Day 22 at West Glacier camping

Rest day today.  We didn’t have to pack up camp which was nice. It seems I have a meltdown about once a week and today was the day. I’m missing home and Remi and normal life and food 😬. I talked it out with Terry and Ross and am good for now.

We had a nice day and rode into town to get lunch items before continuing on to Glacier NP. We found a great spot overlooking Lake McDonald and enjoyed lunch. We went back to West Glacier and whilst Terry and Ross took care of a few things, I talked with my good friend Deb. She’s always there to give me the support I need and listen to all my complaints. I couldn’t do this without her!  Thanks Deb!! Love you! 

After having a beer and getting dinner groceries we headed back to camp. Campfire potatoes and hotdogs over the fire made for another interesting meal and very few dishes!

Day 23

Logan’s Pass

Terry was anxious to get started. He wanted to make sure we got past the section of road that closes to bicyclists from 11-4 before 11. The shoulder is narrow to none in spots and traffic is already getting bad. We make it to the 1st destination in plenty of time. After a short break we continue on and get to the gate where cars are not allowed past yet. Now we take our time and enjoy the scenery. So amazing! We stop to take pictures only to continue a short distance and see even more amazing sites. We eventually make it to the loop where bicyclists have to wait until road crews are done working for the day between 3-4pm. We have our lunch and hangout with the others waiting. I have decided that doing this pass is not something I need to do, but I definitely want Terry to be able to ride it without worrying about me. When we can finally start up the last 7 miles, Terry and Ross ride off and I start up on my own. If I decide I don’t want to keep going up, I will just wait for them to come back down. I stop to take pictures and continue on my way. My legs don’t feel too bad and it’s taking me about 15 minutes to do a mile. Terry and Ross figured it would take about 1.25-1.5 hrs for their climb and I realize I might be able to get close to the top before they come back down. So I continue on. A couple on regular bikes pass me, but they end up taking pictures at the weeping wall and don’t continue the climb. A few e-bikes pass me and cheer me on. Eventually I see Terry coming down and decide it wasn’t meant to be for me to make it to the top. When Terry sees me he is totally surprised and tells me I only have half a mile to go. So Terry and Ross join me to go to the summit. So happy I made it!! So beautiful all around and so great not having to deal with traffic. We really were fortunate with our timing for this.

But now we have to get down and back to the campsite before dark. 34 miles to go and it’s after 6. We probably could have made it in daylight if we hadn’t stopped to eat dinner at Lake McDonald, but food was necessary. We made it back around 10 and after a quick shower it was snooze time for this tired chick!!

Day 24

West Glacier to Essex

The legs are tired today after yesterday’s climb and long day. My hip is bothering me a bit so I take some Aleve to help me through the day. The plan is to get to a campground that is 7 miles from Maria’s Pass.

It’s a struggle and I keep hoping my legs will liven up. We make it to Essex and stop at the Isaac Walton Inn for lunch. 

We look outside and it is pouring rain. We decide to see if the Inn has a room and call it a day. I was happy to end early and rest. I did a load of laundry and had a beverage 😊

Dinner on the patio was nice and early to bed.

Day 25

Essex to cut Bank

I’m not looking forward to the long day today and I told Terry I would be slow as the miles piled on, especially having to climb Maria’s Pass. We left at 7:30 with 17 miles to go to get to the summit. My legs were still a little tired and my hip is still bothering. I stretch it often and rub my IT band but the nagging pain remains. We make it to the top of the Pass around 11 and look forward to downhill. Turns out it was very gradual downhill with a few longer uphills that put me back in granny gear several times. Rain accompanied us on and off but I was happy with the cooler temps and less sun for the long day of riding. After Browning, the head winds got bad and Terry slowed down to be my wind block and allow me to draft. The 75 mile day was long and boy did I have to pee!! It’s really not fair that Terry and Ross don’t even have to get off their bikes to go and I can’t find a bush in the wide open fields to shield me. I wait and try not to hit too many road bumps. About 10 miles out I have to stop for a granola bar - fuel is needed. Cut Bank is finally in sight but omg, the hill into town is the last thing I needed to see. Too much headwind to get any kind of advantage from the downhill, so slowly granny takes me up. So happy to have made it to the hotel. We shall see what tomorrow feels like! Original plan was to do 67 miles but time will tell…

Day 26

Cut Bank to Chester

Another long day ahead but not feeling too bad. The hotel had breakfast, prepackaged food that you can zap or toast. After the not so amazing breakfast, we head out. I’m surprised my legs are good to go after yesterday’s big miles. The day is nice with the winds being a lot calmer than yesterday. We stop in Shelby for a bite to eat and decide to carry on to Chester. My energy fades after about 40-45 miles so I try a caffeinated beverage when we stop at Galata general store. Overall the day went well, happy when we reached Chester city park. No showers tonight, but running water makes for a happy Janet cleanup.  It is a little windy which helps with drying clothes quickly, but not so much for putting a tent up without being able to stake it in the ground. When Terry called about camping in the city park they said no stakes because of the sprinkler system. Ross caught our tent as it flew by. We got it back on the ground and filled with our bags to hold it down until after dinner. We went to a bar & grill for dinner. Meh - not the best, not the worst. We were tuckered, so early to bed. Train tracks are close, and trains wake us a few different times. Wind and trains make for an interesting nights sleep.

Day 27

Chester to Havre

I’m awake at 5 - probably a little early for the boys. The store we will stop at on the way out of town doesn’t open until 7. Someday, I will get this show on the road a bit earlier, but not today. I change my clothes and get my sleeping items bagged up after waiting until 5:40 to start moving around. It is already windy, so I am not looking forward to the 60 mile day. We get going from the park around 7:15 and go to the store on the outside of town for breakfast and lunch. We leave there about 8:10 and get going. It’s a bit of a climb, not steep, but continuous and the wind is not being friendly. The highway turns a bit so the wind is cross and a bit to our backs, but still strong. The shoulder is wide so Terry and I can ride together. He blocks the wind when needed 😊 My saddle sores are back big time, so I struggle to sit. Eventually the shoulder narrows and riding gets really difficult for me. The wind is bad, especially when vehicles pass, no matter what direction. The wind nearly blows me off the shoulder so I tense up every time a vehicle goes by. We stop several times - I need lots of breaks. After we stop for lunch I struggle for to get going for some time. I can’t seem to stick with Terry - I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. I actually think we were going uphill ever so slightly for many miles but Terry said no. After another break, my energy returns and I can keep up again. Ross is waiting for us at various locations, so we have break spots to look forward to. Again, my legs get tuckered after 40-45 miles and I struggle again. My leg cramp has returned as of yesterday., but I had a Gatorade at our last stop and the cramp went away. 

We get to Havre around 4:30 and Ross has checked us into a hotel. After temps in the upper 80’s and all that wind, it’s nice to be inside with air conditioning and a shower!

Day 27

Havre to Harlem 

Today is a shorter day at around 42 miles instead of 60+. That makes me happy!  We didn’t get going as early today but with shorter miles to go it was good. We did hotel breakfast and were on our way.  We had 22 miles to Chinook where we had 2nd breakfast. The road was good with a nice shoulder; again, made me happy!  My saddle sores were better, but smooth roads help tremendously.  The wind had its moments when it was more of a headwind but not too bad. From Chinook to Harlem was about 22 miles again, so off we go. Our good shoulder and roads disappeared and the wind was against us a lot more. I struggle with the little to no shoulder as passing vehicles nearly blow me into the ditch. Terry cannot be my wind block without the wide shoulders. We made it to Harlem with plans to camp in the city park where there is a pool. Since temps are close to 90 we thought we’d enjoy the pool but instead we just enjoy the showers and answering the kids (from the pool) questions about our trip. Waiting now for the pool to close and kids to be gone so we can put the tents up. No bathroom tonight since the pool ones get locked up at 8pm. Albertsons is just a block away and open till 10, so that will be the last bathroom use until morning. 😬