I get to whitefish, and with all the rattling of my back tire, I am feeling very saddle sore (sorry if that is too much information). We roll into one bikeshop, but it is late saturday and they will be closed sunday (not enough time to build me a new back wheel). just as they are recommending the other bike shop in town, one of the mechanics from the other bike shop, TIm, rolls up, testing out a new bike. After a long conversation all around, Tim escorts us to the other bike shop, where they offer to build me the toughest wheel they can for 115. We also stock up on other good things, like an extra tire, some more tubes, more chain lube, and plenty of recommendations about what to do for saddle sores (mainly they recommend some rest).
So, here we have been in white fish, after biking in on Saturday, and laying about for two days in a nearby camping spot (7$ a night 2$ for a shower), hanging out at the local coffee shop, the library, and our campsite (which has a lovely view of lake whitefish, and plenty of curious tow-headed kids to watch play). We are catching up on our reading, stretching and relaxing, and looking forward to getting going tomorrow. Our plan is to get to the base of logan pass for tomorrow night (6/30), and then get up logan pass and another 60 miles by the end of the day. Considering the kind of climb it is going to be, and how far out of our way it is going to be, it better be freakin gorgeous.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 15 Eureka!
With my slightly wobley back wheel, Lindsey and I bike ~70 miles to Eureka. It is a cute little town, and we spend the night, again, in the city green, but this time with no fire. It is a relatively uneventful day, except that, I kept blowing tubes, and we didnt get started out of Libby until about 1. I have found, more recently, that I need to be much more careful about putting pressure on the nozzle with my hand held pump...
Day 14 Trouble (Cormac)
We get about 30 miles of gorgeous Montana miles behind us, before, I run over a rock the size of my fist while going 35 mph. My tire goes flat and my rim has an indentation that you could fit a dime into.
We hitchhike 8 miles into Libby, with a guy who turns out to be a little sketchy (one sketchy guy among all the ones that we have run into isn't so bad). He takes us to a discount store that obviously wouldnt have what we want, and then offers to cart us all over town. We dont think that he is harmful necessarily, but we think that he is going to want money for his trouble. So we thank him, but it takes some insistince for him to drive off without us.
As it turns out, there really isn't anywhere in Libby that he could have driven us that would have been helpful. Ace Hardware actually had some wheels, but none that would fit, and the sportstore has nothing but mountain bikes.
Lindsey, meets an older fellow named larry while hanging out outside of Ace (Larry's wife works at ace), and Larry, offers to drive us to Troy, where there is a small bike shop (a guy, a garage and a few tools). Larry gets this guy's number, and luck enough, he has what we want.
Larry offers to take us to Troy, and we gratefully accept. Along the way, we have about the best and most interesting conversation we have had on this trip. It turns out that about half of the people in Libby are affected by Asbestos poisoning due to a local mine. Larry is one of them, so was Larry's dad, who also happened to be the head of the union in charge of working that mind. The way Larry described his father's attempt to shut down his own mine (putting his own union out of work) put tears in all of our eyes. "It's killing our families," Larry's father would say. But the workers didnt want to listen. It took years to close down that mine (well after Larry's dad died).
Larry also shared a story about how one of his kids got him to quit smoking, first by trying to lecture him for two hours, and then threatening to start smoking and keep on smoking until Larry quit.
Larry waited for us, while Dennis "The Mennis" bent my wheel back in to shape (he had a wheel that would fit, but admitted that it was too low a quality for the weight I was hauling).
We drove back, and Larry talked about his experiences of God, and how he, in his own quiet way, was rescued from PTSD and Alcolohism, by his budding faith. We never mentioned once we were ministers.
Lindsey and I parted ways with Larry and set up a tent in a little park right in the middle of Libby, MT. It cost 5$, and it is the first time we had to pay for a campsight in a very long time (it turns out that our experience of paying 14$ for a campsite was an aberation... for anyone curious any United States Forest Service campground is free... and they are usually lovely and well cared for... though often without showers, and sometimes without water altogether.)
One benefit of camping in the middle of town is that we can buy grogeries that might go bad... so we cook up veggie sausages for dinner and eggs for breakfast... we also invest in a little oven tray turned campstove, as we are a little tired of getting all of our hot food by boiling 2 cups of water in our jet boil. We also invest in some non-instant coffee and coffee filters. Our tastes seem to be getting a little richer, and our bags a little heavier.
We hitchhike 8 miles into Libby, with a guy who turns out to be a little sketchy (one sketchy guy among all the ones that we have run into isn't so bad). He takes us to a discount store that obviously wouldnt have what we want, and then offers to cart us all over town. We dont think that he is harmful necessarily, but we think that he is going to want money for his trouble. So we thank him, but it takes some insistince for him to drive off without us.
As it turns out, there really isn't anywhere in Libby that he could have driven us that would have been helpful. Ace Hardware actually had some wheels, but none that would fit, and the sportstore has nothing but mountain bikes.
Lindsey, meets an older fellow named larry while hanging out outside of Ace (Larry's wife works at ace), and Larry, offers to drive us to Troy, where there is a small bike shop (a guy, a garage and a few tools). Larry gets this guy's number, and luck enough, he has what we want.
Larry offers to take us to Troy, and we gratefully accept. Along the way, we have about the best and most interesting conversation we have had on this trip. It turns out that about half of the people in Libby are affected by Asbestos poisoning due to a local mine. Larry is one of them, so was Larry's dad, who also happened to be the head of the union in charge of working that mind. The way Larry described his father's attempt to shut down his own mine (putting his own union out of work) put tears in all of our eyes. "It's killing our families," Larry's father would say. But the workers didnt want to listen. It took years to close down that mine (well after Larry's dad died).
Larry also shared a story about how one of his kids got him to quit smoking, first by trying to lecture him for two hours, and then threatening to start smoking and keep on smoking until Larry quit.
Larry waited for us, while Dennis "The Mennis" bent my wheel back in to shape (he had a wheel that would fit, but admitted that it was too low a quality for the weight I was hauling).
We drove back, and Larry talked about his experiences of God, and how he, in his own quiet way, was rescued from PTSD and Alcolohism, by his budding faith. We never mentioned once we were ministers.
Lindsey and I parted ways with Larry and set up a tent in a little park right in the middle of Libby, MT. It cost 5$, and it is the first time we had to pay for a campsight in a very long time (it turns out that our experience of paying 14$ for a campsite was an aberation... for anyone curious any United States Forest Service campground is free... and they are usually lovely and well cared for... though often without showers, and sometimes without water altogether.)
One benefit of camping in the middle of town is that we can buy grogeries that might go bad... so we cook up veggie sausages for dinner and eggs for breakfast... we also invest in a little oven tray turned campstove, as we are a little tired of getting all of our hot food by boiling 2 cups of water in our jet boil. We also invest in some non-instant coffee and coffee filters. Our tastes seem to be getting a little richer, and our bags a little heavier.
Day 13 (Montana is Gorgeous) (Cormac)
We get through the last little bit of the Idaho panhandle and into Montana. The rolling foothills of the Rocky's and the expansive landscape offer some of the most scenic riding yet. Though we did get a late start from Sandpoint (soaking up every hotel second), the sun doesnt set until around 10. We also find that riding in the evening, between 4 and 9, is about the most gorgeous time to ride.
We roll into a US forrest service campsite right on a beautiful river, and cook over a fire.
We also use our sleeping pads for the first time and sleep like logs, without waking up feeling like logs.
We roll into a US forrest service campsite right on a beautiful river, and cook over a fire.
We also use our sleeping pads for the first time and sleep like logs, without waking up feeling like logs.
Day 12 (Our One Month Anniversary) 6/23 (Cormac)
Our one month anniversary happened to coincide with the finishing of our first map section, in Sandpoint Idaho.
We both get super excited about crossing state lines into Idaho, and even more excited about staying at a hotel again. i break a spoke, on the hub side of my back wheel. Since we dont have the tools for replacing that spoke, we grab a ride into town.
At the camping/biking store we finally decide to buy sleeping pads (we had been sleeping like logs, but also waking up as stiff as logs). We both felt very tough when everyone at the camping store was aghast that we had gone so long with just our bags. Everyone is super nice, and the guy who fixes our bikes gives us the skinny on Logan Pass (it is the continental divide, the highest peak in the trip, and its in Montana). We had been planning on avoiding it like the plague and taking an alternate route. But the bike repairman (whose name i sadly forget) said that it is the most gorgeous part of the whole tour and that we would be fools to skip it. He fixes our spoke for next to nothing and offers to let us camp on his lawn. It is our month-iversary, though, and we both want showers, so we decline his gracious offer.
We enjoy a fine italian meal. I get another ribeye, which actually doesnt hold a candle to the one I paid 8 bucks for just a weak ago.
We also hit the book store where Lindsey gets Diane Ackerman's "A History of the Senses" which she has been quoting from non-stop ever since, and I get Richard Bach's "A Bridge Across Forever."
We go back to the hotel room, watch a little TV and sleep like we actually have a bed.
We both get super excited about crossing state lines into Idaho, and even more excited about staying at a hotel again. i break a spoke, on the hub side of my back wheel. Since we dont have the tools for replacing that spoke, we grab a ride into town.
At the camping/biking store we finally decide to buy sleeping pads (we had been sleeping like logs, but also waking up as stiff as logs). We both felt very tough when everyone at the camping store was aghast that we had gone so long with just our bags. Everyone is super nice, and the guy who fixes our bikes gives us the skinny on Logan Pass (it is the continental divide, the highest peak in the trip, and its in Montana). We had been planning on avoiding it like the plague and taking an alternate route. But the bike repairman (whose name i sadly forget) said that it is the most gorgeous part of the whole tour and that we would be fools to skip it. He fixes our spoke for next to nothing and offers to let us camp on his lawn. It is our month-iversary, though, and we both want showers, so we decline his gracious offer.
We enjoy a fine italian meal. I get another ribeye, which actually doesnt hold a candle to the one I paid 8 bucks for just a weak ago.
We also hit the book store where Lindsey gets Diane Ackerman's "A History of the Senses" which she has been quoting from non-stop ever since, and I get Richard Bach's "A Bridge Across Forever."
We go back to the hotel room, watch a little TV and sleep like we actually have a bed.
Day 11 (Cormac)
We got a bit of a late start out of Sherman Pass, but it turned out to be a glorious morning. The sun broke through the clouds and offered a magical backlight to the towering evergreens.
We roll through the towns of Cusick and Usk. Now they may be the nicest towns in the world, but judging a book by its cover, they looked like sad, sad places. Most of the windows were boarded, and there was lot after lot of trailer park spaces vacant and for sale.
Something about those towns gave us the willies in a pretty serious way (no offense willie). But, when clouds started to gather and rain started to come down, and we realized it was 20+ miles to the next campsite, we pitched our tent in a campground just outside of town, feeling a little nervous, and hiding our campsite as best as we could.
We sleep like slightly scared logs.
We roll through the towns of Cusick and Usk. Now they may be the nicest towns in the world, but judging a book by its cover, they looked like sad, sad places. Most of the windows were boarded, and there was lot after lot of trailer park spaces vacant and for sale.
Something about those towns gave us the willies in a pretty serious way (no offense willie). But, when clouds started to gather and rain started to come down, and we realized it was 20+ miles to the next campsite, we pitched our tent in a campground just outside of town, feeling a little nervous, and hiding our campsite as best as we could.
We sleep like slightly scared logs.
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