a slight amount of drizzle at one point as well. The temperatures were cooler as well. I had a goal of another 50 miles. This was a rather ambitious goal considering it was already 3 pm. But it wasn't long before I was climbing big hills and glimpses of the Rockies. Even with the hazy sky I could feel their beauty standing above me and all around me.

I rolled into a very very touristy village about 6 pm. I debated long and hard before deciding to continue on. I was worried I wouldn't find anywhere to safely camp before dark.
I must have had a tail wind because I thought the climbing would be much harder. In fact I honestly thought I was losing elevation for quite a bit of the ride. And before I knew it, I was at Marias Pass. I was at the highest point of elevation I would have to travel that day. I had been slowly climbing higher and higher for the previous two days. And suddenly, here I was at the Continental Divide. My fear of the rest of the mountains quickly disipated.
It was after 7 at this point. I was 25 miles from where I was aiming to camp. It would be dark soon enough. I talked with a mountain biker about the terrain ahead. It was of course all down hill. I rolled down the mountain at a leisurely 18-25mph. I stopped when I wanted. I took in the mountains.
I was glad I was by myself for this ride. I enjoyed some quiet moments of reverance. I breathed the air. I felt the cool air on my skin. I looked at the towering rock around me. I listened to sounds of nature. And I listened to the sounds of man's creation. A train clanked along the side of the mountains. The metal on metal echoed out and created a chorus that sounded like tinkling crystal. It was a beautiful song. I listened to it until the train had faded down the mountainside.
I felt a tear or two. I was overwhelmed with appreciation for the beauty around me.

I reached the place I hoped to camp. They were closed. But I knocked on the door to the home of the owners. They told me they were full up and closed, but when they realized I was on bike they offered me a spot on the far side of the campground. The gentleman told me, it would cost me though. I said okay. And he offered me the more than fair price of free. He reached out to shake my hand. We agreed on the price of free. We did shake on it. I thanked him and set up camp.

I talked to the owners adult son for a bit. He had the usually curiousity about my trip.

I ate a quick meal and settled in for sleep. I was filled with humility and gratitude.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a few thousand that I can't begin express.

The Rockie Mountains in Montana.

that sign always made me very happy

Day 49

70 miles
Packing was easy. It was mostly done since I hadn't used the tent. I ate some canned fruit which tasted especially good.
As Matt, Paul, Lily and I set out the wind was extremely strong. It was a WNW wind, blowing in our faces from the right. After our first stop, we tried drafting. Paul was really the only one of us who had done it. We did it for 15 or miles. When it worked it was great. But our lack of experience, or maybe it was just because we each kept such a different pace, proved that drafting wasn't really going to work very well for us.
There were quite a few historical sites along the way. I stopped at most of them. There was some that described some very sad and dark history of our countries treatment towards the Plains Indians. I am glad I learned about them. So much over our history is just glazed over. I, personally, don't want to forget.
We ran into a couple cyclists along the way. There was a really great hill that descended into Shelby, MT. This proved rather fun and refreshing after fighting the wind all morning. We spent a good amount of the afternoon in Shelby. We hung out outside a coffee shop for a bit. I was beginning to really connect with my traveling companions. I really liked having people to talk to between the miles.
The problem with going down a really big hill riding in the plains was that it meant you had an equally challenging hill to climb a short bit later. We all rode out of town climbing hills along the way. I, of course, being the slowest of the group fell behind. I passed through some beautiful landscapes. I encountered another wind farm. This one was set against the background of brewing storm. The corner of my lips curved up. It was beautiful.
My smile continued as I felt the rain begin to fall on my skin. There seemed to be nothing that pushed me more than a good rain storm. I pedaled upward and onward. I passed Lily who had stopped for the storm.
I met up with Matt and Paul at the nearest convenience store. We rested there for awhile. I chatted with a handsome cowboy looking fellow for awhile. He asked about my bike and where I was coming from. He was well impressed and made me blush when he said "Well, damn your legs sure look amazing."
Paul wasn't feeling well so we relaxed for a bit. We looked for a place to camp. We tried a rest stop but were told we couldn't stay there. Paul scored some fruit and beer while talking to a Canadian couple ready to cross back into Canada.
Eventually, we found a campground. It cost more than we really wanted to pay, but with another storm coming in and the promise of a shower and a lounge at the campground was too good to pass up.

  The campground was situated overlooking somewhere Lewis and Clark had camped. It was on top of a large hill. There was a ravine cutting through the earth. This provided some amazing views including some beautiful cliffs. The railroad ran across plains on the other side of a very large hill. It was very much the what my idea of how the "West" looks. This was only intensified when I through the steam rising off the freshly rained on cliffs I spotted several horses in the fields above. I chuckled. Lily and I agreed it was very "Brokeback".

The lounge at the campground had a microwave and Lily and I set off to see what treats we could find in town. We walked to the store. It was almost weird to be walking. Forget the almost, it was weird. But I enjoyed talking with Lily. We scored so veggie burgers and I got some Easy Mac and more fruit. Its funny how microwaved veggie burgers become a hot meal.

From Lily's Blog

We did some map planning. I would be separating from the gang the next day. They would all be riding to Glacier National Park. I would be riding alone on to Whitefish and hopefully be meeting up again with them a day or so later. They kept trying to convince me to join them. I was tempted. But I was scared of the Going-To-The-Sun Road. It was some 6000 feet which meant hours of climbing. The idea of the mountains was already terrifying me. I wasn't sure of my capability. But I was also really worried about my headaches. The riding in Glacier was limited to very specific hours. And if I was struck with another headache, it could be potentially disastrous. I was pretty set on splitting off and doing the easier path around the park.

After showering we all got matching tattoos. Our gang was official. We were the Flaming Wheels High-Line Bicycle Gang.
I finally had cell service for the first time in what seemed like days. I charged my phone and made some phone calls. The voice of loved ones cheered me. I went to bed happy. My belly was full with a hot meal. I was surrounded by friends and I had talked to loved ones.
I slept beautifully.

Day 48

52 Miles
We woke up slower than we had the last few days, but were still up and on the road by 7. This was possibly our last day with Oak and it was bittersweet. Oak and Lily carried on like caring siblings and I could help but laugh with them. It was to be a day full of laughs and adventure.
Our goal was some 70 miles away. The wind thought that was a bit lofty and tried to slow us. It succeeded by the first stop. I did not want to go that far in such wind.We set a new goal of 50 some miles. The joking continued during that first stop which was only about 12 miles in. We had been making stop usually every 20 or so miles. The wind had fooled Lily who traveled without a cyclometer that she'd gone much further than she actually had.
The next stop was probably around 25 miles total into the day. We ate at the shop/restaurant/bar. The winds were still so strong and the sun was bright and hot. Just as we are getting ready to leave two cyclists pull up heading West like us. Lily gets her normal excitement when she sees fellow cyclists, but this is doubled over when she realizes one is her long lost friend Paul. Paul was traveling from Florida up to Ohio and over to Seattle and eventually down to San Francisco. He had been on the road since May. He had three months down and a few more to go. With Paul was Matt. Matt was toward the beginning of a long trek toward Argentina. He started in Wisconsin or Minnesota, I wasn't quite sure. He was from Wisconsin. I gathered that.
There was much excitement all around. My number of riding companions doubled. No one was more excited than Lily. Her bike gang was growing. It made the idea of Oak leaving seem easier. Well, not really. It was still sad that he'd be leaving us. After some chatting we all set out again. The pace was slower with all the getting to know each other. The wind wasn't much help either.
We stopped a couple times. Each time there was more getting to know each other. Unfortunately our last stop before the place we planned to stop I could feel a headache coming on. I tipped Lily off. I hugged Oak goodbye. (We hadn't managed to convince him to stay one more night with us.) He was so close to home, just a few days away. He wanted to push on. I was sad, but I didn't blame him.
Lily, Paul, Matt and Oak all pushed on. I took some painkillers and sat in whatever shade I could find. My headaches seemed to be getting worse. I think it may have been the changes in elevation. We were climbing to higher elevations slowly every day. Eventually my headache subsided and I pushed on.
I made it to Chester and stopped at the first store I saw. I bought some more wraps and some other food. I walked outside to sit and eat. I saw Oak sitting there with his bike "Mollie" and his trailor. We sat and talked. I was glad I got to spend that little extra time with him. There was a storm rolling in. He had been hoping it would pass. It wasn't passin so he was going to brave it anyway. We hugged again. He rode off. And I went off in search of the park that my bicycle gang was supposedly setting up for the day.
After riding around for a bit, I found the park. Just as I rolled in the storm hit. I took cover under the pavillion. Paul, Lily, and Matt were there and talking and laughing. The storm turned out to be quite fierce with high wind and some brief hail. We were all worried about Oak. (Lily text him later and he was fine and in Canada. He was a happy in his homeland again.)
As we were talking about gear and bikes and all sorts of travel, Matt noticed that Juno had flat. Shortly after, I noticed that Upstate had one too. It was that back tire. It was always the back. This was especially disappointing because we all decided to skip tent set up and just sleep underneath the pavillion roof. Normally this would mean i wouldn't have to unpack very much. The flat meant I had to remove almost everything off my bike. After the flats were fixed, I set off to find a laundromat. Matt and Lily went shopping. Paul hung out at the park.
I did my laundry. And I couldn't help but laugh when I left. The tire was flat again. I walked back with my bike. I didn't want to ride it with the flat. This flat turned out to be quite the blessing. As I unloaded everything again I saw it. My wheel had a broken spoke. I had never planned for this. I don't know how long it would have been before I would have even noticed. Because I hadn't really planned for this, I didn't have a spare spoke. I started to stress. Luckily for me, Paul, the amazing man that he is, had several sizes. Not only did he provide me with a spare spoke, but he was also a bike mechanic.
The Road Shall Provide.
Paul labored over my spoke for some time. This proved quite difficult because of some plastic guarding the wheel from the cassette (the cassette are the gears on the back tire). He had to break it off. The spoke wasn't quite the right size, but it would suffice. Paul did an amazing job. And I am eternally grateful to him. The road really did provide. It seemed to be Paul's philosophy. And reflecting, I couldn't agreed more. It was also really great to learn how to change a spoke and more about truing a wheel.
After all that and fixing the innertube I packed all my stuff back up. Then we all hung out and ate. There was a grill and Matt and Paul enjoyed some fresh cooked sausages as a result.
It was still light when we all rolled out our sleeping bags under the pavillion. I took more painkillers to insure that I would sleep through. The open air was refreshing. I slept well.