8/10/2013 Running With The Sun

Some days the bear eats you and some days you eat the bear. Today we feasted.

Venturing out to a clear but very warm day, we followed the Kootenai and the Koocanusa up the East side. In reverse it was all new and the scenery was as moving as yesterday. As we leaned Into curves shadowed by walls of rock, refreshingly cool air quenched us. The traveling was easier here and we made tracks.

A side trip into Rexford told us an interesting story. When they made the reservoir, one town was lost to the water but Rexford was moved. Now a village of mobile homes, some fixed and some not, it seems that too much permanence is feared. 

Onto route 93 at Eureka, we started to encounter some traffic, but it all really picked up in Whitefish as we turned toward Glacier National Park on route 2.  Touristy, busy, and crowded, the springboard for visiting the park, Whitefish was not for us. We rode on through Columbia and entered the park with my "Granny Pass". ( When I turned 60, we purchased a Senior National Parks Pass for $10, and we have been visiting for free ever since!)

One of our favorite parks, Glacier keeps calling us back. The clear blue of Lake McDonald welcomes us and far overshadows the destruction of pine by insects on the opposite shore. The first peak that confronts us between trees lining the road always catches me unaware. I gasp at the sudden beauty that surrounds and improves at every dogleg and switchback. Climbing to Logan Pass on Going to the Sun Road, Jules and Magic make love to the narrow spiral of pavement as I am thrilled by each new snow peaked glacier that rises before us and the ever deepening valley we lean toward, the view unscathed by guardrails. Waterfalls tickle us with cool spray and mountain air releases the heat of the day. Once over the pass, crowded with peak season tourists, we begin the descent. Again, each turn affords a view as stunning as the one before as we dip down in altitude.

                      

 

Down to St. Mary Lake, we stopped for a bite to eat. Alone in the picnic area, we sat quietly. Jules took a stroll to the lake on a path through the woods and saw several late sunbathers. Once back, we started our lunch. Quickly and unexpectedly, the sunbathers came running through the trees. Bear! Bear! Rangers ran to the beach and started shouting to move the bear away. Since we were the only visitors with food in the area, we felt rather vulnerable and packed up quickly. How close Jules was to that bear, we'll never know ( or maybe the people on the beach thought he was the bear).

Without warning, storm clouds began rolling over the peaks. We hightailed it out of the park, but slower traffic kept giving the storm a chance to catch us. I suppose avoiding weather isn't as much of an issue when you have a roof over your head.  When the caravan of cars in front of us turned to go back to route 2, we decided to continue on to unknown territory. Into the plains, the storm chased us through the Blackfeet Nation Reservation, open territory with no shelter. Garmin told us that we were in pretty deep because there were no motels for 20-30 miles. 

Then, like a mirage in a desert, a Holiday Inn appeared next to a Casino. Only open two days, we booked a virgin room. Parking Magic under the entrance way, we staggered to our digs for the night. 

Overlooking the plains and the jagged peaks of Glacier, our view provided an ongoing show that equalled any IMax theater. First we watched the approach of the storm, fearsome and fast. When it arrived, it came with quarter sized hail, some larger. As the ice pelleted the window like a rapid fire machine gun, we were so thankful to be off the bike.  Then, the aftermath brought a brilliant sunset over the mountains that equalled any we have ever seen.

Experiencing a monumental ride, being awed by sights beyond belief, we ended our day by escaping a bear and extreme weather. We feasted on heart-stopping scenery and heavenly roads. We did not let nature feast on us.