Days 11, 12 and 13 Libby to Eureka to West Glacier to East Glacier

Day 11 (14 Aug 09) Libby to Eureka 80 Miles

Dark in the morning on the western edge of mountain time zone; darker still by the low hanging rain clouds and the dingy Roadway Inn. Good thing the Motor Lodge across 4 lanes lets us use their coin washer and dryer.

Promises of another day of rain. We ride north on the eastern edge of Lake Koocanusa and on the edge of the storm. Ospreys greet our passing on a road so quiet we can hear our hearts beat when we stop to look at the mountains. We stop to watch whether a fledging osprey will take the leap off the high dive. His parents call circling us call, but he just cries.

We’ve gone 33 miles still on the edge of the storm. We are making good time and Jim remarks that it looks like Scotland: innumerable shades of gray reflected as steel gray by the lake - gray above, gray below. A few moments later he says, “Get on your rain gear.” Len fails the transition and gets soaked (he’ll never make the cut in triathlon unless he practices his transition). We stand under the trees while it pours and hails.

Rain ends and we change again. More changes than the runway models. We come to the Tobacco Valley boarded by the Mission Mountains (part of the Rockies) and the river. Over our right shoulders is black sky with black fingers hanging down. A stiff side wind makes climbing the river valley benches difficult.

We turn south into the stiff wind and stop at Stein’s Family Market. A rotisserie chicken, salad, yoghurt and bananas in our packs. It starts raining and we have 8 miles to Crave Creek Cabins. The thermometer drops 10 degrees and we are pelted with stinging rain. Rain dripping off our noses, rain soaking our shoes, but that rotisserie chicken safe in the dry bag.

Up to Grave Creek Cabins and a rainbow over the Mission Mountains.

An aside - the main event for Jim. My daughter Dawn had her second baby this morning at 9:15 AM eastern time. Kate Leigh Allen was born 7 lbs. 10 oz. Both baby and mother are doing well. I can’t wait to see my new grand daughter.

Day 12 (14 Aug 09) Eureka to West Glacier 70 miles

Our stay at the Grave Creek Cabins was delightful. The cabins are extremely well maintained, have a small deck that faces the Flathead Mountain range. The inside is warm, has hardwood floors and a small kitchen area. We had the foresight of buying a rotisserie chicken for dinner in Eureka. Given the rain and distance to the nearest restaurant (2 miles), dinner would otherwise have consisted of Hammer bars and Accelerade. As it was, we had time to clean the mud and sand from our bike chains before the rain began again. Jim was temped to make a beer run but the nearby thunder and lightening discouraged him.

We awoke to gray skies and mid-40s temperature and began the ride in our rain gear, more for warmth than because of rain. As we rode by Dickey Lake we heard the cry of the Common Loon. You hear them all summer at Lovell Lake in New Hampshire, but we were both surprised to hear that haunting call here.

We spent the first half of the ride on route 93, which was lightly traveled in the early morning. Traffic didn’t really pick up until we approached Whitefish, home of the Big Mountain ski area. Whitefish is also home to Hammer Nutrition and we were disappointed to learn that their store is closed on Saturday. We ate lunch in a small café (first time for a real lunch in many days) across the street from the local bicycle shop. After the obligatory stop at the bike shop where Jim replenished his supply of Hammer bars, we continued on to West Glacier.

We rode through quiet farmland on the outskirts of Whitefish before rejoining route 2 (about the only road we’ll see for the rest of our ride through Montana) and the rain. Upon leaving route 2 in Columbia Falls, we also left the rain. We were now riding on a lightly traveled county road. After making a short stop to remove our rain gear we encountered two other riders, Seth and Jan, who were on the second to last day of an 8 week tour of the western U. S. They were on their way to East Glacier to catch the train, the Empire Builder, back to Minnesota. A few miles further on we were passed by several people in an old Land Cruiser. They stopped in a turnout in front of us and we were approached by a young man, Dan, who as it turns out, noticed my (Jim’s) Dartmouth bike jersey and told us he was returning to Hanover this fall to complete his senior year at Dartmouth. Dan asked us if we were part of Dartmouth’s Ride and Build project. We said we were not and he explained that each year in the summer, a group of Dartmouth students ride their bicycles in the Northwest and help build homes (like Habitat for Humanity). After talking for a little while longer, we said good bye and Dan returned to the Land Cruiser. Within several hundred yards up the hill he turned on to an unmarked gravel road, presumably where he lives. What an incredible coincidence to encounter a current Dartmouth student from a state that sends very few students to Dartmouth (I think there might have been four in my class) and in an out-of-the-way place, even for Montana.

We reached West Glacier without further rain although we had a 3 mile stretch of muddy gravel road to cross by the Flathead River. The Vista Motel, where we are staying has an incredible west-facing view of the mountains. The welcoming and most generous proprietress offered to let us use her car so we could buy food for breakfast. The nearest grocery store is 10 miles away in Hungry Horse. After taking care of breakfast, we walked up the hill to the Swift Creek Grill for dinner.

Day 13 (16 Aug 09) West Glacier to East Glacier 56 miles

Change of plans; we were going to Browning. The owner of the Vista Inn in East Glacier tells us not to stay in Browning. If we do; don’t go out at night; lock your bikes in your room. The bars have bars on the windows and doors. Fights and drinking are the norm.

Shelby is too far. Good thing we decided on East Glacier. It was a slog in the cold rain up and over Marias Pass and to the east side of the continental divide. Just a bit north of here is the Hudson Bay divide. Parting of the rivers as we head for the plains.

Railroad built by Hill and his Empire Builder train. President Cleveland tried to stop Hill from building his railroad with the help of “eastern interests.” (Nothing really changes.) Hill’s’ railroad took coal and wheat to the west coast and goods back. It appears that the RR is doing the same today.

East Glacier makes its money on Glacier National Park. Small town, few motels and a big black dog that decides what side of the street he will sleep on. We scrounge for breakfast items in the one convenience store in town. Lots of Snickers, beer, Crunch, Cup of Soup. Fortunately, the person who owns the store is also a baker and we get some fresh baked goods and fruit.

We do laundry and read the police blotter in the “Glacier Reporter.” Here are a few tastes of the news (no embellishment, just the facts mam):

12:19 AM “Officer reporting he will be out with a male urinating. The male took off and officer has male’s wallet.”

7:57 AM “Backpack left with undies.”

9:25 AM “Colony advises they are on generator right now and have no electricity. Some of the guys out in the field saw a bird on fire.”

2:08 AM “Female caller requesting an ambulance to Low Rent (name of town?) for a woman. She is having a seizure.” (Editorial comment: Maybe her rent went up?)