Lincoln To Helena

Shorter mileage but a lot of steeeeeep climbs.

When we left off, I was on my way for a beer. It occurred to me in the bar that Lincoln was the home of Ted Kaczynski. I am pretty sure that his brother was in the bar last night. We shot a little pool then I retired - tried the hammock again last night. It was a warm evening, and I plugged in Episode 10 of Breaking Bad (thanks to Mose who had a bootleg copy downloaded). After drifting off, the same result in the end - the night got cold and the bottom of the hammock provides no insulation, so burrr.

Today's ride had some crazy steep climbs, but some great rewards...

The woods gave way to cattle country - lots and lots of cattle country. And lots and lots of cattle.

There really is no way to describe the amazing sights and stunning scenery that we have already seen on this trip. Photos don't do it. I can't describe it in words. And when you earn the views, it makes them all that much better.

We are in Helena tonight. I have never been so glad to stay at a Holiday Inn! Real beds, AC (which we need today as temps in the 90s!) and a nice little town to wander around in. Heading out for steak at the Silver Star soon, then we get to sleep in until 8 and hit the all-you-can-eat breakfast in the AM before a 9 o'clock start. We will definitely be checking out Blackfoot River Brewery as well tonight.

Off to Butte tomorrow. A rest day Sunday, so who knows what we will scare up on a Saturday night on the long weekend.

Seeley Lake to Lincoln

First things first - I had to figure out a way to slow down Rien! This should work...

And off we go... easy ride to lunch in the very cool town of Ovando. Check out the comfy beds in the local jail...

A big post-lunch climb up Huckleberry Pass, with some great views from near the top...

At the top, I ran into a guy on a motorcycle who literally lives 2 miles from my house. Crazy!

A swim in Reservoir Lake on the way down, then burgers, dogs and fries for dinner. I cleaned my bike, only to discover another broken spoke. When I ripped the wheel apart to fix it, I found that ALL the outer spokes in the freewheel side are damaged... looks like my chain jumped into the spokes at some point. So, I replaced the broken one and will have to travel tomorrow with all the tools I need to replace more if they break - an extra 5 pounds I really don't need.

Helena has a couple bike shops, so hoping to get a rebuild there on short notice. Fingers crossed as tomorrow is another burly day.

OK - off to the bar for a nightcap with some of the boys.

Swan Lake to Seeley Lake

BIG ride today - 94 miles and over 6000 feet of climbing. A big pass in the morning, and then another after lunch. And it rained most of the day.

There was another bridge out from flooding. This time they were working on it, so the traverse was a little tricky. You had to slip the dozer driver a fiver and he would promise not to hit you with the bucket.

At lunch, we met an awesome old lady (she said she was 93) who was driving by and stopped to chat. She lives way out in the middle of nowhere, and still self sufficient. Pretty cool.

The campground worked out well. I didn't have quarters for the shower, so I used the neighbors hose. I'm sure he didn't mind - I doubt he uses much water himself... except to launch his jet ski off his awesome trailer.

Easier day tomorrow... I hope!

Whitefish to Swan Lake

Well. This was supposed to be an easy day. And it was, right up until my chain broke.

Of course, I was off the back of the pack at the time. I had just stopped to take some pics and strip a layer of clothes, thinking I had all the time in the world to catch back up to the group.

Snap. Right on the connector link. It didn't take crazy long to fix, but enough that I was playing catch up all the way to lunch.

A little swim after lunch put me back in a good mood... until we spotted the water snake. I really do have a thing about snakes. Especially ones that are swimming in the water with you. It really shortened my swim.

After lunch was the big climb of the day. At the top of the climb, we met a couple from France on their touring bikes. They had started in Anchorage AK in early June, and were on their way to South America. They are throwing in a little side trip when they get to Salida - hanging a right and heading to the Grand Canyon. Pretty burly.

We also met a real nice lady who has a little place along the route and takes in Great Divide cyclists. A warm bed, a good meal and off they go again.

We are now in Swan Lake at a sweet little campground. A little pre-dinner swim at the public beach, some slacklining (well, watching), Mexican chow and some internet time before bed. Big day tomorrow - and finally some SINGLE TRACK.

Rest Day In Whitefish

Ahhh... sleeping in, and not getting on the bike...

Well, sort of. Lots to do. I need to do laundry. And my bike needs some love - start with a wash and lube, then take it down to the local bike shop to get new handlebars and spokes.  A little lunch, some internet time at the local coffee shop, then an awesome 90 minute massage.

Hooked up with the Hermosa crew for beers, then went back to camp and grabbed Rob who joined us for some awesome Mexican. Whitefish is a cool town.

And the campground we had was a prefect layover spot.

Back at it tomorrow with fresh legs and a fresh(er) bike.

A Long Ride To Whitefish

An early start with ominous skies. It rained hard last night and the clouds are low and dark this morning. I am packing a lot of layers today.

We rolled through Eureka and headed south along Tobacco Road. Beautiful rolling ranchland, with the mountains looming right above the valley floor. Lots of white tail deer, and a couple of turkey families.

A quick jaunt on Hwy 93 and then onto Graves Road, which eventually became a sweet paved single lane road for 10 miles of gradual climbing. Of course all good things come to an end, and we turned right and crossed what was left of a bridge that had washed out and headed up. Way up. 1500 feet later we hit the top of the pass and headed down. Way down. But not before some great scenery.

Lunch was waiting around mile 55. Which is when we learned about the second climb. Which was 13 miles long. Wilbert, Jasper and I headed out together. About 2 miles into the climb my back wheel froze solid. It turned out that I had broken a spoke and it got caught in the chain. I pulled it out, wrapped it around the rest of the spokes and we carried on.

Eventually we peaked out on Red Meadow Pass. A nice little lake welcomed us to the top, but I couldn't resist the next lake down the backside for a little dip. Call it a mile 70 reward.

On to Whitefish. A real nice town, for sure. Reminded me of Durango actually.

Saturday Night in Eureka MT!

We sure picked the right (or wrong) night to be in Eureka.

This is the biggest night of the year for the locals - Bull Riding at the fairgrounds! Looks like a lot of folks come in from out of town for this one too - our hotel (yep, once a week or so we stay in one) is chock full of big trucks, big people, and big partyin'. The boys down from us have the grill going in front of their unit, and they just broke out a bowling ball for a little game on the paved lot.

We all headed for dinner next door. It was quite the experience for the non-Americans, not used to all the choices. Here is a typical dialog with the waitress:
"What'll yah have?"
"Sorry?"
"What would you like to eat?"
"Oh, yes the Prime Rib"
"How would you like it cooked"
"Cooked? Well, a little brown on the outside"
"Medium Rare then?"
"Yes"
"Sides?"
"Sorry?"
"What would you like for your sides. Vegetables. Potatoes."
"Oh (a moment passes while they read the menu). Mashed Potatoes"
"Gravy?"
"Yes"
"Brown or white?"
"There is white gravy?"
"Yes"
"Brown"
"Soup or Salad?"
"Yes"
"No - Soup? Or, Salad?"
"Oh. Salad"
"What kind of dressing?"
"What do you have?"
(Long list)
"Drink?"
"Yes. Beer"
"What kind?"
(long list)

... you get the point. We do have a lot of choices in our restaurants and it blows people from other countries away.

Anyway. After dinner, off to the rodeo! We watched a bunch of bulls knock off a bunch of cowboys, and the bulls won a lot of the time, which is always great.

Back to bed and some well needed sleep. At least for a while. When the good ol' boys got home around 2, they decided a parking lot party would be a good idea. That wrapped up around 3:30.

Breakfast at 7 - way too early. We ate on the steps of the Subway (where you also check in for the motel). At least they had wifi.

'Merica!

Well - made it to the good ol' USA.

After a great night's sleep next to the river, we got up 'late' - 7:30 for a 8:30 start. The morning was the best riding so far. Across the Flathead Valley, just east of Fernie is some of the most amazing country you will ever see. I rode a bit off the front to enjoy the view and see what I could surprise along the way - the tally included a whitetail deer and several grouse.  The mist was coming off the river, the skies were clear, everything had a little dew on it from the moisture the evening before. Perfect.

Eventually, the route turned off of the excellent road that we were on and became 'singletrack'. Well, more of a fisherman access trail along the river. There was a lot of hike-a-bike, then we came out on another forest road and a huge climb up to Galton Pass. Then a massive descent to lunch and onto the highway for the run to the border.

Speaking of, things went pretty smoothly. We came through the car lane two at a time, and the Euros had no problem despite having to go to 'secondary' and fill out some additional paperwork. All that worry for nothing! Wilbert brought the van across, we threw everything into the Hermosa truck, and then Wilbert drove back across to Canada to drop off the truck and ride his bike back to the US.

Now I am sitting at the Ksanka Inn in Eureka MT, poaching wifi off the Subway and watching the Harleys, Bigass trucks, and good ol' boys come and go. There is a lot of energy at the hotel tonight because it is Bull Riding night at the fairgrounds next door! A full report to follow...

Day 3

Well, what was supposed to be a short day turned into quite the adventure!

Another big climb to shake the cold first thing this morning. We went through a big mining operation - basically they seem hell bent on taking down an entire mountain in order to get the coal under it.

After turning off the 'main' road, were on a sweet dirt road. Vincent and I were off the front a ways - we got to check out a little fox, and saw lots of birds of prey. We were really enjoying blasting that section as it was mostly a gentle downhill slope. Until we go to the river. At which point there was no road. None. A 30 foot drop to the water on the left, and a 100 foot high washout on the right.

We chose to climb and keep our feet dry. Probably not the wisest choice.

After a fair bit of mountaineering and some scary moments, we made it across and back down to the road on the other side. By this time, the rest of the group had caught us and were standing there trying to decide what to do. We yelled back across that the smart (and safe) way to go was down, across the river twice, and back up. They weren't convinced.

After waiting a while, I decided to prove it - I went down our side, crossed the river twice, and met them. We got their bikes down to the river, and I carried one of their bikes across the 2 fords and up we went on the other side. I felt like Moses leading his people to the promised land.

This took about an hour, and off we went again. Easy ride to camp from there. Rob, Vincent, Riem and I ran a peloton across the valley floor for about 10 miles and averaged 22mph which sure helped. 

OK - off to bed. Bigass day tomorrow - 134km! Giddyup. Butt cream is ready.

Day 2

Wow. That was a COLD morning... almost froze overnight. Hard to get the body working today!

A quick, cold breakfast and then we were off. The day started with 2 ridiculously steep climbs - which was good because the blood was flowing by the top of the second one. That was when I took off the down jacket, anyways. We followed a dirt powerline road for a couple hours. Eventually, we came to a washed out bridge. Only Rob and I crossed - we couldn't convince the rest. So, Rob and I dried ourselves off, had some lunch, and had 35 miles of great roads and no cars. The rest? They took a poorly maintained road for 35 miles - and had to cross the river twice anyway. Not sure of there is a moral to the story, but I do know that the two of us gained an hour on the GC.

We did cross the Divide for the first time, which put us into Beautiful BC. 

We camped in the Elkford Municipal Campground. If you were to marry a campground with a truckstop, you would have Elkford MC. The town really exists for coal mining - apparently there are 5 big mines within an hours drive. Sweet. Luckily, they had free showers, free firewood, a pub and a liquor store across the street, and a great camp hostess with a great stylist.

Short day tomorrow. Yum.

Day One

Finally!

On Tuesday we left Banff and headed to Canmore on the paved bike trail. The normal GDMBR route is on a dirt trail, but the bridges have been washed away by the earlier floods. Oh well, it was a great way to warm up the legs.

Once we turned off the bike trail we hit the first huge climb of the trip, behind the Three Sisters and up to Spray Lakes. From there, a long slog through lots of loose gravel where they were re-grading a long stretch of the road. Also a lot of cars and dust, with the occasional road damage from those recent floods.

We had some wildlife along the way today - bighorn sheep and deer mostly. Still no dang bears.

We camped in Boulton Creek campground, in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (I lived in Alberta when he was Premier :-). A great little campground, even if the showers were about ten miles from the campsite, uphill both ways. Luckily the caretakers took a liking to us, and delivered us some firewood so we didn't have to slog it on our bikes.

The makeshift gear that we smuggled in from the US is working fine, even if I had to eat my yogurt with a fork. It seems that the Dutch have a custom of eating soup after a long ride... something new for me... but it does hit the spot after a long day in the saddle, and gets you through to mealtime.

I tried to sleep in my hammock. I was fine for a while but it got COLD that night (33 degrees). I had my 3 season bag, a liner, and a bivy sack. But when it got real cold, my bottom side (the side against the bottom of the hammock, not my butt) was freezing. I gave up around 3AM and crawled into the tent. Oh well - maybe on a future night I will add my ThermaRest to the mix and see if that insulates me.

Sleep will be n-o-o-o problem tonight!

And away we go...

Finally! After 5 months of planning, we start the actual pedaling today.

Not that it hasn't already been an adventure. The border crossing back into Canada was uneventful, thankfully. We couldn't stuff another thing in our car but we should have what we need to run a basic support camp for the next 5 days until we get to the US border. Wilbert and Rob managed to rent a 1 ton truck from Budget that they are using to support the group on the Canada side. Still not sure what we are going to do at the border to transfer all this stuff to the US support crew that is waiting there.

I met the rider group last night. I think I will know a lot of Dutch by the time this ride is over. Of the 9 people riding, 7 of them are from the Netherlands, plus the 2 organizers. An Australian rounds out the group.

Weather looks good for the next few days as we head out. Bags are packed and I am heading down toload them onto the truck. We start pedaling in an hour!

One step forward…

I'm sitting here in Eureka Montana at 6:30 in the morning. I am in a rental car and just crossed the border. I'm waiting to meet Glen from Hermosa tours so that I can pick up my bike. Chances are that I will need my bike so that I can ride it back to Mexico. 

It has been a great little vacation so far in British Columbia. Alison and I arrived Tuesday in Vancouver and stayed in a funky little place downtown called The Burrard. We met some old friends for dinner and really enjoyed Vancouver. 

We headed out the next day and had lunch in Whistler on our way to Lillooet Lake Lodge just outside of Pemberton. The lodge was real rustic... Outhouse and all. 

The next day we drove to Kelowna to an awesome  bed-and-breakfast called the Gable B&B. We did some wine tours and remted a boat for a couple of hours on Lake Okanagan. 

Our plan was to get up early yesterday morning and head to Revelstoke - a simple 2 hour drive. 

The problems started when I woke up yesterday morning to an email from Matt at Hermosa Tours. It seems that the crew from Durango got stopped at the Canadian border when they tried to cross with two trucks full of camping gear and no permits to allow them to work in Canada. 

Of course the big challenge now is how do I get my bike from the USA? After talking with Matt and Glenn I decided to drive down and meet them in the town of Eureka just south of the US border. I figured that at the same time I could do them a favor and pick up enough camping gear to support the ride from Banff back to the border. 

Did I mention that the drive took 13 hours to get to Fernie? There was a head-on collision on the trans Canada Highway and they closed both lanes for five hours. There are not a lot of alternative routes but after two hours of waiting we decided to try and find one. Long story short after 13 hours of driving and a ferry ride we finally made it to Fernie.  The fun never stops.       

Of course I have no idea whether what I'm doing is legal or not. But at least I am a Canadian citizen as well as carrying a green card for the USA so I have the right to work in both countries. 

Which brings us to why I am sitting here at the crack of dawn waiting for the van so that we can fill up my rental car with my bike and camping gear. Then I will make a run back across the border with my fingers crossed and a great big smile on my face for my friends in Canadian customs. 

I think I am a hypochondriac

It's true.

I wake up almost every night worrying about what medical issue could put a halt to my tour - or at least a lot of suffering. It all started when I went for a training ride about a month ago and came down with the stomach flu in the middle of the ride. It literally took all my strength away. Not only could I not ride anymore, I couldn't even walk. I had to sit down at the side of the road and get my wife to pick me up. On the way home, she had to stop the car so that I could throw up. Not pretty.

It got me thinking... what if that happened on a 100 mile stretch of the ride with no support and no phone service? Would I just have to ride it out?

Then I thought some more - what other little things could sideline me? There is my bakers cyst that has developed on my right foot, the broken or badly strained toe on my left one, my propensity for developing piriformis syndrome, my lower back pain, sore knees, pulled muscles, cramps, toothaches, giardia.... I could go on.

I guess I will try and prevent the ones that I can, carry supplies for the ones that I can't, and hope that the odds are in my favor. Fingers crossed.

Now if I could only get back to sleep.

Off To Vancouver Today

Sitting here in the lovely Aurora Red Lion, killing time before our shuttle. Off to Vancouver today, to start our week long tour across BC and Alberta to Banff.

No trip to Denver would be complete without a visit to the best outdoor store anywhere, Denver REI. I had a $5.00 rebate burning a hole in my pocket - and being the model customer, I spent $500 and saved 1% with my rebate.

But I did get a couple of equipment upgrades for the trip. I grabbed a new tent - the Marmot Pulsar 1P and the matching 'footprint'. I mainly wanted it because the fly has an area that will allow me to get my clothes bag out of the elements. I got the added bonus of their 'free standing design' - it allows for more headroom, and you can also pick up the tent once erected and position it the way you want it.

I will have at least 2 tents for sale when I get home.

I also bought my first pair of bib shorts. The reviews point a lot of pros and few cons, so I thought I would give them a try... more on that when I actually try them. Always looking for ways to have a more comfy butt.

Books About Riding The Divide

I thought it would help to read some books by folks who have ridden the divide.

The first book I bought was Cycling the Great Divide: From Canada to Mexico on America's Premier Long Distance Mountain Bike Route by Michael McCoy. This turned out to be more of a reference book, and seemed a little dated as well but I think it will come in handy once we are riding as it lists a lot of sites and side activities as well as a detailed description of the route.

Next up was Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide by Jill Homer. It is a great story that starts with her getting frostbite on the Iditarod, and a lot of other challenges that she faced both getting to the start as well as along the way. A great read.

Finally Eat, Sleep, Ride: How I Braved Bears, Badlands, and Big Breakfasts in My Quest to Cycle the Tour Divide by Paul Howard. I haven't read this one yet but I am hoping I saved the best for last - will keep you posted.

Come And Ride With Us

Here it is - the final schedule.

There are a lot of you who live close to the route and ride bikes. Plan on joining us if you can!

10 Days And Counting

Wow. Here it comes.

I am ready. I have ridden a lot of miles lately (see the Strava feed), and have done the research and packed all the right stuff - I think.

My Garmin 800 is loaded with all of the daily routes. My bike has been dropped off at the shop so that Hermosa Tours can bring it up to Canada for me when they come. The thousand things around Durango that I had to clear up and delegate have been taken care of - I think.

Packing has been a challenge. How do you pack for a 7 day vacation with your wife followed by a 46 day camping trip on your bike? The same way that you would pack for a 5 day trip on your bike - I think.

There are little piles all around the house of electronics, clothing, camping gear, bike gear, 'personal items'... you get the picture. All of it has to fit in the 2 bags and 1 carry-on that I am taking. And it will - I think.