When I rode into Sand Point, Idaho on July 31st I had many reasons to be excited. I was done with the state of Washington which had been hot, rugged, and full of some scary backwoods type folk thanks to the eastern part of the state. I honestly thought I was riding through Appalachia at times it was that scary; the movie Deliverance came to mind at many times. I had also completed the most mountainous section of my planned route since the Sierra Cascades were now behind me. However, I was most excited about my arrival in Sand Point because I was in desperate need of a shower and clean clothes and since I would have a host in town I would finally have each.
Peik, Paula's son, with Putty Paws Pete.
Myself with Mella, Eelke, Ketil, Peik, Finan, and Paula.
Paula Lund was my host in town and she was amazing. I came to Sand Point thinking it would be a one night stop but I ended up staying there for 4 days and nights since the city was amazing and Paula was such a great host. While in town, I went to the beach several times which is on Lake Pend Oreille, did a ride up to Schweitzer ski area to have lunch and check out the panorama of the lake and surrounding mountains, and made it into downtown to check out the bars and food. Sand Point is a town that I am still thinking about two weeks after leaving it and I think I will try to make it back there someday. Perhaps I will send a resume to the airport there before my trip is over.
While making errands around town with Paula and the kids we came upon two cyclists riding into Sand Point with loaded trailers in tow. They were in need of a place to stay so in addition to me as a guest we were joined by yet two more cyclists, so it was a pretty packed house. The two were Brothers from the Netherlands and touring from British Columbia, Canada to Yellowstone National park in the states. Mella was 21 and had just finished his undergrad in the Netherlands and was preparing to begin work on another minor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Eelke was 18 and had just completed high school and was beginning a year of traveling the world with this bike tour.
Since they were heading to Yellowstone and my next stop would be Missoula, MT, we would be traveling along the same route for approximately 200 miles. We decided to ride together down to Missoula from where we would split and continue to our own destinations.
Riding with Mella and Eelke was a great time. They set a pace that I would have never met had I been riding solo. They were both pretty big guys, each over 6 feet tall, so I was able to draft behind them as we rode along and keep up. It was also nice to have company while camping and on the road. I enjoy riding solo since it allows me to set my own pace and I get a lot of thinking done while on the saddle, but at times it is really nice to have company. Riding with the Dutch guys was a great reminder of why it would be nice to have someone else with me on my ride. While camping with them I felt much more secure than I ever did while alone. We split ways after Missoula as we discussed but I really enjoyed my 3 days in their company. If I make it out to the Pacific North West after I complete my ride I will probably try to do a trip up to Vancouver to visit with Mella at UBC. I am always looking for a good excuse to make it up to Canada.
MISSOULA, MT
Thus far on my trip I have remained on the Northern Tier bicycle route almost entirely. Staying on the route is nice since the selected roads are generally friendly to cyclists, and services along the route are shown as you go. Dropping off the route to make it down to Missoula was a side trip I knew I wanted to try since planning my trip, despite the fact that it added almost 200 additional miles and would involve climbing more mountains.
Stopping by the headquarters of the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) was one of the biggest influences of why I wanted to drop down to Missoula. ACA is the group who designed the route and printed the maps I am using this summer. They do considerable work to make bicycling more easy for touring folks like me, as well as lobbying for cycling in general. When you show up at their offices they understand you have been living on the road, so they give you lots of treats, like unlimited doughnuts, ice cream, cookies, and internet. I even managed a free water bottle out of it. It was everything I wanted and more. I brought Mella and Eelke with me so they could check it out as well and they ended up getting free memberships for a year so I guess I shared the love.
Check ACA out: http://www.adventurecycling.org/
I also wanted to drop by and visit with Kris Leirfallom, a friend from UND who had just made it back into Missoula after finishing up at UND around the same time I did. I got to meet up with his wife Angela who I had not seen for some time and their baby Espen. Kris and I made it up into the skies around Missoula in a Cessna 152 which was awesome. Never had been in one before but the plane fits me well. I often feel like a midget when I get into cockpits but this plane fit me like a glove. Kris is bigger and he looked a little awkward in the pilot's seat.
Missoula is another city that I would love to make it back to after finishing up with this trip. It has a great bike culture there, I could not believe the amount of people downtown Friday night riding their bikes to the bars. I do that often in Grand Forks but I can tell you from experience that I am essentially the only one with their bike parked out front. Missoula also has the mountains and a great airport and would be a lot cheaper to pull off than Portland, OR or Seattle, WA.
This is a side note for all you aviation folks reading: Missoula's Airport had some awesome planes stashed away in its hangars. An airplane has to be something very special and unique for me to stop and pull out my camera but I found two aircraft there that caught my eye. These two Beechcraft Bonanza's had Turbine engines strapped to the front of them. One even had winglets STC'ed onto its tip tanks. I was freaking out hardcore. I have a soft spot in my heart for Bonanzas and Beechcraft aircraft.
BUSTING OUT OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Leaving Missoula essentially marked the end of the mountains for me. I stayed the night at the airport in Lincoln, MT the night after leaving Missoula. If Lincoln sounds familiar you may be aware that it is where the Unabomber came from.
Leaving Lincoln the next day, I climbed over the Continental Divide at Rogers Pass (5610 FT) and I was officially done with the Mountains. It felt good to be done with them and into the Northern Plains. I have passed many cyclists in the past few days who tell me get ready for a whole lot of nothing out on the plains of Montana and North Dakota but I am looking forward to them. Climbing mountains on a bike is really painful and I would much rather fly over the mountains in the future.
I took this photo as I rode along the Front Range of the Rockies, heading Northbound to rejoin the Northern Tier route at HWY US2. This picture doesn't do justice to how pretty the mountains are on the front range.
While resting at a roadside rest area approaching Cut Bank, MT I ran into this fella. I chatted with him for a bit and he was a really nice guy. I asked him what he was up to and why was he traveling around and he said he was going around the country trying to bring attention to the chem-trails that linger from the contrails of passing jets flying high overhead. At that point I decided against telling him I was a pilot or that I had flown Weather Modification the previous summer in Western, ND in fear of being stabbed. He actually gave me a parting gift though, a survival key chain of sorts, with a knife, flashlight, and lighter attached to it. I actually have used it several times since he gave it to me. Also, check out that van. AWESOME, kinda creepy though, especially if you are a little kid at a park.
In Cut Bank, MT I stayed with Jordan Croft, a friend from UND, and his family. Had the best Lasagna of my life for dinner and I have though about it often riding along highway 2 since leaving Cut Bank. Jordan graduated in Air Traffic Control from UND and is waiting for the FAA to call so he can head down to Oklahoma for training then go control in Billings, MT. Pilots are not supposed to like FAA guys but I will make an exception for Jordan, maybe I will continue talking to him once he is a slave to "the man." Thank you to the Croft family for letting me crash at your home.
I put this picture on here for two reasons.
1.) It gives an OK view of my growing chin strap facial hair. It has not been cut since leaving Seattle with the exception of a few edging sessions. I am thinking about getting rid of it soon, maybe when I arrive in Williston, ND, however without it I look very young and vulnerable. I am thinking it over and will include updates on its future (or lack of a future) in my next posting.
2.) As some of you may know, I took a flight class at UND, AVIT 415. It took a while and it led to many restless nights. Riding by this mile marker I was overcome with thoughts and emotions so I took the time to pull off and give Montana mile marker 415 "the bird."
Bye for now. Expect an update upon my arrival into Williston, ND. (AUG 17ish) I leave you with some art work I did on the side of a UND bus this past Spring. Sorry Judy.
