The rain came to me in West Glacier before I even headed into the park, but it soon stopped but then poured again when I was trying to find a site. What is it with me and national parks anyway? I asked the hosts at Apgar about the hiker/biker sites. They told me the number of sites that were designated to them. But they told me I could sit under their awning to wait out the rain. As I sat there, they offered me hot tea and pizza! I happily accepted. This is kindness at its core! Tom and Kathy were very nice. This is true hospitality. I investigated the hiker/biker sites but they were all full so Tom offered his spot by the wood pile next to their RV free of charge! Aww - thanks so much Tom and Kathy! Thanks for helping a man, a cyclist, a traveler in need!
July 10 (Apgar to Avalanche Creek Campground, 17.52 miles, 342 ft. elevation) Apgar - Avalanche Campground. Today couldn't be more different than yesterday. The sun came out - all day long. I took it easy this morning. It was mostly a relaxed day. Because of the bicycling restrictions on Going-to-the-Sun Road, I was unable to bike from Apgar to Sprague Cree, and Logan Creek to Logan Pass from 11am to 4pm - so I had to plan accordingly. I made sandwiches for the next few days and cleaned my bike from last night's grime from the rain and thunderstorm.
When I said goodbye to Tom and Kathy, Kathy told me to come back if I get caught in another thunderstorm. I saw Cat and Lorin in the store in Apgar Village but they didn't recognize me which is usually the case for people. I tend to be invisible. At the visitor center I talked with a young couple about my trip and the girl told me I need a "Bad Ass" sticker because I rode all the way from Oregon. "How many calories do you burn a day?" "That's awesome."
I found a huckleberry cream soda at the store - this is huckleberry country. It's everywhere.
At 4:00, when the road opened to cyclists, I booked it to Avalanche Campground, about 15 miles away. There are so many cars. They should close the road to cars and RVs - stupid! They ruin everything! There is amazing scenery of the mountains and McDonald Lake - but I had to hoof it on the road. I met an older lady at a pull out. She was on a bike and was also waiting until 4:00 so she could ride the rest of the way. They could've easily put a shoulder or bike lane on this road - but they care not. Well, to be fair, they built it in the 1930s and not for bicycles.
I met a guy on the road who told me he wants to tour. "Don't put if off man!"
Why do people always stare at me? People are afraid of what's different I suppose. The way I see it, they either think of me as a "bad ass" or as a "dumb ass"
It started to rain when I was went for a short hike around Avalanche. I would've liked to hike up to Avalanche Lake, but it was getting late and the storm was getting worse and it was about 2 miles uphill so I thought better of it. I hiked back to my campsite to crawl into bed, listening to the raindrops.
July 11 (Avalanche to Logan Pass to East Glacier Park, 67.01 miles, 7,121 ft. elevation) Avalanche - Logan Pass - St. Mary - Blackfeet Reservation - East Glacier Park. I arose at 5am, not 4:30 as I had intended. It is still raining and cold. For a split second, as I lay there in my tent listening to the soothing rain, I thought about waiting for tomorrow to ride the pass - but I chose to get up and conquer it today after all. I might as well.
It took me 3.5 hours to reach Logan Pass. There were many turnouts, but I could not stop on the hill. It is super dangerous and hard - 20 cars passed me in the first hour by 7:00am. It was cold the entire time. FOG was socking in - so much so I couldn't see a bleepin' thing. All I could see through my fogged out glasses was two feet of road in front of me, a rock wall to my left and a white abyss to my right. Just before the pass, I saw three objects emerge from the fog on the road in front of me. Just as they hopped over the side of the road off the mountain, I made out that they were mountain goats. They were something the cars never got to see!!
At the top of the pass, I was freezing. It was 42 degrees and the fog was getting thicker. I met a couple from Eugene, but they rubbed it in that they were in a car - ha! I was delaying making the descent. It would be scary. I was questioning my life choices. Some wanted me to take the shuttle part of the way down, but I thought that would be cheating. I will not give in. I want to say that I road the whole road. Also, my bike kept creaking and pedals were making a clicking sound which didn't sound good. The fog only grew worse - a new kind of beauty. It's still a work of God's hands! A guy in the visitor center asked if my hydration pack was oxygen. It wasn't the first time this happened. Sometimes I wonder about people!
It was so cold going down the mountain. My body was numb - my whole body was shivering. But luckily it didn't last very long. The fog was dissipating the quicker I descended. At one of the pullouts, I met Jenny (age 60). She had met a milestone and this was on her bucket list and wanted a big trip like this. She's from Ohio. We talked a bit about her own adventures in Grand Canyon, etc. We met again at another pullout down the road. We were both taking pictures. She told me if I make it to St. Mary, she'd buy me lunch at the Park Cafe. Apparently she's been there before and said they have great food. As I made it down into St. Mary, just outside the park, I finally found the place after searching for it for a bit. I had the Going-to-the-Sun burger. I sure deserved it! It suited me just fine. I ordered a slice of pie to top it all off. A man from Florida, traveling with his son across the country also joined us for a time. We met him in Glacier and he was a really nice guy. A man and boy from Florida, a woman from Ohio and me, from Oregon all talking over burgers while in Montana. It's funny how life happens. After I bid Jenny farewell, I cycled 30 more miles. I saw a beaver escape into the water before I had a chance to snap a photo of him. As I was climbing a hill, 2 girls at the top asked me if I could take their picture. I did, but it infuriated me they didn't ask or were curious about me and my trip. I was panting and struggling up the hill when they asked. Oh well, people will be people. There was a huge 6 mile hill out of St. Mary - and then many more up and down in the Blackfeet Reservation. There were lots of cows on the Rez roaming around - open range - even on the road itself. I was glad they were not chargers. Otherwise, I'd be doomed.
I met a motorcyclist on the road as I ascended one hill. He was interested in my ride and told me that as a teenager, he and a friend cycled across the country when they were young and dumb. They'd empty their water bottles just to ask ladies with water hoses for cold water. He asked where I was staying. It turns out he's staying at Brownies Hostel in East Glacier Park where I was headed. This was another place Harvey in Bonner's Ferry told me about. He told me he'd try to save a bed if any were left. When I finally arrived in town, the rooms were full, but I took a tent site they had. I'll take it indeed. The rest of the night I was charging my phone, trying to find a host in Kalispell. Oh, the pain in my butt cheeks! They are chafing badly...
July 12 (East Glacier Park to West Glacier to Apgar Campground, 62.42 miles, 2,170 ft. elevation) East Glacier Park - Marias Pass - Essex - Pinnacle - Nyack - West Glacier - Apgar Campground. This morning I mailed off my postcards. When I left East Glacier, there was another long hill until Marias Pass, the lowest pass on the Continental Divide in Montana. The WIND was strong! It was downhill and flat with some ups the rest of the day. It was beautiful following the river and seeing more trains pass on by. This country is truly magnificent.
A bee stung me in the neck as I was riding along. It took me off guard, swerving around. It itched for about a week later. Of course I am still chafing today. I stopped and saw a mountain goat and kid up on a hill posing as if they were statues. I passed by Izaak Walton Inn where Harvey said has the best double huckleberry cobbler, but after thinking and re-thinking about stopping, I decided against it and to pass it up. It was off the main road anyhow and I had more ground to cover. I finally came to the bar, Stanton Creek Lodge were Harvey said I could stay. I came in and the lady was nice. She said it would be $25.00 to set up a tent. She informed me that she was aware it was too much but wouldn't say that if the owner was there though. Sleep is a right, not a privilege. After giving me some inforon Flathead Lake, I decided to press on to West Glacier - 16 miles of flat. I arrived once again at Apgar Campground with hiker/biker sites for $5.00, much more reasonable than $25.00!! Ah, the campers here and their bikes - it is a different mindset indeed. They bring their bikes and ride all over. I ride my bike to the camp and walk using different muscles. I am exhausted after a long day's ride!
July 13 (Apgar, Glacier National Park to Kalispell, 39.70 miles, 946 ft. elevation) Apgar Campground - West Glacier - Columbia Falls - Kalispell. My initial plan was to wake early enough to take the shuttle to Logan Pass to see the famous road without a whiteout this time. But, alas, I didn't wake early enough and the dang shuttle service was kind of confusing anyway. Oh well, I did get a nice long walk out of it though, stretching those muscles. I gathered my bike and backtracked back to Kalispell via the backroads of Blankenship and Belton Stage. I usually don't like I to backtrack, but I didn't have much of a choice at this point. I looped all the way around Glacier before heading south as per Harvey's suggestion. That was where I truly re-routed the rest of my trip through Montana. On the Blankenship Bridge, I met Kurt and Sylvia, an older couple cycling from Seattle east to Maryland or as far as they can go in 10 weeks. They shared some apples and cheese with me. Kurt told me they are not going to ride up to Logan Pass because of his knees. The North Cascades just about did him in.
There was some rain today, but then the hot sun came out. I saw the same lunch spot my the locomotive as I pulled into Columbia Falls from before. I arrived at Thom and Betty's beautiful house with a killer view of the Glaciers! Thom didn't come home until late and Betty was the best hostess I could ask for. She offered me a ton of differing drinks, one of which was chocolate milk! Amen. She has some crazy dogs and a few boys, and a church intern living with them. They were a fun family. We had shrimp pasta and cake afterwards. They decided against "Skyline Chili," an Ohio things because they didn't want to "waste" it on a newcomer that may or may not like it. Oh well, the shrimp pasta was great too. One of Betty's sons was in the military randomly and another wanted to join. She didn't understand because they are not a military family. She told me a lot about Iohan, a cyclist riding from Alaska to Argentina in stages and working for tree farms in between to earn money. They showed me one of his videos as he been filming it the whole time. Iohan stayed with them a few times and also mails stuff he orders to them to send to wherever he is at that point. I am excited to view more of his videos when I return home.
Before I turned in for the night, I talked with Betty about church, camp, cycling, hosting, etc. It was a good conversation and wish more people were like this. Betty was the ultimate warmshowers hostess. Thom came home later and asked me a few questions. He apparently has been known to steal the cyclists away for a day and ride with them. But maybe it was a good thing he had to work haha. I guess he is quite the cyclist himself.
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