Category: Tom’s Cross-Country Bicycle Adventure

Arrived here yesterday afternoon after a 40 mile ride the last 4 of which were harrowing (no shoulder, 70mph traffic, including lumber trucks, cement trucks, RVs and cars). Nearly 2.5 miles of this last four I walked the bike – NOT SAFE. Found a bike shop here that could repair my crank – one of the gears had broken teeth. SO another night here, then further progress towards Glacier National Park. 

Once in West Glacier I will have to make some hard decisions. There are only two ways over the Rockies. The preference is to take the Going-to-the-Sun-Road. This road has limited tourist traffic, but no trucks or RVs. Unfortunately this road received four feet of snow at the end of June and so at the time of this writing is still not open all the way through to East Glacier. The Alternate route is more of the same of what I rode/walked through yesterday, so it is no alternate. If the “sun road” isn’t open all the way through, I will ride what I can of it, then ride back to an overnight camp site (where I can leave my gear) and hopefully catch a train to get me on the other side of the divide (maybe even into North Dakota).

I’m only just recovering from a bout of bronchitis, which has slowed me down a bit over the last few days – nice to have two overnights here to recoup. Somewhere between here and Eureka I lost my credit card. I’ve put a hold on it and no charges had been made that weren’t charges I made. And I still have a debit card. All-in-all, I am grateful to be able to continue, to meet the people along the way, to see the beauty of a part of the country I have never been in.

I continue to be astonished at the “material wealth” that many people have. RVs the size of my house hauling boats or a second car behind. The RVs are equipped with all the modern conveniences (wide screen TVs, generators for electricity when there are no hookups, “toys” galore). A very blatant example of the wealth disparity and consumptive nature of our economy. There doesn’t seem to be any thought that “nature” is being enjoyed at “nature’s” expense. Seeing it all makes me feel a bit less optimistic of humanity’s future. 

But even though I’m traveling now, I still live in Hope.

~Tom

Beginning on the 18th of June, when I stepped off the train in Seattle, I have bicycled every day. Some of those days have been difficult rides, others relatively easy. Many of you can now look at my day-to-day progress via the app “Strava.” Today I have rented myself a motel room, electing to take a day off to rest, sleep in a bed, shower, take advantage of a 24 hour breakfast offering, and do some bike maintenance. Beginning tomorrow I will continue my ride through the Montana Wilderness toward Eureka, Whitefish and Glacier National Park: a route that promises to be challenging and beautiful.

In my last blog post I had mentioned a few of my encounters with “angels.” Two days ago I had another. After biking from Hope, Montana to a campground beside the Cabinet Gorge, I walked down to the shore and, spur-of-the-moment, decided to take my first swim of this trip. I stripped off my clothes and dove in, BUT had failed to remove my glasses, which were now somewhere lying in the silt. I had no replacement with me. I searched but could not find them. Feeling foolish, angry with myself and uncertain as to the future of this trip, I came back to my campsite. There I introduced myself to Mark and Mary, two fellow cyclists at the site next to mine. I began by telling them what I had just done. Mark pulled out a pair of swimming goggles, grabbed his swim suit, and followed me back to the shore. Within 5 minutes, he retrieved my eyesight. The next day (yesterday) took us here to Libby where we shared a campsite last night. They have traveled on today, while I have chosen this rest day. Mark has plans to ride to Maine, albeit on a different route than mine, so we may or may not cross paths again – but this is how it is with angels.

~Tom