What's a Little Rain?

The skies were gray with the threat of rain when we woke up in Black Diamond.  The city is named for the quality of coal that was mined nearby...650 tons per year back in the day.  Patty and I headed downtown to a coffee shop called The Post.  they had some free cd's at The Post and Patty took one titled "Genuine Cowgirls--Songs from the Saddle Shop"..  By the end of the day, all she needed was a fast horse and a good man.

We rode through Turner Valley and then turned west on Hwy 549, north on Hwy 762.  The roads were scenic with good surfaces and shoulders and the weather was perfect for riding...overcast and about 70 degrees

The clouds started to spit on us a bit and by the time we met Patty south of Bragg Creek it was a drizzle.  We saw signs for moose, but never the actual animals.  Bummer.  We were making good time, but the drizzle had turned into full fledged rain and by the time we got to Bow Valley RV Park in Cochrane, I was pretty wet.

We said goodbye to Steve...he is heading back to his car in Kalispell.  The campground in Bow Valley is very nice...manicured lawns, a clubhouse, everybody has water and electric...and there is 

wifi.  While I worked on the blog and cleaned my bike, Patty drove to Calgary in search of a Calgary Stampede poster.  The Stampede starts on July 3rd.

We ate at a little place called the Hideout Pub...something called dry ribs.  I wouldn't say they were great, but they filled the tank.

Can you guess which campsite is ours?  We are tucking everything away...thunderclouds are rolling in and the chance of rain...is 100%.

The Alberta Effect...Wind

This was, by design, supposed to be an easy day for us.  39 miles with under 1600' of elevation gain.  But today we had a pesky headwind...think Biggs to Dechutes County Park.  Okay, it wasn't that bad, but combined with upper 80 degree temperatures, 39 miles was plenty.

Patty has been getting in at least 30 miles each day, and that is in addition to bumping the car ahead and securing us a campsite.  She is amazing...and lucky.  She manages campsites where we have no reservations, in the shade...cafes in towns that seem to have no services I.e. Pizza places that magically open, and today...a campground that has wifi.  Black Diamond's campground is run by the
 Lion's Club and often, even this early in the season, is full of RV'ers parked for a month or more, taking day trips to nearby attractions.  The hosts, Stan and Diane (wasn't there a song about Stan and Diane?..two kids in America's Heartland...oh wait...that was Jack and Diane...I know, I'm a music trivia embarrassment) were gracious and we literally had the tenting area and the bathroom to ourselves.  (RV'ers never seem to use he bathrooms)

Though it was just a short distance, we drove into town and settled on a Western/Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant.  No, I'm not making that up.  We all had the Chinese dinner for one, which was a pretty good deal and more food than any of us could eat.  Steve may have finished his.

Clouds are coming in and the locals are telling us that the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms.  I love a good thunderstorm...but not necessarily from the seat of my bike.

Prairie, prairie, and more prairie

The route from Lundbreck Falls to Chain Lakes Provincial Park is about 49 miles.  49 miles of prairie, more prairie, and prairie after that.  The ride promised to be a hot one, so we tried to get an early start after a filling breakfast of a couple more pieces of that pizza.  Lundbreck Falls didn't have potable water either, so I was trying to carry what I needed.

There wasn't anything particularly extraordinary about the route...I stopped at one historical marker south of Pincher Creek to read about Charcoal...an Indian whose wife was vodeeohdodoing with her cousin.  Charcoal asked them to break off the relationship, but the cousin refused, and in the Indian
way, Charcoal killed the man.  The Royal Canadian Police came after Charcoal and cornered him.  Charcoal did not want to be imprisoned, and ended up killing the Mountie.  Now he was liable for two deaths.  He was tried and put to death.  A very sad ending to the incompatibility of two forms of civil government, eh?

We arrived at Chain Lakes around noon and Patty had found us a site with a little bit of shade, but as the sun traversed the sky, we lost that shade.  Perhaps shade trees...maples, oaks...do not grow well here?  It's a beautifully maintained park, with manicured grass that the prairie dogs seem to love...they have holes everywhere.  It doesn't have showers, so we locked the bikes and drove down by the lake where people were fishing and picnicking.  Cold as it was, and opposed as I am to silt and sludgy beaches, I dunked.  Yes, I did.  Laying on green grass in the shade on a 90 degree day with wet clothes on is underrated.

Bike Paths, Prairies, and Pizza

We left Waterton around 8 a.m. ! Patty and I heading to the coffee shop for some baked goods and coffee, Steve heading to Subway and the gas station to top off his tires.  There is a bike path that runs nearly the entire way from Hwy 6 into Waterton.  I didn't see it when we came in but a man pulled over to the side of the road to tell me I ought to ride it.  Said they spent 2 million to build it.  Sigh...okay.  It was a nice path, but this morning there was very little traffic and I really prefer to ride on the road.  When we passed a wayside, a guy hollered, "Why don't you use the path?" And the tone was...curt.  I hollered back, "There are several reasons, but I don't have time to discuss it."  The path had steeper grades than the road, not great for touring cyclists who have 30+ pounds of gear, there was a perfectly adequate shoulder, and finally, isn't it my choice?  I think bike paths are great for those who want to build up their confidence, but drivers need to learn to travel alongside cyclists and they can't do that if we are not on the road with them.  Weren't y'all just dyin' to hear that rant?

We rode through a lot of prairie grassland.  This is usually high wind country, but today was pretty calm.  I did see this guy...

Which then made me hum this...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=doqTSev-_lQ

for the next hour or so.

Lundbreck Falls is a Provincial Recreation Area, and when I caught up to Patty at the campground, we saw two sites left...both in full, blistering sun.  Ryan to the rescue...Ryan is the camp host and showed us an entire section, hidden from view down by the Crowsnest River.  Ahhhh...shade in site 36.

We didn't know if Lundbreck Falls had any services, so we took extra food and water, but it turns out there is a pizza place there.  The owner only makes so much dough each day, and when it's gone, she closes.  The sign said open at 4...we were there at 3:50.  The locals told us she would be there eventually, and sure enough, at 4:15 her doors opened.  I think it was cooler outside than it was inside, but each of us ordered an entire pizza because there are no services between Lundbreck Falls and Chain Lakes Provincial Park.  And the pizza crust?  Superb...

I have taught Steve and Patty a card game I learned on the Gorge Explorer.  I think it is called Up and Down the River, or maybe Screw Your Buddy, but at any rate, Card Shark Patty, Steve, who hasn't played cards for 30 years, and I took a stab at it.  I'm not going to tell you who won...it doesn't matter, it's just a silly card game anyway.  But...there will be a rematch tomorrow night.

Zed...eh?

We awoke to sunny blue skies and a bit of a tailwind on our ride north from St. Mary's.  I had heard about a little cafe in Babb called Two Sisters...and was salivating at the thought of my breakfast options...but they were closed.  We pressed on, hoping for something else in Babb.  Well, things always work out...the Bunkhouse Cafe was part of the Cattle Baron Supper Club and they were both wonderful!  I had a sausage, bacon, mushroom and egg scramble with hash browns and toast and it was more than enough food for breakfast and a late lunch.  The interior of the supper club was very unique...had a theme of a buffalo cliff and the owner said the spirit of the buffalo lived there.

I forgot to mention that we met a wonderful couple last night at St. Mary's.  Glen and Joanne are from Medicine Hat and are avid cyclists, presently from the seats of a tandem.  We shared stories and notes  and enjoyed their company very much.

I loved today's ride.  I would put it on my top 20.  Beautiful weather and pandoramic vistas.  There was as much climbing today as yesterday, but it didn't seem like it because many of the ascents were just part of a series of rollers.  We got to Chief Mountain Border crossing just after noon.  "Bon jour" said the uniformed border guard.  "Bon jour!" I replied enthusiastically. "Parlais Francais?"  he asked.  Well, no...we'd better stick with English.  While we waited to regroup with Patty, we talked with a gal from Austin, Texas who had her bike with her and was also vacationing.  She is a writer of narratives and poetry...Amelia Isabella...watch for her.

Waterton Lakes is a little off the beaten path...we had to ride about 6 miles out of our way to get there...but it is ohhhhh, so worth it.  The Prince of Wales Hotel is stunning, and after Patty and I got our tents set up, we rode back to take in the incredible views and enjoy a cold one.  I had a Big Rock Grasshopper...pretty yummy.

Bear With Me...

Today I got my wish.  We had to get up early at Apgar because the Park requires that all cyclists be off the Going to the Sun Highway between Apgar and Logan's Pass by 11:00 a.m.  Patty and I headed towards Lake McDonald Lodge and were reveling in the beauty.  The lake was calm and there was very little traffic at that time of morning.  It was...perfect.  We got to Avalanche campground and Patty turned around to head back to her car.  I kept on going...the roads were still flat and the pavement was wonderfully smooth.  Up ahead, I saw something black in the middle of the road.  It was a black bear!  My wish!  He/she started lumbering towards me...maybe 50 yards away when a car came up behind me.  They offered to let me into their car, but I told them I would simply slip around the other side of their car, and before I could even do that, the bear had shuffled off into the brush.  I know...the picture is blurry...but hey, I was excited!

The Going to the Sun Road is pretty flat until just before The Loop...and then you had better like to
climb, because for about the next 10 miles, that is all you're doing.  I stopped to take some pictures, but there was just as much need for me to catch my breath!  I arrived at Logan Pass around 10:15 and enjoyed talking to Bryan, who is a student at the University of Montana and working on his master's thesis.  He had a cycling questionnaire and I was more than happy to fill it out for him.  Patty arrived shortly after, and Steve was right behind her.  We put on our hiking shoes and hiked up the Hidden  Lake trail to take in the beautiful views that surrounded us.  Someone had spotted a bear, another black bear, maybe 200 yards from where we were, and by the time we returned to the parking lot, that same bear was traversing a meadow maybe a half mile away., monitored closely by a binoculared ranger.

The downhill from Logan's Pass was just what you'd expect...fast.  I should have taken some pictures, but when you are exceeding the speed limit set by the Park, sometimes it's just better to keep going.  They have put down new pavement between Logan's Pass and St. Mary's and it is butter smooth.  We are staying at St. Mary's campground, and found out that we get a discount with our Senior National Park Pass.  So...last night, instead of paying $20 for our campsite, we paid $10, and tonight, instead of $23 it was $11.50.  It is the best deal on the planet.

Let's Get This Party Started

I arrived at the Whitefish Train Station around 7:11, ahead of the published 7:26 arrival time.  I talked for a few minutes to a young fellow who is meeting a friend to do some touring.  The excitement is contagious!  I put the bike back together and discarded the box.  Steve O'Rourke was right on time and we pedaled downtown to a place called Loula's for some breakfast.  I was ready to order a short stack, but the waitress sized me up and gave me a look that said, "Ain't no way that's gonna happen, sweetheart."  I ordered one pancake and it was so big, I couldn't finish it.



I turned on my Garmin even though the route is very straightforward.  We simply needed to get to, and then follow Highway 2.  We took some quiet back roads and that was nice because in Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse, we lost the shoulder and traffic was heavy.  In both places the sidewalk is double its normal width, creating a semblance of a bike path, and we rode that.  Steve wanted to ride
a bit farther today, getting to a campground called Avalanche Creek.  It will make tomorrow's ride a little shorter, though he will still have most of the climbing to do.  We passed a maze made of wood east of Hungry Horse.  Do you remember this Jeremy, Erin, Jeff, and Katy?  Great fun!

I am at Apgar campground, waiting for Patty's maroon CRV.  The wind has picked up and dark clouds have rolled in.  It would be unfortunate if it started raining...I made the mistake of jamming a water bottle in my clothing pannier just before I got off the train, and it leaked.  My clothes are now spread all over the picnic table in various stages of dry.

There are no showers at Apgar...which is fine because I didn't work hard enough today to sweat anyway...but there are flush toilets, running water and electrical outlets.

Great day.  The smell of warm pine trees and pitch, the blue skies, the butterfly that kept me company while I waited for Patty, the freedom...all make me smile and remind me why I tour by bike.

All Aboard!

I am waiting to board the train at Union Station, downtown Portland.  My original ticket had me departing from Vancouver, but about a week ago I stopped by the station in Vancouver to make sure they had a bike box for me.  The counter person told me that because of construction on the platform the Empire Builder uses, a baggage embargo was in place.  Hmmm...She told me I could:  a). Show up early (4 hours early) and put my bike on a Portland bound train where the bike would be transferred to the northbound Empire Builder later in the day (yeah...not going to happen...) or b). Change my ticket to depart from Union Station in Portland.  Sold.  It meant I had to bike an extra 12 miles or so, and pay another 85 cents for the ticket exchange.  I'm just one person, but this was filed in my Lousy Customer Service folder.  You don't make changes without informing a customer who has reservations and then charge them for the inconvenience you created.  That said, I am grateful I checked...it is a reminder to me that somehow...things have a way of working out.  When I got to Union Station, the friendly baggage staff sold me a bike box for $25 and I set about to removing the pedals and panniers, and turning the handlebars to the bike would simply slide into the box.  Easy peasy.  Please...be careful with that box...

I have been watching a Glacier National Park website for months, monitoring the snow plowing along the Going to the Sun Highway.  Last year, the road between Apgar campground and St. Mary's was not completely open until July 3rd.  This year...they opened the entire road last Friday.  You see what I mean about things working out? 

Our scheduled departure was 4:45 and we left at...4:45.  Impressive...wait a minute...am I in Europe?

The weather forecast for the next week or so is stellar with daytime highs in the 70's and 80's and only a slight chance of rain.  I am probably going to regret writing this, but I did not put fenders on.  My tires are pretty wide (1.75) and I think I would be frustrated trying to keep the fenders from rubbing on the tires.  This way, I can be frustrated when all my gear is wet and dirty from the spraying road grit.  Ha!

Today is day 17 for the Iron Cowboy and he is in Kentucky.  If you do not know who I am talking about, Google James Lawrence, or look up Iron Cowboy on Facebook.  He is swimming, cycling, and running 50 Iron Mans...in 50 states...in 50 days.  Sorta makes what I did look like child's play in comparison.  He is amazing and I am having wonderful flashbacks as I follow him and compare logistics.

We Won't Be Glamping...

This past weekend, I took my teardrop trailer down to Champoeg State Park and camped with about 40 other women.  It was National Glamping Weekend.  Glorified Camping.  There were chandeliers, and martini glasses, potlucks with themes like "Death by Chocolate" and trailers decorated in themes of Americana and Tropical Paradise.  Women take trailers...oftentimes vintage trailers like Silver Streaks, Aljos, Shastas, Trilliums, and Aristocrats, and transform them into cozy little woman caves.    As I was driving home on Sunday, I realized that I had been part of a wonderful experiment in freedom.  Freedom to stay up late and party, or go to bed early, freedom to attend all of the potlucks or stay in your campsite and read a book, freedom to have a man tow you to the campground, back you in, and set you up or do it all yourself.  I don't think I ever heard any of these women say, "you should..."  It was refreshing.  Glamping lends itself to all of the accoutrements one could want while being away from home.