This morning was our time to get needed gear assembled for the remainder of our trip. We went to a bicycle shop in Great Falls to get inner tubes, a rear view mirror and extra water bottles. From there we went to buy hiking shoes and jackets which we had intended to get before leaving on the trip but had not had the time to do so (We shopped at Bighorn Outdoor Specialists, and they were first class). We then hit the road for Glacier National Park, about a 4-hour drive from Great Falls. About two hours into our drive, we had our first full-on view of the Rocky Mountains in all their majesty. As we neared the park, we could sense we were in for something special. The smells of spruce and fir as we wound around the southern perimeter of the Park to our destination put us in a wilderness frame of mind, anticipating cool nights, new waterfalls emerging from recent snowmelts and clear, cold streams calming our sensibilities and making us feel a part of the grandness of the world God has given us. After settling into our campground, we enjoyed a steak dinner at a nearby chalet, sitting out on the terrace, thankful for everything that put us together in this place
June 25
We got up early this morning so that we could drive through the park from the west entrance eastward to St Mary’s Lake, where I would begin my ascent to Logan Pass and ultimately ride the long decent to Lake McDonald near the west entrance. The ride eastward was overwhelmingly spectacular, almost incomprehensible in its beauty. Needless to say, it took us longer to get to St Mary’s Lake than planned because of all the gawking we did, but by 8:30 I was getting my bike ready for the ride of a lifetime. The ascent was about nine miles, fairly steep in places but much easier to pedal than I anticipated. I think the strong winds of the Great Plaines prepared me well for the Rockies. When I was about ½ mile from the summit, I had an amazing experience. In a moment, I began to think how dangerous it would be if ice were to break from the rocks above and fall on the road. About 5 seconds after that thought, a small, basketball-sized piece of ice fell from above in front of me. I know that God sent both the initial thought and the warning piece of ice. Thankfully, I responded to His warning and swerved hard left as a truck-sized chunk of ice fell from about 15 feet above and crashed on the side of the road where I would have been had I not swerved left. The ice shattered as it hit the road, blocking traffic on the ascent lane. I was the first to report the roadblock to the snowplows, who were removing the ice from the roadway when Jamye came up in the 4Runner about 10 minutes later. Wow! Jamye and I stopped at a pullout soon afterward, and I told her of my good fortune. At that stop we met a very nice young couple who were on their honeymoon, Chris and Maggie Weitzel, from Huntington, PA. Maggie told us she worked in Altoona, PA, just down the road from Tyrone, PA, my Dad’s birthplace and hometown growing up. They pointed out some Bighorn Sheep on the slopes just above us. About 10 minutes later at another pullover, we met Richard and Karin Garrel from Le Rouret, France. Richard was a cycling enthusiast and said he rode with a bicycle club in southern France. We hope to reconnect with them when we go to Europe in 2011. With about 18 miles of great downhill in front of me, I took off riding (coasting and breaking) on the most beautiful descent imaginable- spectacular views, which required constant caution in order to maintain focus on a very fast descent and recently paved and smooth roads that made hard banked turns possible. My heart and gears were singing with delight the whole way down the mountain! Once I hit the flats, I pedaled along the stream leading to McDonald Lake. On my left I saw a mother moose with its calf near an opening by a small stream and further ahead on my right, I saw a young whitetail deer.
Jamye and I had lunch at the McDonald Lake Lodge and once more met some fine folks. This time it was a family of Wahoos (UVA grads) with a Mary Baldwin Mom. Charles (UVA ‘73) and Kim Glenn and daughter Sarah Courtney Glenn (UVA ’10) and her friend Stephen (UVA ’09) were on their last day of a one week family get-together. We had fun getting acquainted and reminiscing about our days on the Grounds at Virginia (I was a 1972 grad). Later, Jamye and I had a much needed late afternoon nap after an adventure-packed day.
June 26
After a late breakfast, I watched the US vs. Ghana World Cup Soccer Match while Jamye organized pictures for the blog. Afterward, we took our kayak to Half Moon, an 80 acre lake nearby for some afternoon relaxation. I explored the perimeter of the lake and saw a large blue heron and a mallard hen with four ducklings. The solitude was relaxing and invigorating. Jamye opted to stay ashore and read a book, also delighting in the quiet and the cool afternoon breezes. After a light dinner out, we enjoyed a Romeo and Juliet Cuban Cigar and I had a Drambuie while we discussed plans for the coming week.
No comments:
Post a Comment