Arriving

We climbed out of Big Fork and went 53 miles through backwoods and across dirt roads to make it to Apgar Campground on the west side of the park. The Flathead river looked pretty awesome coming in, but I wasn't awed my anything we saw in the park on the 23rd. We took the free shuttle up just a little ways after setting up camp, and the woods were nice, but nothing spectacular (that comes in the next post). The lake by the campground was lovely, th0ugh, so we took a ton of pictures of it.

Land o' Lakes?

Today's ride was pretty awesome. It was all rolling terrain with grassy woods (some parts more open than others) and a ton of lakes + rivers. 76 miles total in to Big Fork. We've entered into logging country and talked to one of the log truckers during a break today. Twas cool. This morning reminded me of a mix of the ride between the Tetons and Yellowstone and the ride through Arapaho back in Colorado. All in all, very pretty. after about 70 miles, we did (finally) stop to play in the Swan River. It felt absolutely amazing, and I was seriously considering swimming the last couple of miles. There was a dam directly downstream, so it's a good thing I didn't try.
Two amusing things for the day: a mule deer standing directly beside a deer crossing sign and Dad bouncing down the road to Flight of the Bumblebees.
Cool thing: people were nice and one dude did offer us cherries, peaches, and plums (delicious)

T minus 2 days to Glacier

It feels like we got a little of everything Montana has today. Wound out of Missoula following the Clark Fork around some sand-colored, dry hills early this morning. Just outside of East Missoula we switched over to the Blackfoot River, and went through this awesome gorge surrounded by pretty large, tree and grass covered mountains. The rivers we passed in the morning were still pretty clear, but the light gave them a more familiar brown/green tint. The gorge opened up a bit, and we found ourselves in this awesome cove with beautiful meadows (MT irrigates and uses sprinklers more than any other state I've seen) surrounded by pine-covered hills. It was a bit like a Cades Cove in the west. After the cove, we did a mini-climb (even though we were slightly uphill/flat anyhoo) and got a nice downhill on the backside. The roads did have broad shoulders for the first half, so we rode on those even though they were covered with gravel and glass. I have developed a strong dislike of gravelly shoulders - they're way too bumpy to use for long stretches. Cars get kinda angry if you take the road, though. Closer to the afternoon, we got more of the dry hills and farms with rolling terrain and lots of sunlight. We did pass a few lakes (Salmon and at the end of our ride Seeley), and that was great. Kinda made me want to go for a swim. The afternoon roads also had no shoulder (yay), which gave our butts needed respite. Though we could have done another 25 miles, Dad's a bit tired, so we've stopped after 55 miles in Seeley Lake. Pictures will come later.

The Last of the TransAm

7.18.09 We took a 59 mile ride over Chief Joseph Pass (our 9th and final - I think - continental divide). I've decided that I like mountains with moisture a ton better than mountains that rise out of sagebrush flats (even though some of those are very pleasant). We had a mildly late start since it was in the 40s when we woke up, but once the sun was out, it got quite comfortable. We stopped by the Big Hole Battleground (Nez Perce vs. US jerks) and started playing leap frog with the ACA dudes. We got into the climb, and things were forested, grassy between the lodgepoles, and, every now and then, we'd have a stream nearby. There were a bunch of flies around, which gets pretty irritating when you can't outrun them, but we had fewer mosquitoes than past climbs (hurray). At the top we finished off some great fudge from Virginia City, and then cruised down to Sula. We lost something like 3000 feet and gained at least 15 degrees temperature-wise (getting us into the 90s - this whole 40 degree difference in arid regions is weird). The descent was pretty twisty, and I'm pretty sure this is the first hill I made it to the bottom of before my dad (he took a break halfway down). Most of the day we were biking through National Forests (at least Bitterroot NF, maybe something else too). Sula had this nice little gas/country store/campground with cabins, and we decided to hole up there since we were trying to hit Lolo, MT on Monday for a mail drop. (Also, the next available town was having a lumberjack festival.) Called a few friends, and that was good. Karl, consider yourself blogged.








7.19.09 Took a long, easy, 75 miler into Lolo. The first 3/4 of the day, we were averaging about 15mph, still cruising off the pass from the day before. Road conditions were great, temperatures were a little on the warm side, traffic was fine, and there were plenty of resupply points. We were going through the Bitterroot Valley, which started out pretty narrow (I liked that) and gradually opened through the day. The mountains looked super rugged on one side and sand-colored and rounded on the other. The rivers and creeks the past couple days have been some of the clearest I've seen. We missed out on one brewery in Hamilton (it opened a few hours later, alack), and ended up being charged for refilling our water bottles at a gas station. Ugh. The end of the day was pretty chill though, and we got to take our time the next morning.




7.20.09 Today was a short day into and arround Missoula (about 20 miles total). We checked out the Adventure Cycling headquarters and got food, ice cream, water bottles, and a (purchased) jersey for our trouble. Woot. Ran into the ACA kids one last time, for tomorrow, we set off on a connector to get to the Northern Tier (and glacier - I am super excited). Time might be a little more tight, and we might have some tougher climbs in Washington now, but that's ok.

Climbing

We made it over the 2 passes this morning - 48 miles unsupported after two 70+ days = enough. More cow fields and hills, but today we did it with company. The ACA group is still around, but we met up with this cool lady named Cheryl who is a state legislator and an at-risk high school English teacher. We talked up both passes, and it turns out she lives close to Glacier. She helped us figure out the route we'll be taking out of Missoula (which is awesome) and offered us a place to stay/shower just outside of the park. Gotta love good people. She's nearing the end of a 4-week tour around Montana. Bugs were bad between the two passes, and they're just finishing chip-sealing the road on that section. Downhills were great, though. Tonight we're camping behind the lodge in Jackson, and we have access to the lounge/bathrooms/showers and a hot springs that felt amazing. Dad just returned with an ice cream too, so I know where I'm headed next.

Another long one

Virginia City Downtown (the candy shop had some awesome fudge and really fresh taffy)


Zombies. Or the Lewis and Clark Trail. Or Zombies on the Lewis and Clark Trail

Had a 72 miler today (making about 150 miles within the past two days). Started with a 12 mile climb up a 2000 foot unnamed pass (complete with asthma), and I think both of us were still pretty tired. We managed the next 60 miles pretty well, even if they were filled with tons of stops and some hesitation on my dad's part. He was thinking about stopping around 40, but we had something of a tailwind (that didn't last), and we needed to get set up for two passes we'll climb tomorrow morning. Scenery was more ranches (more sheep and a lot of irrigation for the grass) with mountains surrounding us and some rolling hills on the road. We did go through some neat old gold mining towns that have been somewhat restored/maintained (including Virginia City and Nevada City). I'm pretty worn out, so I wasn't paying as much attention as usual either. We'll have a 50 miler or something like that tomorrow, and I'm getting some sleep now.

Montana Time

The cows that came to watch
Earthquake Lake (landslide was toward the back of the pic)

We left West Yellowstone this morning pretty early, and there was a pretty thick fog for the first 15 miles or so. It kept things cold and mysterious, but I was happy to see the sun (and the mountains that were behind the mist) once it came out. We rode mostly downhill along the Madison River (including Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes) today, and the breezes even stayed in our favor most of the 78 mile ride. The sun was just burning through the clouds as we passed the lakes. In case you're wondering, Earthquake Lake got its name and its start to a '59(?) 7.5 earthquake that brought the side of a mountain down into the Madison River Canyon, closing off the exit point of the creek. The Army Corps of Engineers has since dug out a portion of the collapsed mountain so the river can continue downstream. The canyon was gorgeous - we were riding down through the middle of the mountains, and the river gradient at the end made for a pretty sweet downhill. The rest of the day, we rode through pastures that kinda reminded me of earlier ones in Wyoming. Massive mountains on the horizon but very few hills for us. This is the first day in a while that we've really managed to truck through the distance for the day (avg speeds around 14 with lots of 16-18mph stretches). A little over halfway through, I got a flat (the shoulder's had lots of broken glass and old tire bits). Dad had the necessary equipment to fix it, and with all the semis, he was just out of hearing distance. I hung out for a bit until an awesome lady in a Subaru came up and asked if I needed help. I got her to flag down my dad (who had gone a little over a mile) and waited for his return. The cows in the field next to me started coming over to check me out, and I have to admit, it was a little intimidating. By the time we had changed the tube out, most of the cows were standing along the fence staring at us. We crossed over to a fly shop to refill our water bottles and ran into the awesome lady again. The remaining 20 miles were pleasantly uneventful. There are a ton of fly fishers out on this portion of the Madison as well. Tomorrow we hit another pass with 2000 ft of climbing, and if that doesn't knock us out, we may make it to Dillon. Our other option is a newish hostel in Twin Bridges. There are actually quite a few climbs over the next few days, and while they may not be continental divides, they'll likely be tougher than many of the divides we've crossed. Wahoo.