Day 14. Whitefish

We have arrived in Whitefish. We thought it would be an easy 56
miles. It was tough. We are still trying to figure out why. It
seemed like we were moving along well, but progress was slow. A
watched mile never clicks over...

The weather was very cool, windy, and cloudy; threatening rain most of
the day. We ended up putting on additional gear to stay warm. I am
always on the look out to prevent hypothermic conditions.

Yesterday in Eureka, we set up the tent just in time to get out of the
rain. It is interesting being in a lightening storm in a tent.
Initially I thought the storm would pass quickly, but this was one of
those that just continued growing overhead.

It ended up raining all night. The tent held up well.

Whitefish is nice. Very touristy, but fun.

~ Pete (iPhone)

Day 13. Wild Montana!!

Yesterday, Alicia saw a very large dog like critter. We figure it was a wolf. It was alone. We have seen a number of different wildlife. Today there were Mule Deer and White Tail Deer. Lots of bear scat but thankfully no bear. Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Pileated Woodpeckers and lots of other interesting birds. The squirrels here are smaller and black. We will be riding along and suddenly a half dozen giant birds will be flying around and away. These are the Turkey Vultures and then we look around and see the carrion (In these cases Deer carcasses) they were feasting on.

The Pileated Woodpecker at Dorr Skeels



Today

We completed the length of Lake Koocanusa and made it to Eureka. The Lake is about 50 miles long. It is a joint creation of Canada and the USA on the Kootenai River. That is how the name was created KOOtenaiCANadaUSA - KOOCANUSA. The dam that creates the lake is Libby Dam.

Koocanusa Resort.



Cabinet Mountains



Big Sky Pantry - Pete, Butch, and Dick

Dick and Butch met on the road and are traveling together. They plan to split in North Dakota. Butch is headed to Maine like us. He lives there took the train West and started in Anacortes. Dick is headed to Iowa.

Big Sky was another fun find. A Deli in the midst of nothing. Literally. There is nothing else for 20 miles. We had a good sandwich and ice cream. Yum!!



Today, we once again have no cell signal. I'm at the library on their WiFi. I can still make and receive calls on the iPhone by connecting to the library WiFi network and using Skype.



Tomorrow we plan to go to either Whitefish or Columbia Falls. The following day we want to end in Essex which is between West Glacier and East Glacier on the edge of Glacier National Park and partway up our last Western pass. The day after that, we finish the pass and start the long zoom downhill into the Eastern Montana plains. We expect to at least make Cut Bank which will finish Section 2 of our journey: Sandpoint to Cut Bank. Then onto the next Section: Cut Bank to Minot, ND.

~ Pete

Day 12. Koocanusa Resort

We finished the day here riding 56 miles. The afternoon was hot.
Just 80, but on the pavement with no wind while climbing it just baked.

We will bike at least to Eureka today maybe a bit further. That
should be 48 miles.

-Pete

Day 11. Dorr Skeels

We rode 69 miles to this campground. Dorr Skeels is between Sandpoint
and Libby, MT. Here is a picture.

Currently, it is noon, day 12, and we are lunching in Libby MT.

Random Thoughts

I am getting antsy--enough rest already--time to hit the road!!(Before I wax philosophical) Ooops, too late. It has finally dawned on me just how out of control we are on this trip, because something comes up each day that we had no idea would or could happen and then you just handle it as it comes. Kind of a mini metaphor for life. We encounter a road condition that is terrible, thinking this is as bad as it can get, and then the next day there is a road condition that is even worse. Conversely, we can ride around a corner and there is some beautiful vista awaiting us, and then around another corner an even more breathtaking view. So, we start each ride with prayer and give control over to God for the day.

We really enjoy reading the comments, I especially like the one of how I am shrinking from not enough calories! Thanks for all of your well wishes, and to Robert I say, "you can eat all the grizzly bear steaks you want, just leave the other creatures alone." - Alicia

Day 10. Rest Day in Sandpoint

So we just completed a whopping tough ride of 0 miles. Yes! Zero!! It was a nice break. Legs still a bit stiff if I stretch them just right (or wrong). But nothing that is a problem. We have been busy food loading today. One more delicious meal to go so that tomorrow we will tear up the pavement! (We hope.)

The next few days we are in the heart of Grizzly Bear country as it exists in the lower 48. Many of you know I have no love for these unpredictable creatures and that I think it is high crime to reintroduce them in places like Cabinet mountain range which we will be riding through for at least a day. Why do we think our forefathers had the good sense to remove them from this area in the first place. It was not just for sport.

We heard another good Grizzly story about how fast they are. There was a guy in Alaska who on his ORV (off road vehicle) was able to follow a Grizzly that was running all out down a gravel road. He matched his speed and found he was going 45 miles per hour. That a bit tough to swallow. I can't ride my bike that fast except down a steep hill. Top human speed running is somewhere around 12 mph and that is not for long.

Well, this is some of the prettiest country we've ever been in. We have visited here before. There is a variety of diverse wildlife (and Grizzlies :( ). We estimate 5 more days of mountains before emerging on the high Montana plains near Cut Bank. Tomorrow we will leave Idaho.

Check out this photo of the bike trail we were to take into Sandpoint.



Note the unique Idaho engineering with the self leveling dirt surface. We did try the path further on where I was reminded of another Idaho feature: frost heaves. It gets cold enough here for winter permafrost and during spring thaw it can cause pavement to buckle into peaked little ridges that are fabulous to run across in the tree shadows when bombing down the hill at 20+ mph. YeHawww!!!!

Sandpoint is a nice little town with a lot of promise. It looks like it has tried to become a tourist mecca for skiing and other outdoor activities. The poor economy does seem to be taking its toll. There is this nice little bridge mall, Cedar Street Mall, that is built on a bridge. Years ago (about 20) this was full of fun little shops and restaurants. Now it is completely empty but for one expresso/gelato store. It is still a nice structure and setting. We are hoping things pick up soon.

Here is a picture of Crystal Falls from yesterday.



Later!!

-Pete

Alicia taking a break in Sandpoint

  -Pete

Hey! From Alicia!

So 69 miles and we are staying in Sandpoint. We expected easy
cruising and got roller coaster hills with 20-25 mph head winds. The
Babe is zipping along while I am just hanging ok. Grrrr!

We are done with the first of 11 map sections. Hurray!!!!

-Pete

Approach to Sandpoint, ID

This the bridge to Sandpoint. About a mile across with separate bike
path.

This is lake Pend Orielle (pronounced ponderay). It is huge. This is
really nice country.

Idaho!!

Day 8. Panhandle Campground

We arrived here after riding 64 from Colville. Another hot day.
Sitting in camp is nearly unbearable, though I think the temperature
is only around 80. I really think our weariness adds to the feeling.

The Pend Oreille river is nice. We passed through Ione earlier.
Sandpoint ID is about 67 miles away. We will probably make that
tomorrow.