I met a couple from the UK (he quit his job to bike, and she had 9 months off...) heading in to Kalispell to buy helmets. They said they never wear them, but they heard that you must wear bicycle helmets in Canada. It's been so long since I rode without a helmet (probably around the late 1970's) that I can't imagine not wearing one. They're heading up the alternate route through Whitefish, but maybe I'll run into them again. Another conversation that makes me try to figure out how (when?) I should take a year off to travel - especially now that I know I love this mode of travel.
I pulled into West Glacier at around 1. I stopped and picked up a good map of Alberta, then headed into the park. I ended up sitting at Apgar (campground, camp store, Lake Macdonald) for a couple of hours. Bikes are not allowed on Going to the Sun Highway from Apgar to the top of Logan Pass between 11am and 4pm, so I had a bit of time before I could continue on. I spent the time with quite a few other cyclists who were also waiting for the road to re-open. Five were from Tricities cycling club (WA). They are doing a 1-week tour here. There was another couple who just finished a trip in Saskatchewan. They seemed to be about my age (I know, I should have asked them...). They took a year off to bike, then got home and realized that they didn't need all of their "stuff". They sold their house, bought a motor home, and essentially retired.
I had a conversation with a ranger at Apgar when I was waiting for the road to re-open. She suggested that I make noise and talk while I am biking to warn the bears. That's the first time I'd heard that about biking - I knew about making noise while hiking, especially in areas where there is alot of brush, but it seemed like overkill on the bike. It turns out that there was a biker-bear incident recently. A bear ran out on the road and scared a cyclist who then crashed. No real bear / human interaction, but a slightly injured biker. Hmmm.
I had a hard time deciding whether to stay here at Apgar - a sure thing since there are campsites available - or to continue on to Sprague or Avalanche and hope that there is a campsite available. I don't want to risk not getting to the top of Logan Pass by 11, and I'm really crawling up the hills. I decided to head for Avalanche campground and just hope that there is a campsite available. The folks from the Tri Cities bike club told me that if I had a problem getting a campsite that they would find me some floor space in one of their rooms in the lodge. A very nice offer.
I had a very enjoyable ride to Avalanche - including stops to take pictures which I would not have had time for in the morning. Apgar is 30 miles from the top of the pass, and Avalanche is 15. Quite a difference.
I pulled in to the hiker biker campsite at Avalanche - plenty of room for another tent and a bike. There was a retired couple from California there already with their tandem - Gerard & Corry. They're originally from Holland, but they retired to California 15 years ago. They're doing the same route that I am from here to Waterton Lakes, so I may see them again.
A backpacker came in when I was getting settled. Nice guy. We cooked dinner at the same time, so we had a chance to talk and eat together. He works for a utility. He asked for and got a year off. I told him about my friend Mike influencing my decision not to wait to do trips like this. (Mike was diagnosed with cancer and died within a couple of months. He was young - in his 30s - and had been totally healthy. We had some discussions after his diagnosis where he really encouraged me to follow my dreams.) My new backpacking friend said that he had a similar experience - had a melanoma removed. He believes he's OK now - but it really makes you think. I'm going to have a lot of thinking to do when I get home.
I thought that Logan Pass (tomorrow's ride) would be the worst pass on this trip - but Corry & Gerard said that some of the passes in the Canadian Rockies are a much steeper grade. Ouch!
The hiker biker campsite is great. They put up to 9 people on a site - which is fine since we're all traveling by bike or foot - no cars or RVs to park. There is a metal box to store food and anything else that has any odor to it, including stoves, fuel, toothpaste. The site is wooded with plenty of flat spots for tents. Actually, the entire campground is beautiful. The bathrooms have running cold water and flush toilets - but no lights.
Early to bed - it's going to be an early morning tomorrow.
