On Glacier and NW Montana

As I write this my odometer reads 2348.2 miles and I am spending my last night in MT.

So the Great Plains were great. Impressive in their size, and I enjoyed watching the wind create waves of green in the prairie grass; but seeing those mountains rising from the horizon nearly brought tears to my eyes. That last ride to East Glacier Park was brutal: 7.5 hours in my saddle to go 70 miles with 15 mph head winds and a 1500 ft elevation change, but man was it worth it.



Leaving the plains for the mountains.


About 3 miles from East Glacier Park, MT

Two words can be used to describe Glacier National Park: breathtakingly beautiful. Do not miss this park. I spent one day on the east side, one traveling across it, and one on the west.

On the east side I biked into Two Medicine and hiked around. The Scenic Point hike is only 3.1 miles each way and you get to climb 2400 ft and the name does not lie. Pictures should tell it better than I could.



Biking into two medicine.



Running eagle falls, on the way into two medicine



View on the hike.



Snack at the top.



Mountain goat doing his thing

On the ride across I was forced to take the southern route on 2, the Going to the Sun Rd is still closed. It's gorgeous, but not as scenic as the other route.



Crossing the continental divide.

The west entrance was quite different, much more touristy and built up. But there was definitely a reason as the combination of gorgeous forests, lakes, and mountains make it pretty idyllic.



Bike path into the park.



What's up black bear.



McDonald lake from Apgar village (where I camped)



Riding what I could of the Going to the Sun Rd.



That's as far as I go. 17 miles from Apgar village, still ~13 miles to the pass.



It rained on me as I hiked to Avalanche lake, but it was worth it.

So this has gotten a bit long, but I will just say that North Western
MT is almost as beautiful as glacier. Mountains covered in cedar, hemlock, cottonwood, and some Douglas firs. Creeks, lakes, and rivers. I ride through valleys along these rivers with mountains on either side. It is amazing. I'm sad to leave but excited to continue the journey. One last pic and I'm out.


Enjoying my break along Lake Koocanusa in NW Montana.

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Location:Blue Jay Dr,Noxon,United States

The beer

Still going strong, 1835 miles down. Taking a day off in Havre, MT.

So it's time to post on what you've all been wondering about: the beer. As I've traveled through these states I've tried to stick to local beer. So here is what I recall.

In case you don't already know, Michigan has some fantastic beer. I tried to make sure Martin got to have some of the standouts, but I think all we were able to accomplish was some Oberon, two hearted (both Bell's), maybe some sky high rye from Arcadia, and then a couple of Jolly pumpkin's before we left. All fantastic, but I might be biased so you'll have to ask Martin for an objective opinion.

Of the other states, WI is the winner thus far. The sheer volume of Wisconsin beer on tap at the old fashioned is astounding. We had a pepper ale, which was delicious, tried something that had very distinct citrus flavors and had something like 50 beers on tap that I wish I could have tried. On U Wisconsin 's campus we had a great IPA called kiss the lips. And as we traveled we found other beers from craft brewers that were also very good. My favorite beer of the trip is still probably the home-brewed cream ale (a delicious balance of a golden ale and cream soda) that we had at a roadside grill.

Montana is proving to be a runner up now, not only for the quality of the beer, which I've found a few floral, bitter pales and IPA's, but also for the art on the packaging. I mean just look at this bottle:


And then this really flavorful IPA (reminded me of a hoppier two hearted) in a can!



Montana has serious potential and I'm only half way through it. Although I've run into the problem of buying sixers with only myself to get through them before my ride the next day. Guess I need to make more local friends.

One other state is worth mentioning: North Dakota. I would call it a Beer Desert. Most bars can't afford to keep any beer on tap and pretty much all you find are your standard domestics, great when your parched, but not exactly craft beer. Sadly, I could not find any beer from North Dakota. However, stopping in the bars in each town we stayed was always a good time.

I'll leave you with a few pictures I have on this phone since I last posted:



My first flat of the trip at 1500 miles. a good one.



Big sky country



In the distance you can see the flooding.

That's all I got. It's hard to capture the sense of immensity out here. These truly are the great plains. You'll just have to come see for yourselves.

Looking forward to mountains!

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Location:4th Ave,Havre,United States

A day in the life...

Officially flying solo now. Martin caught the bus in Minot after 1382 miles. It was great having Martin here, . We'll see how the long road alone goes. 1440 down, about that much left to Seattle.

So let me take you through a day on the road: I wake up between 8 and 9, start cleaning up camp and making breakfast. Oatmeal is the wonder breakfast. It's a vehicle for peanut butter, nutella, shredded coconut, and anything else that can add flavor. By 10-10:30, I'm on the road. Sometime in the first 20 miles or so, i stop for second breakfast. Eggs and whatnot. When Martin was around this generally involved a game of cribbage. Then I get back on the road and race the sun. We'll stop at least one more time to eat, either at a cafe/diner/bar or out of our panniers. At the end of a day we identify where the camp is and then head for the local bar. More cribbage ensues and some beers and food, then make camp and sleep. At the bars and cafe is generally our opportunity to meet the locals.

The days tend to run together, but we have our list of great cafes and diners: there's the Hob nob in Niles, MI; JJ's cafe in Elroy,WI; charlie's cafe in Freeport, MN; the shack, in Fargo, ND; and the Farm House Cafe in Leeds, ND. I might be missing one, Martin will have to correct the list. The healthiest food I've had, though, tends to come from Subway when I can find it, which has been shocking for me.

Some pics off the phone:



A wall in Fargo, done by an artist from Minneapolis.


One of my best outfits. You fit right in when you walk into a bar here with cut-off sleeves.


The one time after Fargo we found draft beer (and fat tire at that). Of course the cards.



This is the manager's office at the Hillcrest Motel in Minot, ND.

Anyway, I've got to inquire about why my second breakfast has taken 50 minutes to arrive.


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Location:1st St SE,Stanley,United States

Wind and good people

So we broke 1000 miles. We stopped for a clif bar as we did it and chatted about how the two of us have never felt more patriotic than we do as we progress through the heartland of our country. And as we're getting ready to saddle up a bald eagle flies overhead. I shit you not.

We're still astounded by the people we've met. In bars and cafes everyone has been super friendly, and we've had some folks take us in that are simply fantastic.
I think we met the guy from the Dos Equis commercial, the most interesting man in the world, Dean of Minneapolis. He and his wife, Jenny, took us in out of the rain and showed us a great time. They talked to us about Urban Farming, starting Co-ops, being a green on the City Council, biking, and hiking food around FBI lines into the seige at Wounded Knee. Amazing people.
Then in Alexandria, MN, Martin and I are sitting enjoying a beer after a long day of riding and a man rides up and asks us about our trip. We get to talking and he ends up offering a space in his gorgeous backyard to put up our tents. Dan is a man that you want to emulate: a grandfather, incredibly fit, has ridden nearly every major bike trail in the Midwest, maybe the US. He's got a house on a lake with a gorgeous view. And just a generally friendly and generous person. It was great sitting on his back lawn talking and watching the thunderstorms over the lake.
And now we're in Fargo, where we met Judith at the local bike shop. She gave us some good information and then offered up her floor as a place to crash. She's been fantastic, loves bikes, beer and a good time. Obviously, we enjoyed ourselves immensely hanging out with her. We'll take her out for breakfast, and then hit the road.

I need to mention the wind. It makes or breaks us each day. The days where it's at our bikes we can cruise at upwards of twenty miles per hour and you feel like your flying on a magic carpet or something. The days when it is a headwind exhausts you and sends your morale spiraling downward. We had a wsw wind, 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph, when we were headed wnw. It was brutal, giving everything you had and barely maintaining 9 mph. We are at the mercy of the weather. Pray for se winds for us.

Here are some pictures from my phone:



Highway 61 along the mississipi in Minnesota.




Our first dairy queen stop of the trip (this was very important to us), in lake city, mn.



Martin is very pleased with his blizzard.



On the trail with a bit of cover from the brutal wind.

That's all i got. Well I should go wake Martin (I do it everyday).

Location:N Broadway Dr,Fargo,United States