Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Whitetail Creek Clearing to Holland Lake photos

Views!

We are starting to get to a lot more trails!

Holland Lake

The Lodge

Barb and 
Steve!

Whitefish to Whitetail Creek clearing Photos!


Rawr!

Lunch

Oh Montana, you so Portland!

Damn...

This dude runs a Divide camp!

Bog Fork

I took a wrong turn, and a guy stopped me, told me, and gave me a cold beer!

Free beer river.

My camping stream, Whitetail Creek.

Yummy water to drink.

Camp

Ursak bear bag doesn't require a high hang.

Where I wrote my post

My new friend!

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Tuchuck to Whitefish

I think that it's spelled Tuchuck, it may not be... Hey, I thought of a paradox today. It's down a few paragraphs.  (Not a Pair of Dauchs, dog people, sorry)

Today was a long, cold, rainy ride. I woke up at 5:45 to rain (it rained all night and yesterday afternoon, and all day today), and was riding by 8:30. It was a slow morning. I made it to Whitefish at 4pm (7.5 total hours) with 5:13 on bike - going over a 2,000ish climb and lots of hard gravel for 62 miles.

Today was beautiful but challenging (photos in a different post). It was pretty cold and rainy all day, and I didn't stop much.  Everytime I would stop I would be swarmed by mosquitos or the cold rain would pick up. I ate a bit - a bagel with peanut butter here, M&Ms there, slightly soggy cheese and crackers, etc but for the most part it was best to keep riding.

Which brings up an interesting paradox that I was thinking about today. Often, you end up eating fewer calories on a bike tour than not touring.  When I get hungry on a bike tour and need a snack, I may eat half a snickers to give me some energy, and push on. Meals are frequent but light as well, because peanut butter, bagels, and cheese aren't really binge foods. 

At home, however, if I'm out and I get slightly hungry, instead of eating a half a snickers I do something crazy like order three McDoubles (catsup only), a small fries, and a drink. If I'm super hungry I don't eat an extra peanut butter bagel, I order and eat an entire pizza and sort of feel bad about it.

You eat less food when you have to carry it all, even if you are burning way more calories, that's all I'm saying. Maybe not a paradox, maybe just counter-intuitive if you are focusing more on calories burned rather than convenience.

Case-in-point, tonight, Jenny and Tim took me out to Jenny's work party where they just finished building a Mexican Resteraunt, and I ate all-you-can eat free Mexican food.  Do you think that I ate a TON of awesome free little burrito crunchy things, guacamole, and fajitas after riding 60 miles in the rain and being cold and hungry all day?  I did do that. So I hope that's what you thought.

Tonight I stay at Tim and Jenny's place in Whitefish again, where I ran some errands after two days of riding to dial in some components, water proofing, etc and tomorrow I ride 60 mostly paved (rare on this trip) miles to Swan Lake Campground - where they supposidely have full services (food, etc). Sweet! It's also not supposed to rain (maybe)!

Tuchuck to Whitefish photos


Ride description in a seperate post :)


I think this is an avalance scar. I read that grizzle bears like them for traversing the woods and mountain biking.

Jimminy Butts, I rode 60 friggin' miles over a pass and I'm only 6 miles from the friggin' border still.


This is a view of Glacier National Park (the far hills). I was right on the western border of it. There was a big fire here in '88 I think, in the same bad fire season that hit Yellowstone.


I think this is another avalance scar

Red Pond Lake

Does it look cold and wet in this photo? It should,  becuase it was very cold and wet alllll daaaaay.

I wrote a song, wanna hear it, hear it goes:

Riding down a hill I don't wanna hit a bear
Riding down a hill I don't wanna hit a bear
If I turn the corner, and a bear is there
We're gonna have, a little bear scare!

If I turn a corner and a bear is there
If I turn this corner and a bear is there
I'll fix the bear with a little bear stare
As I take a crap in my un-der-ware

I sing this song loudly when on windy descents, in hopes that bears hate my singing. Damn my dulcet tones, fight my siren call, bears. Repel! Repe! *sigh*

Whitefish Lake (pano)

Ride into Whitefish

My hopme sweet home! Thanks Tim and Jenny!