This was an odd day. I was up at 5:45 AM and proceeded to pack. The clouds were heavy and the temperature was 57 degrees. There was a significant amount of organizing to minimize issues over the nest few days.
Jordan was awake at 8:00 AM and we proceeded to have breakfast and finish packing. We were able to leave Bozeman and get him on the bike by 9:30 AM. The road was BUSY! Cars were constant and the shoulder was small. After a few miles he turned around to go to a small road that paralleled Highway 89, East River Road. While this road had no shoulder there was very little traffic.
The scenery was nice, as shown below.
As shown above, we were dreading the potential storms that were to sporadically appear throughout the day. Unfortunately, 36.1 miles in, we were in a storm. We loaded up the bike and since we were less than 20 miles from Yellowstone National Park, we headed that direction.
By 2:00 PM the weather cleared although the traffic in Yellowstone made any attempt at riding in the park, well just suicidal. So we decided to sight see for a while in hoped the later hours would provide riding opportunities. Some photos of our sightseeing below.
Mammoth Hot Springs Mammoth Hot Springs
Grand Teton
It was about 4:40 PM when the traffic appeared to subside and bicycling may be possible. However, it rained! We decided to call it a day at 36.1 miles. Although these miles were mostly uphill! Therefore it may be for the best to call it a day, we both needed rest.
This was a much-needed planned day of rest. Jordan slept 11 hours. That was good for his body and mind. He commented his legs are a little sore.
It was a god day to rest as the weather pattern was no favorable to biking. At Noon we decided to head to Hyalite Canyon for some hiking. It was about a 20 mile drive. On the drive to Hyalite Canyon we had sun, then rain, then clouds followed by heavy winds.
When we arrived we decided to hike to Palisade Falls. It was a nice hike and at over 6,000 feet of elevation, the old man (Londell) was sucking air! Below are photo's.
Can you find Jordan in this picture?
We encountered a heavy storm by 3:00 PM so decided to go have a late lunch. Jordan wanted to get back and take a nap. We have four to five more days of energy draining fun starting tomorrow before returning to a normal routine.
It was a cool night in Wisdom, but we slept through the massive storms. About 2:30 AM, Jordan woke and asked for his sleeping bag. At 5:45 AM, I opened my eyes to a double rainbow out the front window. By the time I got the camera out of the bag and made it outside, I had to settle for a single rainbow.
I tried to wake Jordan at 6:30 AM, as the weather was favorable. Forecast is storms late morning though late afternoon. He was pretty firm he wanted to sleep. I took the time to process the photos and videos and prepare a blog post for yesterday.
Just before 8:00 AM Jordan started to awaken from his fatigued and dead state. We prepared for the day and were on the road just before 9:00 AM. The goal today was to at least make Dillon. The ride is basically half ascent followed by decent.
Jordan stopped at Jackson to rest for 10 minutes (about 20 miles). His legs are fine, but he says his hand hurts. Really looks tired and worn. He wants to do 100 miles before the day ends which makes four consecutive 100-mile days. If successful, he would take Wednesday off as a rest day before heading to Yellowstone.
From Jackson, the steep climbs began. Fortunately the weather was holding and it was only in the high 60s. This was a huge reprieve after yesterday sweltering heat. By the time he reached to top of the climb, the clouds started for arrive.
To beat the weather he was aggressively riding down. At times he was edging toward 50 MPH. In the video below, he was doing 42 MPH, according to the Subaru speedometer. He successfully made Dillon at 1:30. That was 71 miles in less than 4 hours, over 18 MPH. Yet the weather was scary. We started seeing lighting and dark colds on both sides of the route.
He continued and there were raindrops, but nothing significant. About 15 miles out of Dillon, the road became dangerous. So I gave him a ride for about 8 miles where the road improved.
Once again, he was racing the storm. Only this time, the storm intensity was near scary. It was just after Three Forks we realized he could no longer out race the storm. He was at 100.1 miles. We loaded the bike in the car and within second, the downpour was atrocious! It was raining so hard that we had difficulty driving. I guess this was our lucky day!
I also had a moment to look at a house for sale while waiting. Decided not to make an offer. (Seriously there was a real estate sign!)
Last night was winter, so I thought. Seriously, I felt like I was stranded in a car during a snowstorm. There couldn’t be enough blankets to keep warm. The reason? Jordan put the air conditioning in the room at 63 degrees and it was blowing hard all night. I woke at 3:30 AM unable to breath from congestion. So I got up and tried to find warmth. At 5:00 AM I returned to the room and turned the air conditioning off. I started to clean and pack.
Jordan sleept until 7:30 AM when my packing noise was getting louder. As he is tired after two 100 plus mile days, he was slow getting ready to go. I did some bicycle maintenance including a new chain. I think the chain was the original with well over 1,500 miles of wear. He decided to have a solid breakfast of pizza, a bagel with cream cheese and leftover salmon. I was pleased he fueled well to start the day.
We discussed route options and decided he would leave the hotel and ride through Missoula to Lolo where there is a 51-mile long bike trail. Just better to ride roads we know are safer and not under construction than to risk what we experienced yesterday. In addition, the forecast is hotter than yesterday so earlier and cooler hours are better.
The ride out of Missoula nice with dedicated bicycle routes and a slight grade. An on-street dedicated bike lane followed by a very wide shoulder. He reached Solo without much issue. After that, the temperature seems to ride several degrees every hour. By noon the temperature was in the 80’s. Jordan backed down to a casual pace, and consumed significant fluids.
I decided about half way I would ride back to meet him. I parked at Victor, MT and headed toward Solo on the trail. Unfortunately, less then ¾ mile into the ride, I hit a huge edge on the bridge path and blew both tires. I called Jordan to warn him. Later he said he needed a bunny hop over the edge. He thought maybe it was my weight that caused the issue? I was looking forward to the ride, but I guess I will repair tires instead. While doing repairs I saw a young man and women pass who were obviously touring.
Jordan reached Victor, MT just before just before 1:00 PM and he looked sun whipped. He was tired yet would not admit he is spent. He took time to rest in the air-conditioned car for 15 minutes. I suggested by 3:00 PM we will pack it in for the day and try again later. The heat is too much!
Jordan pressed onward and tried to catch the two touring bicyclist’s I mentioned earlier. After about 12 miles, we arrived at Super 1 food the same time they arrived. They said they just graduated from college and are doing the entire Transamerica trail (a 4,228.5 mile ride). They are 21 days into the ride and assumed they have another 50 days or more.
By this time the temperature was over 100 degrees. We are also at about 3,000 feet so the sun was at a greater intensity than I typically experienced. I am amazed at how well Jordan is surviving the heat. Just before Sula, the road was again outright dangerous. We loaded up the bike and drove a few miles. Jordan made the State line!
The came the fun rides, according to Jordan. Mostly descent and he was speeding, literally going 42 MPH in a 25 MPH curve down the mountain. As the father, I cringed and sweat the whole way. As a 28 year old, he wanted to do it again! I did see some deer, which took me away from the issue.
He was ecstatic that the temperature decreased by 20 degrees by 7:00 PM, so he decided to keep riding. I set up the car for the night and went to meet him. All the while I was driving I thought I forgot something. When I found him I suggested I go back to check and he could stop of keep riding. I went back to look and he kept riding. Then the mountain weather turned ugly. Just before I met him outside Wisdom, MT, lightening struck about 60 feet from him and scared him beyond comprehension. He was mad and I was the only release valve.
We quickly loaded the bike as it start to downpour. No phone service in the middle of a storm in the middle of nowhere. We drove a few miles to the town of Wisdom, MT. We were surprised the town had a great restaurant. We decided the try out The Crossing at Feddy’s and it was very good. I am surprised a place in the middle of nowhere can financially survive. However, the staff said they get so many people passing through, like us.
We made the park at about 9:15 PM and were ready to rest. The Park was nice and donation based. There was even an outhouse! A very well kept up gem and we found two outstanding secrets of Wisdom, MT. Wonder if there are many more gems to find?
It was a cool night but slept well. About 2:30 AM, Jordan woke and asked for his sleeping bag. At 5:45 AM I woke to a double rainbow sight. By the time I got the camera and made it outside, below is what was left.
I tried to wake Jordan at 6:30 AM, as the weather was favorable. Forecast is storms late morning though late afternoon. He was pretty firm he wanted to sleep. I took the time to process the photos and videos and update the bog. I have to do it in Word, as we have no service web access. Just before 8:00 AM Jordan started to wake from his fatigued and dead state. He has averaged 103 miles a day for the first three days!
The day started with the end of a much-needed nights sleep. I was up at 4:30 AM and packed quietly so Jordan could rest. His goal was to be on the bike around 7:30 AM. That meant by 6:00 AM everything would be packed. Jordan woke at 6:15 AM and went to a breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, toast, cereal and other traditional free hotel breakfast. They also had my favorite, biscuits and Gravy. It was approximately 7:50 AM when we arrived just east of big fork. This was where the ride was planned to begin. Jordan looked a little tired which was understandable with the hard day yesterday. We were a little concerned about Highway 83 out of Bigfork as there was a sign that read "construction underway, motorcycles consider another route". It's not that there are other logical routes for a bicycle, so he proceeded onward. (See video here.) The views were pleasing!
And he is off!
We were a little concerned about 83 out of Bigfork as there was a sign that read "construction underway, motorcycles consider another route". It was not that there were other logical routes for a bicycle so he proceeded onward. The views were pleasing!
The wind was heavy. The web stated it was only 2 miles an hour, was obviously much stronger. It was a headwind! Jordan exclaimed "I was riding 17 miles an hour yesterday with the same effort that I can only get 12 miles an hour today". We guess the wind was well over 10 MPH.
The temperature kept climbing and the road was very busy. (See video here). After about 50 miles, we found the road was indeed under construction. It would be a dangerous ride so we loaded up the bike and skipped the nest 5 miles. The bright side, eventually there new paved road. It was smooth as silk.
There is this fact that I did not notice we used they significant amount of gas while we were in Kalispell. By the time I realized we needed gas, I was deep into the mountains. Checking the GPS, Condon, MT had a gas station. However, arriving in Condon (that sounds BAD), the gas station was permanently closed. This heightened anxiety for fuel. According to GPS there was another gas station in 40 miles (Seeley Lake) and the car estimated 80 miles of fuel was remaining. There was no comfort in the 80 miles as they were many gad guzzling climbs.
We were so happy when we arrived in Seeley Lake as the City was actually large. The number of services available exceeded our expectations. We decided it was time to take a break and found a food cart next to the lake. We had burgers and rested for about an hour. We had hoped for cooler temperatures, but knew are hopes would be crushed.
When Jordan finally got on the road, after about 6 miles it was a very narrow road. We decided it was not safe to continue. I am happy he agreed to let me give him a ride for approximately 6 miles to Highway 200 (Clearwater Rest Stop). Highway 200 has a good 5 to 6 foot shoulder. When he realize that he only needed another 30 miles to get 100 miles for the day, he decided to ride to Missoula as opposed to staying at the earlier designated spot. We also found the last 30 miles has some significant decents which made for great time.
This route also had some desperate barns I was able to photograph.
We made decent time and arriving in Missoula at 6:30 PM. Jordan was really tired and was ready for bed by before 9:00 PM. We decided to order pizza as I washed clothes and prepared for the next day.
TOTAL miles for the day was 102.4 miles. That is 202.5 miles for the first two days. The first and last Segment: Ride (first 57.5 miles) summary:
It was refreshing to sleep in a hotel last night. A solid night rests helps both the rider and the support person be less cranky and more alert. We were able to get on the road by 5:45 AM and headed from Kalispell to the Canadian border where the ride would start.
The drive to the border allowed a road review and it was unpleasant! The larger shoulder areas were filled with debris and the no-shoulder roads were high speed (70 MPH) and twisting through forested terrain. The weather was near perfect, light wind out of the north and 45 degrees. For safety reasons, we mounted the NightRider Lumina 350 with the strobe to the back to increase visibility.
We arrived at the border a little before 7:00 AM and Jordan headed into Canada. Londell did not have a passport, so he stayed behind.
Jordan had a quick chat with some Mounties and USA Border Patrol before it was time to start the ride. After less than a mile, Jordan realized he was over dressed and quickly removed the jacket, arm warmers and gloves. It was not long before he was on the road again, headed to Kalispell (73 miles). The road had very little traffic. The first 90 minutes was uneventful and a relatively enjoyable ride.
Londell was able to find a car wash in Eureka, Montana where the two days of bugs were removed from the car. Eureke, Londell washed the mother load! Before long, Londell and Jordan were reunited and the day was looking great.
You know what they say, every good thing... Well the rocks and stones were such a pain we assume this was creating issues with the bike. Jordan said the rear tire seemed to lock up and really concerned him. We loaded the bike onto the rack and check it out. It appears the brakes may have been the issue. Since we could not find any issue, he was on his way again. Londell was able to take a few photo's and recon the road.
The last 20 miles were not pleasant at all. In general people were nice but there were the select few bicycle haters. We made it back to the hotel just before noon. The tourists were out in full swing and it was nice to get off the road. Jordan took a few minutes to rest before heading to the store to get Powerade and oranges. Time to rest, although Jordan may head out later for a short ride.
Average speed 16.4 MPH and maximum speed 33.52 MPH
Average cadence 76 RPM and maximum cadence of 128 RPM
Average heart rate of 128 BPM and maximum heart rate of 169 BPM
Ascent 2,565 feet and decent 2,221 feet
So there is more! We were evaluating the trip from North Kalispell to Swan Lake and there was very few ways that appeared nice or safe. What option could there be? Jordan decided to ride the 20 miles that it would take to get out town in the morning and add another 10 to get the 100 mile day,
At about 4:00 PM we packed up the bikes (yes the second one as Londell was going to ride). We headed to Kila at the west end of the Great Northern Historical Trail. This would take us to Somers, MT at the north end of Flathead Lake. Jordan would ride the trial to Somers, MT where Londell would park and ride in reverse to meet him.
Londell was able to get just over 2 miles when he met Jordan on the trail. Upon returning to the car, Jordan decided to ride back to get 30 miles for the day. So he headed back on the trail. Once he reached the Kalispell trailhead, we loaded up the car, went to Q'doba and went to the Hotel to pack and get set for another ride tomorrow.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs
Grand Teton
