Day 18/19 St Mary to Cut Bank MT and rest day

Hi everyone,
I'm in Cut Bank MT. I decided not to take the Canadian route. I went off the American Cycling Route to save about 70 miles " a short cut"  Yes that's right a short cut that turned out like every other short cut I've ever taken:)

In theory I did save the milage that I wanted to. But I had to work much harder for the miles that I rode. All Mighty Google is not always right. The Google app showed that I would have a short climb out of St Mary and then a ......hold on to your hat, telephone poles look like a picket fence ride to the bottom at Cut Bank!

After the first 7 miles I realized that I had been duped. 

I stopped at the top of the first climb to check my elevation. I was standing at 6018 ft.  Yesterdays Logan Pass was 6646 ft. Granted I only had to climb half the distance that I did yesterday but it was totally unexpected.
Several more long climbs were to follow this one.

I had talked to my biking mentor (Charles Ginn) about my plans for the day before leaving St Mary. He thought that the route was doable as long as I didn't have strong headwinds and didn't stop in Browning. He said he would call to make sure I had made it to Cut Bank later that night.

Well after leaving St Mary late and the climbing I encountered, I sent him a message saying that I didn't think I was going to make Cut Bank. Not exactly a pleasant thought considering that would mean stealth camping in a wheat field. It's hard to hide in a wheat field unless your 2 feet tall!

Well as you you already know I did make it to Cut Bank and have been taking a rest day here. Yesterdays route was very pretty and went through the Blackfeet Reservation and the land of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The RV campground suggested by Charles is great.  They are close to town, have hot showers and are very accommodating.

I'll be leaving early tomorrow flowing Hwy 2 for a few days all the way to Wolf Point. Google it from Cut Bank by dropping the little man on Hwy 2 if you want to see what I'm looking at for about the next 5 days.

Let me back up a little.
I met a great couple from France in the campground in St Mary (Corinne and Laurent). They were bike touring the US, Canada, Central and South America for the next couple of years. Great people and good to be with for the short time we had.

I camped next to Eddie from Long Island last night. He started from Bar Harbor and is headed to Bellingham WA. Really good to talk with. I was able to ship some of his no longer needed gear back to Long Island for him today. He left early and decided to take the same route I just did. It won't be bad knowing what to expect.

I'm just taking it easy today. I took a short ride into town to get food and go to the post office. Other than that, I've just been doing laundry and catching up on needed task that don't go away even if you are on the road.

Pictures from yesterday and today: ●Corinne and Laurent
●Me and Corinne
●Laurent took this pic and emailed it to me
●Top of first climb
●On route
●Kansas doesn't have all the wheat
●Camp in Cut Bank
●Eddie from Long Island
●River below my tent

Day 17 -Avalanche campground to St Mary

Well Logan Pass is in the rear view mirror tonight.

The climb up was challenging. It's a 6% grade for about twelve miles. I started from Avalanche campground which is about 4 miles from the start of the climb.

I set alarm for 4:30am to be sure I had time to make the pass before the 11:00 cut off for bicyclist. When the alarm went off I changed to plan be. Which was to pull the drawstring tighter on sleeping bag. At 6:00 I made self get up. I was on the road a little before 7:00.  So much for taking my time getting to the top.

The traffic didn't start to pick up until about 9 o'clock. Once the traffic picks up you have some steep drops on the right and wide truck mirrors on the left.  I opted to stay closer to the mirror side.

Actually I received some great encouragement from several other cars coming by. Also several of the cyclist that were passing me gave encouraging comments. Comments such as" aren't you a little old to be doing this and could you possibly get any more gear on that bike"? I'm kidding they were all very supportive.

I even had my own cheering section. A couple that I had met about 6 days ago were driveing up the pass and recognized my. It really took me by surprise to hear "GO DURELL" as I was nearing the top. It was great.

I made it to the top in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Fun on top. Got to talk to several people about my trip. Good times.

Fast trip down until I got to the construction then things showed down quickly.

I'm staying in St Mary campground tonight which is just inside the park.

Met a nice couple from France who are touring for 1 to 2 years. The just came from Alaska.

Pictures are of the ride up, at the top, on the way down and home for the nite.

I'm heading up to Waterton  BC tomorrow.

Day 16 Whitefish to Glacier

Awesome day! Nice people, great scenery and perfect roads.

I'm working on the blog while I'm waiting in Apgar on Lake McDonald. The Road to the Sun has time slots that bicyclist can be on it.  I can get back I'm on the road at 4 p.m.. It's still about 15 miles to Avalanche campground from here.  That will be the closest camping to where the climbing starts tomorrow. I have to be over Logan Pass 11 am so the day will start around 4:30 or 5:00 tomorrow.

This is such a beautiful place and one that I hop you all could see.

I'll attach some pictures I've taken so far today. There will be more that I take on the ride to the campground but probable no cell service to post. I'll add them to the next post, which may be day after tomorrow.

Pictures are of some of the great roads, the Flathead River, bike path in Glacier and Lake McDonald.

More from the ride up later.

Day 15 Rexford to Whitefish

Well today was one of those days you just kind of want to get from point A to point B. It was still beautiful scenery going by, I just couldn't look at it. I had to focus on the white line most of the day.

I stopped in Eureka this morning to get breakfast. Good meal at Jacks ( not the hamburger chain). Eureka is about 10 miles from where I camped last night.

After leaving Eureka Hwy 93 was pretty good. Nice rolling hills and wide shoulders.
That changed pretty quickly into steeper hills with no shoulder and ruff road just to the left of the white line.  It was a day to focus on just what was ahead and coming from behind.

Ok, enough of the whining!
I made it to Whitefish around 4:30 p.m.
I'm camped on Whitefish Lake tonight.
It's another beautiful lake.

Nice hot shower and some new friends to camp with. The campground is full but some other bikers let me pitch my tent with them. Four tents on one site. I'm sure there's a fire code violation there somewhere.

My new friends are from Scandinavia, Canada and Washington. The couple from Scandinavia is touring through Canada and the US on a very nice Tandem bike.

Heading into Glacier tomorrow and wanting to camp at Avalanche campground. It's the closest camping to Logan Pass.

Pictures are of Eureka
And of my camping friends.

Day 14 - Libby MT to Rexford MT

Wow what a difference a good night's sleep, a long soak in the tub and a medium deep dish sausage pizza makes!

Today was one of the most enjoyable and beautiful sections I've done so far.

I left Libby around 8:30 A.M.  The route took me by Lake Koocanusa all day. The lake was named in a contest won by Alice Beers of Rexford MT.  The name was made from the first three letters of the Kootenai River, Canada and USA.

I rode 71 miles today in great weather.
There were 6 cars, 3 motorcycles and one couple coming from Maine on a tandem bike. That was it all day.

I took a picture of the elevation profile to give you an idea of of the climbs and decents done today. I also took some pictures of the maps I use from day to day. You can compare the climbing of today to what will be done when I get to Logan Pass in a couple of days.

One of the 6 cars that passed was a guy who slowed down by me just to ask if I needed any Gatorade or water. It happens every day!

I'm staying at Rexford Bench Campground tonight on the shores of Lake Koocanusa. A cold bath in the lake felt great It's supposed to be in the 40's tonight.

I was able to Skype Cathy, Cass and Wes tonight. First time since leaving Anacortes. The only thing that would make this trip better would to have Cathy ride with me.

Tomorrow I'll be in Whitefish then camp in Glacier before going over Logan Pass.

The first pictures  shoe the route I took today which was the westside alternate and the elevation profile of the ride for the next couple of days.

The other pictures are of the ride up to Libby Dam (which forms Koocanusa), the ride along the lake and the best spot on the lake for a cold bath.

Oh when I took the picture on the bridge, the winds were so strong that it made a constant hum from the railing.

Day 13

It was a short ride for me today. I started the morning in full rain gear. It was pretty cool starting out this morning and stayed that way most the day. The wind was really strong today. Fortunately it was at my back most of the time. I noticed at one time I was going 21 mph and had no wind noise in my ears at all. Glad it was a tail wind.

Montana is beautiful to ride a bike through.  Not many pictures today because of the rain.

I'm in Libby Montana tonight. Sleeping at the Caboose Hotel. It's awesome!  I arrived in Libby around 2:30. It was still raining, so I opted to splurge and get a room.  I rolled my bike in, laid down on the bed and woke up 3 hours later.

After a long, long shower and soak in the tub, I went to get groceries for tomorrow.
A man asked me if I had ridden in the storm yesterday? He said the winds were clocked at 75 miles an hour. No wonder I felt like Lieutenant Dan.

Tomorrow will be a long ride. The map I'm using says there are no services for 70 miles. I stocked up on supplies just in case I am stealth camping tomorrow night.  It may be a couple of days before I post again.

Well I'm going to work on a leaking back tire then hit the sack.

The only picture I took today was of what are room looks like when a tired biker hits it with gear that needs drying.

Thank you for the comments and support you has been giving me. It means alot.
Durell

Day 9/10/11/12 Welcome to Montana

Hello from Montana!

I'm sorry it's been a few days since my last updated. I've been in areas where cell coverage is rare by the time I find a place to quit for the night. I'm going to start working on the blog off line and then post when I get to a town with cell service.

The last few days have been great! 
I've left Washington,  ridin through Idaho and arrived in Montana today.

I've stayed at a hostel for bicycle tourers only, stealth camped ( finding a place where you can get in and get out without being seen) and last night I was fortunate to be allowed to pitch my tent in a ladies yard just outside of Hope Idaho.

I've already met bike tourers from Germany, Switzerland, Canada and from many states in the US.

Yesterday while I was stopped putting on rain gear,  I met Stephen Speer. Stephan is ridding from Washington DC to Anacortes.  He is a veteran of the Vietnam War and is carrying items honoring four friends he fought with that did not return.  Stephan confessed that he had been a little bitter after returning home from the war. Even though he has a great family and career.  He said this ride has ended that feeling of bitterness. It has restored his faith in the goodness of people. To quote Stephan " The ride is about the people". You can follow his ride at: cranky spoke.blogspot.com

I saw my first Grizzly of the trip today. He or she was crossing the road just in front of me. He was off the road, in the creek and gone in seconds.  For proof, I got a video of my shadow and the road.

I wish I could have gotten video of me holding on to my tent today during the worst wind and lighting storm I have been in while camping.  I am camping at Dorr Steels Campground tonight. It's a beautiful area on the lake. I found a perfect spot to see the lake on two sides.

I was quickly remanded how fast mountain storms build in the afternoon. I had just gotten a great bath in the lake when the thunder started.

Side note: out of twelve days I have had three showers, four lake baths, two river baths and the rest were sink and sponge.

So anyway, I made my way back to the tent just as the lighting and wind started.
The wind quickly ripped the tent pegs out of the ground and the lightning was intense. The storm lasted for about 45 minutes. During that time I was sitting up in the tent with my feet holding down the windward side of the tent and my arms stuck out holding the sides of the rain fly.
The wind was blowing leaves and dirt through the holes my arms were sticking out of.

I felt like Captain Dan on top of the shrimp boat. The whole side of the tent lifted one time and I thought I was going for a ride. I couldn't do anything but laugh. I asked the Lord one time when this was going to stop? That was when the tent about went tumbling with me in it! I didn't ask anymore questions.

All is well now and I gathered four big logs to use as Deadman Anchors just in case the wind returns.

All food and toiletries have to go into a bear box tonight. Guess I better get use to that.

I'm going to work on my leaking rear tire before leaving tomorrow. I should be in Glacier in a few days.

Here are some pics from the last few days.

Day 8 - Republic to Kettle Falls via Grand Forks BC

Well today was a great adventure. I'm glad I took the advice of the local cyclist in Republic. They suggested that I make the loop into Grand Forks British Columbia rather than go straight to Kettle Falls.

Taking this route accomplished several things. I didn't have to cross Sherman Pass. I was able to see some beautiful country  and somehow go down hill along the Kettle River all day.

I finished the day with about 75 miles behind me. They were some interesting miles. The Border crossing into Canada was crazy.  Two things I learned. You should stop behind the Stop Sign even if you're on a bicycle and no one is in sight and don't jokingly say, can I get a kids meal and ice cream cone when the agent comes to the window. Not good!

They took my passport and told me to take my bike over to what looked like the inspection area. I had visions of a cold north Canadian work camp in my future.
After about 10 minutes they returned my passport and only said, your good to go.

The rest of the day went much better.
I was on the side of the road in Grand Forks and a guy ( Rick) pulled over in his truck to see if I needed help with directions.

Rick told me about the Trans Canadian Trail that would keep me off the Hwy and take me almost all the way back into the US.  It turned out to be a blast. It felt like an epic adventure. See pics.

Trans Canadian ended just a few miles from the US Border. Everything went smoothly coming back in. It's amazing how quickly I pick up on things.

I met Nacho, Audrey and Matt a few miles back into the US. They were hiking from Glacier to the West Coast via the Pacific North Trail. I really enjoyed talking with them. They also have a blog that Nacho helps up for the group. (Pntbound.wordpress.com) 

Really good day. I'm cramping on Roosevelt Lake, just north of Kettle Falls.
Great people again showing random acts of kindness. I was given two bottles of Gatorade and two bottles of water by one of my camping neighbors and fresh home grown cucumber and Jerky to go with my Raman noodles by another.

Pics in order:

Border Crossing. .....:)

Trans Canadian

One of many cattle gates on the Trans Canadian

Next two trail pics

Wildlife

Nacho, Audrey and Matt

For Cass

Dinner from friends