Day 47 Friday 8/21/09 Ontonagon to Baraga, MI

Day 47 Friday 8/21/09
Ontonagon to Baraga, MI
50 Miles
2159 total miles

The hard winds and drizzle blowing 20-30 mph out of the north across Superior continued through late morning when I realized that the storm might not break as early as predicted and it would soon be time to go if I wanted to make any progress at all today. I struck out for Baraga to the east and collected many raindrops along the way. This is the wettest I have gotten so far and even the raincovers on my panniers were saturated, in fact they had each collected pools of water which was hanging in sagging bags from the rear, probably adding a few extra pounds to the load. I decided to stay the night at the Ojibway Casino hotel in Baraga to dry out and unpacked everything to make sure I got everything as dry as possible. I also learned from the book I'm reading, "The People Called the Chippewa" by Gerald Vizenor, that Baraga is named after an Austrian Catholic missionary Frederic Baraga, who built a church and house on Madeline Island in the 1800's but was a great interrupter of indigenous culture in his zeal to Christianize the locals. He later became a bishop for his efforts. If you ask around, not too many locals know that history. Vizenor gives some sobering statistics regarding the percentages of land still in native hands out of the original lands that were designated as reservations. In some cases it is less than 8% of the original landmass. So over time, the already bad deal these tribes/bands received became worse through private sales to timber and mining concerns and other opportunists. The reservation casino/ hotel phenomenon is another story. I have passed through several reservations during my trip, not all of which have these enterprises. Apart from the night I would have spent on the Bad River reservation, I haven't visited any of these casinos.This operation is clean and modern, with comfortable rooms and nice amenities-- they even have an arcade and bowling alley for the kids. My only complaint is the cigarette smoke which travels throughout even the non-smoking sections of the hotel. I met some locals at the bar who were amazed about my trip, one of whom told me to expect the local TV station in Marquette to stop me as I rolled into town there tomorrow! I might fly under the radar and take an alternate route!

Day 23 Tuesday 7/28/09

Day 23 Tuesday 7/28/09
Chester to Havre, MT
64 Miles
959 Total Miles

Rode from Chester, MT with Gary Evans through some storms to Havre, which is about halfway across the state, now. The wind is very challenging-- either your best friend or your worst enemy. The winds have been switching direction frequently and yesterday we rode about 20 miles with a 20-25 cross wind coming at us from the northeast. Found lodging at Northern Montana State University dorms for $10 a night, and am very tired, so will take an extra day's rest before heading out towards Malta, 85 miles away, tomorrow. Check with Bill at the Student Union Building for availability. They prefer a call ahead and can't always guarantee that a room will be available, based on summer enrollment, sports camps, etc. http://www.msun.edu/stuaffairs/stuactivities/index.htm (406) 265-3732


Got a great massage and some good road food Havre Health Foods and Earthlight Wellness Center with therapist Kevin Campbell, NCTMB. He used some trigger point therapy to get some of those tight knots out of the gastrocenimius and other parts of my cycling engine! Thanks Kevin! www.earthlightswellness.com 406-265-5301.

Day 22 Monday 7/27/09 Cut Bank to Chester, MT

Day 22 Monday 7/27/09 Cut Bank to Chester, MT 70 Miles 895 total miles After some free mocha Monday samples at the local McDonalds and some fresh fruit for breakfast, Gary and I rode out of town towards Chester, the next stop for us on the Hi-Line. The day went quite well, this being the second farthest in absolute distance that I have traveled during this trip. Gray was anxious to go ahead and thought that he might even push on to a town farther down the line. There hwere some pretty significant headwinds in the last third of the day and by the time I reached Chester, there was Gary, in the shade of a roadside rest-stop awning. We considered camping in this spot, right next to the tracks, but after the previous night's cacophony near the tracks thought better of it. Using a local map, I scouted out the city park and much to my pleasant surprise found a lush, green park where tenters are welcome to stay for free. Simple accommodations next to a picnic pavilion in a city park, but with running water and toilets , so all was good. We even had a watering schedule and location to set up the tents so we knew where to situate so as to stay dry-- a quick trip to the local grocery for a six pack and we were established for the night. Just before dusk another cyclist rolled, in-, "JP" from Deerfield, NH, who has been on the road since June 11 and is making the brave westward-ho trip to the coast pushing his Trek 520 into the wind. Oh to be 22 again! JP was able to share all kinds of road wisdom our way and we learned of a particularly beneficial stop-off in upcoming town of Havre, the next day's journey, as well as general information about crossing Ontario, a route fraught with challenges, as well as scenic beauty.

Day 21 Sunday 7/26/09 St. Mary to Cut Bank,MT

Day 21 Sunday 7/26/09 St. Mary to Cut Bank, MT 63 Miles 825 total miles The plan to leave St. Mary campground at 8 was delayed by neither my new riding partner, Gary Evans , nor I being ready dto leave at the agreed upon time. We took a little longer, getting over to the St. Mary Lodge and grabbing a cup of coffee, getting connected with wireless and then finally got underway around 9:45 ... Making the initial ascent on US 87 out of the St. Mary area in a light drizzle, up St. Mary Ridge, which is a massive moraine through burned out lodgepole pine forests, the aftermath of pine bark beetle infestations. At the top of that first ridge, there was a great overlook back towards the park and out towards the plains that were our inevitable destination that day. We climbed a second ridge and then descended it down towards the Cut Bank Creek drainage where we turned east, headed down the drainage into the Blackfeet Reservation. The first 10 miles or so of that gradual descent were euphoric, with the plains ahead beckoning us, the mountains getting smaller in our mirrors and our sapeed sometimes exceeding 25 mph, which is a pretty good clip. Then the reality of the reservation roads hit us-- lots more trash and especially broken glass on the roadsides. Unfortunate, but with a little bit of aware riding we managed to get through there without a flat. We arrived in Browning around lunchtime where we stopped for a drink, some WIFI and a visit to the local IGA where we spit the ingredients for a veritable sidewalk banquet and answered questions of curious passers-by. "How far you going? " "Where you coming from?" "How many miles can you do in a day?" After lunch, we set our sights on Cut Bank, another 30 or so miles away where we would spend the night. The Montana camping guide I obtained from he chamber of commerce Libby showed that Cut Bank had public camping, and when we got to town we commenced to look for it to no avail, so we stopped at a local casino to ask directions. We discovered that the said campground had been closed for several years and the lady at the bar, Liz, offered for us to camp in her yard, after clearing it, of course, with her husband, Pat, with a quick phone call. She let us know that her 4 year old, Vladimir, would be there to greet us and be full of questions and directions, it being his back yard and all... It was a very welcome place to stay and after clearing some of young Vladimir's toys out of the way to make room for our tents, we set up for the night, did some laundry, went out to a big dinner at the Cut Bank Café and returned for showers and a solid night's sleep-- except for the 6 or so trains that thundered through town all night long, whistles blaring, as we are on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Hi-Line, one of the most frequented tracks in the country with 35 to 40 trains a day rolling through every little town out here.

Day 20 Saturday 7/25/09 Sprague Creek via Logan Pass to St. Mary, MT

Day 20 Saturday 7/25/09 Sprague Creek via Logan Pass to St. Mary, MT 40 Miles762 total miles Rose early and hit the road at 6:15 to make the ascent over Logan Pass via the Going to the Sun Road, 18 miles to the pass and about a 3400 foot climb. Park rules require that all bike traffic past Logan Creek must complete the last 12 mile journey before 11 a.m. Not a problem if you aren't too loaded down, or if you get an early start. Today, though, we had Matthew and Eleanor's 6 month old Olive in tow in the chariot behind Eleanor's bike. Matthew, for his part , has decided to give himself a bit of a workout and carry some of his camping gear, extra food, and some other rocks, bricks and lead bars in his pack, just for the sake of being a mountain man. I, for my part, have deferred to the gracious Manita and her Subaru to carry all but the essential food, water and foul weather gear. The pass ride was beautiful-- we made it with a little time to spare as we stopped frequently for nursing stops, diaper changes and Olive activities! Spent lunchtime at Logan Pass talking with a Dutch couple, Stella and Joris, who are on an extended tour of the US after spending the past 9 months touring Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. If that's not enough, they completed a 14 month trip from Holland to China on those very same bikes-- truly a testament to their perseverance as well as interpersonal compatibility. The ride down from the pass was thrilling with incredible views of the (receding) glaciers , followed by a chilling dip in St. Mary Lake at the bottom. Matthew and I found our way to St. Mary Lodge on a hot afternoon, for a couple of cold beers and relaxation in the leather lounge chairs while we waited for the rest of the gang to join us for a great dinner-- then off to the campsite for some end of day relaxation and a good night's rest before heading south and east out onto the great plains.

Day 19 Friday 7/24/09 Whitefish to Sprague Creek, MT

Day 19 Friday 7/24/09

Whitefish to Sprague Creek, MT

40 Miles

722 total miles

Rode with Matthew Smeltzer via backroads from Whitefish 2 West Glacier Park.

Day 13 Sunday 7/19/09

Day 13 Sunday 7/19/09
Clark Fork, ID to Libby, MT
69 Miles
587 total miles

Got an early start today in the pacific time zone at 6:45 a.m.-- trying to beat the heat. Rode into Montana and the Mt. Time zone at about 516 trip miles and climbed to Bull River Junction about 20 miles east of Clark Fork where I stopped for coffee and stoked up on carbs for the ride northward on Montana Route 56 through the Cabinet Mountains. It was a truly amazing road and the scenery was picture postcard. The Cabinet Wilderness to the east of the highway has a grouping of 8k mountains which are all very rugged. The terrain supports a grizzly population and the Bull river meanders crystal clear, cold and lazy through the lush green valley. I talked with one angler who said the daily bag limit on brook trout is 20, as they are trying to reduce their numbers in favor of the endangered Bull Trout which is native to the stream. The brookies average 12-14 and the fishing appears to be pretty productive. Stopped at Halfway House, a bar at Bull Lake, where I enjoyed the cooling effects of a couple of Kokannee's in the frostiest glasses I had in a while. Very refreshing. Met some interesting people, including Karol, who cares for elderly patients in the area and owns a pet bobcat. The new bike is really an improvement on both the uphills and downhills. I am able to get better climbing response and motion as the frame is stiffer, shorter and more responsive. The downhills feel SO MUCH safer as the tires are a wider 32c profile vs. The previous 28c, and the wheels and brakes are solid-- giving me the confidence to cruise down some of the hills a little faster and carry more momentum onto the flats and up the next thills. After taking a mid-afternoon rest and read at the junction of US 2 and Rt. 56, I rode a few more miles until I reached the dramatic Kootenai Falls and the "Swinging bridge" a plank pedestrian suspension bridge over the rapid river below. The wind was blowing and the bridge was, well, swinging high and unsteady over the river below-- who needs to pay for a carnival ride at the amusement park! I received some advice that there was a municipal park where I could camp in Libby, and found it-- $5 a night, but no showers-- at this point, I will make do-- the price is certainly right! I will apply the savings towards a good meal tonight! 96 miles between here and Whitefish-- I can't really decide whether I want to try and do the whole thing in one day or 2-- I feel it might be better to split it up- or perhaps my nephew Matthew Smeltzer will come and join me for the ride back into Whitefish late in the day. His wife, my niece, Eleanor, might carry my bags back in her car. Would that be considered cheating?

Day 10 Thursday 7/16/09

Day 10 Thursday 7/16/09
Spokane, WA to Hayden Lake, ID
47 Miles
435 total miles


After visiting with the Bradley's this morning I received a 4 person bicycle escort and tour of the South Hill section of Spokane, a meandering route through cool, shady, tree lined boulevards past hundreds of beautiful 1910-20 construction craftsman style, American 4-square and other assorted classic homes. We stopped in a couple of parks and visited the Japanese gardens before we said our goodbyes. I like Spokane! Spent just a little more time downtown where I enjoyed a sidewalk café across from Riverwalk Park, had some refreshments and was approached by Lance, who is paraplegic but very interested in doing a cross country seated cycle trip-- I encouraged him to start soon, meanwhile thinking to myself that it will require some effort, but when I looked at Lance's arms I am pretty sure he will have little difficulty, probably far less than I-- the man is built like a rock! It is interesting how I project my limited understanding onto others very reflexively, only to catch myself in the act. One more thing to work on. I plotted my journey out of town, and headed to the Centennial trail.

Centennial Trail was very enjoyable, following the river course, moderate grades and past swimming holes on the Spokane River, mostly protected from traffic and noise and passing through ponderosa pine shady spots which was greatly appreciated due to the afternoon heat-- the thermometer read 98 F upon my arrival at Prairie and 95 in Hayden Lake at 6:30 p.m. I was approached on the trail by a couple of people today-- Joe, who is a Cross-country bike veteran- having done Boston to San Francisco and who offered me a place to camp in Post Falls, and by Patricia who is living in her camper at the state line rest stop with her 14 year old dog Sassy. Patricia is working for the State of Idaho as a highway flagger and waiting for payday and the next job. Things are kind of tough for Patricia right now, as her kids help her with her mortgage on her home in Deer Park and she tries to keep her stuff together with her intermittent work. Hang in there, Patricia-- better days are coming soon!
If you are headed east through Idaho from Spokane-- there's really only one way to do it enjoyably and safely, and that's the Centennial Trail.

Arrived at the home of Jeff Meagher and Tawny Lackaye in Hayden Lake, upon referral and enjoyed a great (late!) night out-- first to Jeff's excellent restaurant, "The Porch Public House" http://wedonthaveone.com/ The Sweet Sesame Spinach Salad and Moon Burger come highly recommended by this gourmand! We returned to their place for some more wine and conversation-- once more, I'm blown away by hospitality and generosity-- thanks guys!