A Pause- East Glacier, MT

Proverbs tells me, “The mind of a person plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps”(16:9). 

We did have a spread sheet and daily plan. We always knew it was to be flexible and adaptable. We planned and trained and prepared for our adventure.  Gen Eisenhower said of D-day that the moment the boats left the docks, he threw away the plans. And, our plans have changed…but the adventure continues. 

The heat is having more of an effect on us than we had realized. Even as we ride earlier in the day, by noon the sun’s intensity drains our strength. As we looked ahead a few days, we enter central and eastern MT followed by North Dakota. Resources and services in spots extend beyond 75 miles. And the heat wave appears to be long lasting. Although not as hot as Boise and places in WA, the thin air does little to filter the sun’s rays. We need to think of our health. 

I was just googling for kicks and found Amtrak’s routes. Low and behold, they too have a Northern Tier-ish route through MT and ND. I mentioned, “hey, I’ve travelled this country for 40 years. Let’s take the train .” The more we contemplated the weather, our aching bodies and sores affirmed to us that it’s our adventure, there are no rules. We decided to give the next day (today) a break and pray and cogitate our options. 

This morning we went to the train station for a little fact finding mission.

- Yes, bikes are allowed from this station. Apparently taking your bike is a function of the departing and destination stations’ abilities and not the train itself. And yep, Fargo is a full service stop. 

-nope, you can now leave your front tire attached. Amtrak just rolls it on and hooks up to new bike racks. 

-you get two checked bags and two carry on bags. Check, four panniers are a go. 

-oops, sorry, no room for you guys tomorrow. But the next day is ok. But because it’s a weekend it’s a little more cash. No problem, we are not spending it on RV parks for two weeks. 

So we booked our train tickets. Amtrak. Coach class. A new, different adventure. We will visit family and restart our bike tour from Minnesota. 

Then I got word my dad was in the ER for chest pains! He has been admitted.  I am so thankful we booked tickets from East Glacier and did not have to figure out this alternate plan further down the road. I just talked to dad. He was so encouraging. More worried about us and the heat. So excited to see us sooner. It’s the LORD directing our steps. 

So, what do you do in East Glacier? We booked another night in the hostel. I am really enjoying the vagabond sojourner culture. Everyone has their own story. The hikers looked wrecked as they come out of the mountains. It’s hot even high up. 

The hostel staff are the hardest working young men. They cook, they serve, they clean, they house keep, and they take the time to show us pictures of their home country, Croatia or Columbia, and all with a big smile. This place is always hopping. Not just the trekkers and hostel guests , but as one of the few places that remain open all week, many folks end up here just to grab a bite of lunch, a coffee or some delicious ice cream. 

After our Amtrak station lesson and primer, we went across the street to the East Glacier Lodge. Typical “parkatecture”. Open vaulted ceilings, heavy log beams, gift shop loaded with unnecessary objects. Different clientele to be honest. More conversations about the unsightly disrepair of the pool than how you combat mosquitoes at 10,000’. But their deck has the view. Most folks taking time to get that perfect picture. Of course the restaurant was closed during lunch. 

So we went back to Brownies hostel, ate a hand made turkey sandwich served with a huge smile and Sergio letting us know he got our room ready early. I just wish they would quit calling me ‘sir’. 

Like Sharon’s in Tonasket, Brownies Hostel and Bakery is a great place to just be. Enjoying being in the presence. 

We are here another day. I’ll keep you posted. The train will just be part of our adventure, but probably not found on Strava. 

Day 16 & 17. Essex then East Glacier

No internet yesterday so I’ll catch you up on the last couple of days. 

Whitefish in my mirror, we found our route on undulating backroads towards Columbia Falls. Leaving early, the air was cool and the legs started strong. Passing through wooded homesites and then farm land, we entered Columbia Falls and stopped for breakfast at the Outlaw Cafe. My fare was called “blah, blah, blah”, fried red potatoes, sausage and eggs, over medium. A splash of tobasco and it was anything but blah. Towards West Glacier we traveled more back roads and even some gravel. When we reached US 2, there was a parallel bike path. Oh the joy. No competition with the traffic. In West Glacier we paid the accustomed tourist rate  for some snacks and coffee. Learning that our future RV park up towards the pass had not opened its restaurant we bought some groceries and planned for self supported adventure. 

The Glacier Haven RV park is under new management. Like Ione, WA the new owners sold their home in WA and set up shop in MT. I see a trend developing. We set up camp, showered, relaxed, ate freeze dried Cuban Coconut Black Beans, and waited for the sun and temps to go down. The RV park is nestled between Hwy 2 and the BNSF rail. The same set of tracks that ran next to our Whitefish  camp.  We were so tired we hardly noticed. 

This morning we slept in some. Well Rhonda did. I made coffee, then another. Just enjoying the cool mountain air.  We ate groceries from yesterday and took off up towards the pass. 

In a little over 6 miles we came to Essex and the Izaack  Walton League Inn. So we pulled in. Izaack was an early writer and enjoyed fishing. Three centuries later some conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts started a club in his honor. As a baby game warden in South Dakota I remember attending their wild game feeds and giving presentations when they couldn’t find anyone else. 

The Inn in Essex is reminiscent of early Americana of the 30’s. We went into the quiet cafe where guests were served breakfast and we ordered some cocoa and coffee and for a change, a fruit salad. Did I mention it was quiet? 

Except for climbing the pass and the climbing temps, I could have stayed there a while, maybe longer. Maybe you wouldn’t see me again. 

But the road beckoned and we climbed a couple thousand feet to the Continental divide. Very majestic! 

You’d imagine we would have a fast downhill into East Glacier. But you’d be wrong. The shoulders disappeared, the grade was gentle, except for the false summit climbs. But eventually we made it into East Glacier. Our home for tonight is a hostel. A first for me. 

They just let us know our room is ready so I’ll see you later. 

Update: 

The room reminds me of mountain huts and shared accommodations of Europe. The place is a beehive of activity. Most are young hikers; some through hikers on the Continental

Divide Trail, others hiking Glacier NP proper and some just wanderers. 

Still others are here for the ice cream. And their pizza is good. And of course there is the occasional bike pair. We are possibly the oldest guests in the hostel, but very young at heart. 

It’s looking like the heat wave is following us east. So it’s off to bed in hopes of an early cool start 

Jon

Day 15-Whitefish

The last time I visited Whitefish I was a senior at the University of Montana. My friends took me for the first time alpine skiing at the Big Mountain. Our first and my last run, was to the very top of the bowl that overlooked Glacier NP. Impressive views!  But getting down through the mogel black Diamond run soured me on skiing for many years. But I always wanted to return. 

We awoke early in Eureka. After breakfast the route took us off the highway on an old back roads. We saw more deer than vehicles. Joyous. We rejoined Hwy 93 at Fortine. There was a quaint diner at the crossroads. The owners were sitting outside sipping coffee waiting to open for the church crowd. Not quite open they invited to relax, use the facilities and they filled our water bottles. Back on 93 the shoulders were wide and traffic light…for now.

The temps rose, traffic increased and shoulders decreased. I’d like to stay positive. Most vehicles are polite, kind and courteous. However it only takes one. He was driving a diesel pickup pulling a camper. His sense of humor is lost on me as he crowed us off the road into the gravel and the “rolled coal”. Rhonda was soon covered in a black cloud of soot and I soon followed. 

About 15 miles from Whitefish the route left 93 and we traveling through serene farm country on a road aptly named Farm To Market. Hay fields were being harvested as deer and turkey played. 
Five miles from town we rejoined the shoulderless US HWY 93. Let’s just say we were relieved when we entered the city limits and a sidewalk bike path emerged. It led us straight into the state park with a hiker biker  camp. The highlight of this hot in so many ways day was the park attendant. He was so welcoming. Even though most hiker biker camps now require prior reservations he said MT state parks would never turn away a biker or hiker away. Camp reservation and shower tokens in hand we found our site next to the beach and only a small walk to the shower. We were first in camp…
Only to be joined by a collection of wanderers, sojourners, seekers and explorers. One couple on the great divide route came in in the back of pickup with heavy laden packs and one ripped out rear tire. These two were equipped with every bit of gear a survivalist or prepper would ever want or need, except a spare tire. 
Dave, a hiker wandered in. He is taking the summer off, from Missouri found his way on the WA coast walking the coastline. Flying to Kalispell and Uber to Whitefish he left early this morning for Glacier NP to hike the Continental Divide Trail. 
Our immediate neighbor rolled in on a motorbike. The kind that you could travel around the world in. He was just wandering, seeing what he could see before he headed back to CO. 
If I haven’t mentioned, it was hot. We rode early and got to camp by 1pm. But it was still hot, and no breeze. We needed to ride a couple miles into town to find a restaurant. Whitefish isn’t what I remembered from 40 years ago. It’s quite the resort town, pretending to be a Sun Valley. So, yep, I returned. Check that off my list. 
It sorta cooled down as we entered the tent. Sleep didn’t come. But the trains sure did. Every hour throughout the day and night the railroad track less than 100 yards away, screeched and screamed as they rolled one direction, then another. 
We got another early start this morning. It was cool, traffic is light and the route is taking us once again on back roads. 
And I found internet service…

Day 14- Eureka Again

Rest Day Eureka, WA

When we got to our room last evening, I could only focus on how tired I was and wonder if a days rest would cure the fatigue. We showered and basically dropped into bed. I was asleep while Jon wrote the blog. Yet today we feel much better and can envision our ride tomorrow. 

Here what a rest day looks like! Our motel room looks like our bikes barfed up all their contents. We air out sleeping bags & tent. We sleep in and then lay around… actually we are on our phones a lot today. Then we head to the laundry mat to wash our very dirty clothes. We have coffee & cocoa at a local place. We go to two stores looking for very specific things. Then we go to the car wash & clean the grunge from our bikes. Then brunch 😊.

Fun facts learned on the road: people are really kind & curious. The three common questions are, where are you going?/where did you start? Are you crazy? And, what is in your glasses? (It is a built in mirror.) People who are cyclists ask the first question, skip the second question & go right to asking about gear. The next question is, does your butt hurt & have you had any mechanical issues? YES, to the last two questions, therefore we need a rest day. 

We will be hitting the road early to beat the heat and hopefully arrive at Whitefish early afternoon tomorrow. Stay tuned…

Day 13-Eureka!

Yesterday afternoon as we road hard into Libby, the headwind turned to a tailwind as the rain showers just began to fall. Not hard enough or long enough to care about any  additional layers. Just refreshing. The rain did not last long but the temperature dropped just enough. 

As Becky, Mark and Clate readied to leave us, my old (yes we are) college buddy Jeff joined us. He arranged a tent spot in the Libby Volunteer Fireman Memorial Campground, nestled between the graveyard and Rosauers Supermart. Jeff says nothing has changed. He would know. He graduated high school in Libby, dug graves in the graveyard for a job, cruised the main drag and ate at Henry’s, which like Jeff and the campground, hasn’t changed much over the years. Jeff and I were roommates my last year at U of Montana. For the past 35+ years we meet each August with some other old and I mean old roommates and backpack in Montana. I’ll miss Beartooth Bonanza 2021 this year. 

We woke up to heavy mist and fog. We slowly broke camp. Jeff built a pot of coffee with his camp stove as we loaded our bikes. It took 30 minutes to say goodbye. So we decided we should eat breakfast at Henry’s. It was the cheapest meal of the trip, but tasty and filling as any. 

We rolled out of Libby and found the “Old Haul Road” that led up to the Libby Dam. The haul road was quiet save two polite logging trucks and the parallel railroad. At 15 miles we met a US Forest Service road crew. After the accustomed responses, “from where?”, “to Maine”, “OMG!”, these two road engineers talked us into taking the old road on the west side of Lake Koocanusa. Sure it’s a bit longer. Yeah maybe some more climbing, but each climb is shorter and less grade than the highway. The highway is busy, lots of traffic, no shoulder. Yes, the west side. You can find water at the USFS campgrounds. Who better than a road engineer to listen to for directions. I probably should have asked then if they were cyclists. I think I know the answer. 

Another five miles and we climbed to the top of the dam. Great views. Met a couple from Texas who saw us on the road yesterday. They were headed to Alaska but until the border opens they are thinking Lobster instead of crab. We may see them in Maine. 

We filled our water bottles again and kept climbing and descending and climbing and descending…

But oh the joy. For 45 miles we maybe saw 12 cars. No commercial traffic. Quiet!

The maps told us to be prepared for no services for 68 miles. The earlier road crew was great help. At 25 miles we found the campground with shaded shelter and running water. After a break we continued on and on. The views were awesome. The descending a blessing. The climbing and heat not so much. My Garmin said it reached 104. I’m thinking that was radiant heat off the tarmac, but 104 is 104. 

Finally we saw the long bridge that crossed over and we joined hwy 37. Which has fine shoulders, wide enough to ride. And the chip seal was pretty smooth. I seemed to get a second wind as we made our way up to a little town of Rexford. Rhonda said it reminded her of Yellowpine. Oh no. Rexford is several rungs higher. I lived in Yellowpine, I know…buts that’s a story for another blog. 

We found the Frontier Bar eager for our business so we ate the best burgers we had all day and about a gallon of ice water and a micro brew. No comparison  to Yellowpine. 

Six more miles over rollers heading into Eureka. What a beautiful valley! About two miles out a newer bike path led us in. We are now sprawled out in a motel room, showered and, well, the rest can wait for tomorrow. We are taking a rest day. Too many body parts ache and are sore. 

Jon

Day 12-Libby MY

Today is about beauty! We rode 77 miles on mostly back roads. We saw wildlife and scenery that was pristine. A bald eagle flew right over head & deer were running around on the side of the road. There was a large critter on the Bull River, even made us talk about getting our bear spray handy. We stopped at a roadside cafe and met an elderly man who told us about his biking group that used to tour from Washington to Montana. The scenery was pristine and riding was enjoyable along the Bull River. 

Then there was road construction again… they had pilot cars taking the traffic through. We stopped and were thinking we couldn’t get through, so Mark quickly loaded his bike on Becky’s car (who just arrived as we were stopped). They took off and the pilot car told us we could ride through. It was 15 miles of chip seal being done! We had a clear road for most of it. At 12 miles in, the road wasn’t swept so we were gravel riding. Good thing we had gravel bikes. Just then Becky showed up to pilot us back, good thing because they were laying down the tar and a thick coat of gravel.  It was still beautiful as we clicked off some quick miles. After we turned on to highway 2 to Libby, we stopped to see the Kootenai Falls. It was a hike down to the falls. Clate & I stood on the swinging bridge, took pictures, then hiked back up. It was 90 degrees out & we still had 11 miles to town. Jeff Norberg came to Libby to camp with us tonight so we had him greeting us in camp as we had to say goodbye to Becky, Mark & Clate. They left for Kalispell this evening after our ride. We just had pizza & are ready for bed. We still have a big day tomorrow & then a rest day in Eureka, MT. The pictures show what spectacular views we had today. We hope you enjoy virtually! “This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice & be glad in it!” Sang this all day in my head as I looked around.

Day 11-Beyond Hope

I finally realized that our camp (Beyond Hope RV) was just beyond the town of Hope. We certainly are not beyond Hope. 

We awoke early, well not that we haven’t been awake early, but we were deliberate to get camp put up, bikes loaded and pedaling down the road. The county road south of Priest River, meandering eastward towards US 95. The morning was cool and the miles clipped by. The car traffic was light and courteous. 

I was on a mission. Prior to leaving Boise my rear brake caliper was leaking fluid, ever so little, causing some squeaking. Shimano was going to warranty it, but Worlds Cycle needed to order it. But we were leaving in the morning. So the part was shipped to Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair in Sandpoint. They open at 10. 

The serene ride ended when we joined the bumper to bumper traffic of US95. The shoulder was wide. At Sagel we joined a bike path all the way into Sandpoint. Typical of me, we arrived at Greasy Fingers plenty early. So we found a bakery and ate a tasty egg, tomato, avocado croissant and a hardy dark coffee.  

Getting back to Greasy Fingers N Repair as it opened, we found it busy. Obvious the local favorite to have your bike tuned. In addition to the warranty work, my flat tire that I plugged 11 days and 400 miles ago finally gave up. We limped the bike in the last 10 miles. So they agreed to fix my tire and also adjust Rhonda’s front shifter. We expected the repairs would take the day. Greasy Fingers is the bikers kind of shop. They are well stocked with all the accessories you need. So I replaced my biking gloves with something with padding. We found some rear mud guards to replace my bodge created by a used milk jugs. The mechanics and staff are friendly to visit with. They have a great shop 

Sooner than later, we got the call that the bikes were ready! We returned and got all loaded up and started eastward again. 

12 miles later, we couldn’t escape yet another broken beer bottle. Rhonda’s rear tire got a slice bigger than my tire plugs could fill. We could have done a road side repair with tire boots, inserting an inner tube and limped onward in the heat.  But as Providence would have it, Becky was still in the area and Greasy Fingers was still open. Returning to the shop Rhonda got a new tire installed and some more supplies. 

In the meantime Mark, Clate and I pedaled another 13 miles to camp. 

Shortly the girls joined us, camp was made,  we showered and then enjoyed a great 1/2 rack of pork ribs at the restaurant on the water. 

Now we await a beautiful sunset on the lake. 

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him…” Romans 15:13