07/21/23 Marias Pass to Whitefish

July 21, 2023

Heart

Comment

The main northern east/west rail line crosses the continental divide together with US 2 and is right across the road from the campground. The trains are loud, long, and run all night and there’s a bit of decoupling as the helper engines which were added below are removed. So, not a very solid sleep.

No matter, today was mostly downhill, and I was shedding elevation at a rate far too rapid for all the work put into attaining it. The grades at the top were so steep I had empathetic nausea for anyone riding in the opposite direction. The trains were a constant feature, I could hear them passing all the time. There are long trains of oil cars going over the pass, I shudder to think what an accident would look like. There are also tanker trucks carrying petroleum going west, each one leaving the smell of hydrocarbons in their wake. Now that I think of it, that might be where the nausea was coming from.

It got hotter and hotter the lower I got, and even though I had my sights set on Kalispell I started looking for a place to stop once I got to West Glacier. Yikes! High season near a popular national park is insane. I found a piece of dirt in Whitefish for $98 and was glad it was so cheap. Gag.

The scenery was not particularly interesting, but it was nice to be back in the trees again. US 2 cuts through a corner of the national park, so I guess I did visit

I waved to the passengers on the Amtrak Empire Builder as they passed

I could make out ripple marks on some of the surfaces

It was getting late so I skipped the Montana Vortex, which I’m sure I will regret

But mostly I regret not spending time at the Ten Commandments Park

There’s a nice bike path for many miles out of West Glacier

Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 2,557 miles (4,115 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	2

Gregory GarceauEarly on, you wondered if you should post a journal. "So much work! So much responsibility!" you wrote. True, but I'm glad you did it. Good stuff.
Reply to this comment
10 months ago

David ChavezTo Gregory GarceauThanks. It’s gotten easier, now that I have a system. Key is to not go back and reread anything
Reply to this comment
10 months ago