July 10, 2005
Day 54: Dupuyer to Saint Mary
Got up at dawn again and I packed up quickly. I know from past experience that the wind can be tough in the stretch to Browning. The wind had died down for now. It was still cool, still cloudy. The road was totally empty. Just fields and grass and clover and mountains in the distance. I got about 15 miles in before the wind started picking up. 8:30 in the morning and a pretty stiff headwind. Plus the road from I-15 started to dump more traffic onto "my" road.
When I got on the Blackfeet Reservation I thought about the young man who died in the roll-over last summer. They had just passed me - flying - and they missed a curve near Two Medicine Creek. Fortunately it's Sunday morning and the party folks aren't out yet.
I got into Browning right at noon. Had a hot dog and a soda at the convenience store and did some shopping at the IGA. Then I headed out to the fairgrounds where they were finishing up North American Indian Days. I had never been to a pow-wow like this. The grand entrance of all the dancers - men and women, young and old, all categories of dancers - was stunning. It seemed like there were a thousand people in the arena in feathers, bells, buckskins, and dazzling colors. It was so beautiful and moving. Then I began to listen more closely to all the songs that each nation played. The Northern Cree from Canada were amazing - mixing drumming and song with rap that addressed current issues for native peoples. Wow!
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I left for Glacier Park, reluctantly, late in the afternoon. More headwind. More slow going. Starr School Road was repaved only last summer and already it is littered with beer cans and broken glass. Make no mistake - the connection between all the smashed bottles and the smashed lives is profound.
When I hit US 89 I knew I had a lot of climbing to do, but I also hit rain. Even though it was getting late, the traffic was still pretty heavy and the going was dicey. When I finally got to Glacier, they wanted $7, not $5, for the hiker/biker sites at St Marys. The park website had clearly stated - $5. Seems that you had to pay a reservation fee whether or not you actually had a reservation - you know, to cover the costs of rebuilding the campground with 40-foot pull-thrus. I hit the roof and the woman in the kiosk called the rangers. Yet again, the national park service proves how truly bike unfriendly it is. Why not pave over the entire park for RVs and then have cyclists pay for it?
Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 2,888 miles (4,648 km)
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