Sisters To St. Paul
Day 3

Date: July 27, 2005
Route: West Glacier to St. Mary “Going-to-the-Sun”
Distance: 52 miles
Ride Time: 4h 30m
Elevation Climbed: 3888’
Weather: 42 – 75 degrees

Log

I am spending entirely too much time writing this log. Today I pushed up, I flew down. I had a great time.

I guess a few more details are in order. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1933 offering visiters a route through the interior of the park. It is an engineering and scenic marvel. The route winds up the valley then cuts into the side of the mountains to the summit at the Continental Divide. The sparkling waterfalls, expansive virgin forests, sculpted valleys, towering vistas and cascading wildflowers were stunning.

This road is on every cyclist's dream list of places to ride. I was excited and nervous. Bicycles must be off the road by 11AM due to heavy traffic. There is no shoulder and the road is twisted and narrow. We left the motel at 5:45AM to drive the 30 miles from Whitefish to West Glacier. I was on my way at 6:30AM skirting Lake McDonald, luminous in dawn’s early light.

I had the road to myself --- how lucky can one get! For the next 20 miles I followed McDonald Creek at a gentle ascent of 2%-3%. Then the fun began: in the next 10 miles I climbed 3200’. It was a steady push up an 8% grade with a few spots of 10%. Nothing terribly daunting except the precipice under my right elbow. There were two sections of construction where the road was reduced to one lane. The flaggers put me at the back of the line and waited patiently for me to get through. The traffic was surprisingly light and all the workers cheered me on as I made my way up the mountain. As a matter of fact, I’ve gotten nothing but smiles, waves, and thumbs-up the last two days. I don’t know if it’s the recumbent (I’ve seen no others) or the smile on my face, but I all the drivers have given me plenty of space and lots of encouragement. I even heard an “Allez, Allez” on the final ascent to the pass. I made it by 10AM even with the construction delays. Jon was waiting for me with kudos and the camera. He had moseyed up taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. In the last 2 days he has seen a golden eagle, a bald eagle, and a wolverine!

The descent wasn’t nearly as dicey as I had anticipated. St. Mary is 1200’ higher than West Glacier so I didn’t have as big a change in altitude going down as coming up. There was no construction, rather, smooth road all the way. The final 9 miles were along the lovely St. Mary Lake. Nice symmetry ... starting and ending at beautiful lakes.!

We loaded my bike on the car, bought a Diet Coke, drove to East Glacier for some lunch, then checked into Glacier Park Lodge. It is just as grand as it looks in the pictures. The train station is in front and the mountains in back. Nice job, Great Northern Railway!.

Two perfect days of Montana cycling --- and more to come!