Cycling with Grit and Perseverance

Today we rode mostly on pavement through the towns of Whitefish and Columbia Falls and then on beautiful farm roads. We got to camp early today, around 1:30 and had time for a swim in Flathead Lake, delicious! Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.

It was very cold this morning when we got up, not sure how cold but probably in the low 40’s. During the night a deer came into our camp and ate a bunch of peoples clothing that were left draped on their bikes. It was going after the salt on the clothing. Among the things…

Today was my birthday but I completely forgot about it until eating breakfast and checking my emails and AARP wished me a happy birthday. After breakfast we loaded into the van and drove about 12 miles to begin our ride at the USA/Canadian border in the town of Rooseville, MT I think I’m still getting…

Today was the first day of riding on the tour, just a short shakedown ride to make sure everyone’s equipment is working. There are 14 of us on the tour today including the two ride leaders. Another person will join us tomorrow. After loading the trailer we all went for our ride. All the bikes…

Saturday, July 15, 2023 The last day before the tour starts. We decided to check out the Hungry Horse Reservoir and Dam After walking above the dam we drove down the reservoir a few miles and found a nice beach for swimming. Then we saw a woman heading down a trail with a bag of…

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route tour, day 1, July 16, 2023 I woke up with a feeling of nervousness and excitement and dread of leaving Erika and Ming for two months. We packed up our camp and headed off for Whitefish to meet Jen and family for lunch before Jen and I were delivered to…

Wednesday, July 12-Friday, July 14 After spending a peaceful time at Chatcolet campground we pointed the van towards Glacier National Park in Montana. We took the longer, more scenic route and stopped at Kootenai Falls along the way. We lost an hour moving into the Mountain time zone and got to our campground just outside…

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 Staying two nights at Chatcolet Campground let us go for a bike ride today on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes which runs right by the campground. We loaded Ming into her tail wagon and took off heading east along the trail. We passed some strange looking bushes and upon closer…

Monday, July 10, 2023 Erika, Ming, and I left Seattle this morning to head to Montana. At the end of the week they will leave me as I join a tour to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route( GDMBR). Our first stop on the trip out is Chatcolet Campground in Idaho along the Trail…

Day 9 Othello to Ritzville. 69.2 miles, 2105 feet climbed Now truly in Eastern Washington, we were getting into the part of the state that is referred to as The Palouse. Miles and miles of green and brown cultivated, rolling hills. Farmland so vast it boggles my mind. Another long section on the Palouse to…