Washington, Rainier, and the Mist

The air outside was damp and chilly. Although we were surrounded by beautiful views, a dense mist had moved in during the night. As we began riding our bikes down from Paradise, our descent was through a tunnel of foggy mist. Although the views were hidden the tourist traffic was gone and we had Mount Rainier National Park to ourselves. Such is the magic involved with bicycle touring. Eventually we left the Park and immediately enter Gifford Pinchot National Forest (named after the founder of the US Forest Service). The fog continued to hang above us as we began are ascent to the crest of White Pass. As the climb began to steepen we shed layers of clothing quickly, even then we were all sweating from exertion. Approaching the top the sun broke through the mist and we were treated to an amazing panoramic view of the Cascade Mountains of Washington. After a few minutes to enjoy the view we began the last sixty miles of our century ride into Yakima.

This was Day 3 of my Timberline tour in Washington. It began near Seattle, where I spent an awesome night camping with two Bivouac friends and others. Good times. The next day we road to the base of Mount Rainier. This is a very sentimental place for me because it was here, back in 2001, where I saw and cycled up my first Western mountain. Time has not dulled my fond memories. The second day we hiked in the Park and then the next few days were spend in the irrigated fruit valleys on the East side of the Cascades. During this time we spent a night in both a Bavarian and Western themed towns. Then on Day 7 we crossed the Cascades along the North Cascades Scenic Highway. The whole day was an extravaganza of monumental proportions for the eyes and legs. I really would have liked to leave the bike behind and hike into the heart of the Cascades. I also got a distant view of the mountain where Jack Kerouac, a Beat Generation author, manned a fire tower during the summer of 1956. That night the waitress never filled our order for Cascade Mountain Oysters, so unfortunately I can’t tell ya’ll how bison testicles taste. The next day it finally rained as we road into Anacortes. The 9th and final day was spent on Lopez Island, part of the San Juan Island chain. For half a day we took a leisurely thirty mile ride around the Island and enjoyed wonderful lunch at Vitas, one of the outstanding chefs of the slow food movement. Then it was a mad dash to the airport for a guest’s early flight. After the guests departed we checked into a hotel room, went out for Mexican food and margaritas, and then clasped exhausted into our comfy hotel beds.

Which leads me to today, which was spent at Pike Place Market, a street bazaar on the seaside wharfs of Seattle. The fresh donuts, Thai food, and warm cookie were excellent! Fortunately I only had to watch the fish tossing ;-) So now we are back on the road headed for Missoula, Montana, on the way to another bike tour in Glacier National Park. I’ll post some pictures in the next few days.

Glacier Galore

Wow!! After two days of driving my fellow guide and I arrived in Kalispell, MT. We watched the 4th of July fireworks on Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake in MT), over pizza and beer. The next morning we prepped for our week-long cycling tour. I rode the first day into Glacier NP, but because I lost rock-paper-scissors I didn't get to ride over the Going-to-the-Sun Highway this trip. The views from the climb were awesome and the dirt section, currently under repair, gave the climb and Italian Giro mountain experience. The next day we rode over the border into Canada and stayed in the marvelous Prince of Wales Hotel. The view was spectatular. Decided to do some extra riding; and it was EPIC. Went off-road with my cyclo-cross bike in Waterton Lakes NP. Over a thousand feet of climbing and then I went on some single-track. For the next two hours I explored a lake, bounded over rocks and roots, and went up gnarly grades; all the time making noise to avoid suprising any bears. I saw no one else and the ride and accompanying views were awesome. This was most likely the second most epic ride of my life (see earlier blog for the most)!

From Waterton we retraced our treads south back into the U.S. It was the penultimate day of the trip, with 80 miles of headwinds and climbing, but I didn't get to ride it. Arg!! The next day was a rest day the eight of us (6 guests, 3 couples) did a great hike near Two Medicine Lakes. Incredible views from the mountains to the plains. That afternoon I rode back along the route really testing my form. The climbing and descending was incredible!!! My form is coming along nicely. The next day was a relatively easy ride into West Glacier where great hotel room views of Lake McDonald awaited. Great park lodges and pretty good food all around, except for the biscuits and gravey. Today we dropped off the guests back in Kalispell and I'm frantically running errands. Tomorrow my fellow guide and I are heading back into Glacier for a few days of backpacking. That's the short story. I'll post pictures if I ever get a spare moment. To the open road...

The In Between

It has now been a week since I left Michigan via the Greyhound "special". I am happy to report that I was able to make a quick run to Chicago's Greektown for my gyro fix. What can I say; it was the highlight of my trip! Somewhere in Iowa I transferred to a Black Hills bus, which had the meanest bus driver ever. She was horrible!!! She yelled and grouched at us for nothing and even tried to pick a fight with a hapless departing passenger. She lost a lot of good karma that day; that is if she even had any to begin with.

I arrived in Denver on Wednesday after about 28 hours on the bus, sleeping most of the way. The next day I went to the office and organized my gear. Thursday night was spent at a friend's house near Denver and the next morning we departed for Gunnison, in southwest Colorado. For about 3 days we wandered the backcountry crossing numerous streams, enjoying the views, and swatting tons of mosquitoes (I’m still swatting invisible mosquitoes!). We explored an area around "the castles", which are a prominent geologic feature along a ridgetop in the Elk Mountains Wilderness. Along the hike to Stormy Pass we discovered the sun bleached bones of an elk. Most likely killed by an avalanche, the bone debris field was over fifty yards long. After hiking through a lot of snow, the view from the ridgeline was incredible; only one mark of humanity within miles of massive snowy peaks and forests hiding cascading mountain creeks. I also had the misfortune to fall into a creek, but went dipping el naturale the next day in the freezing cold water. Overall it was a great trip, but surprisingly exhausting. I'll try to post photos from the trip soon.

Returning to Denver on Sunday I returned to the office and once again sorted through my gear. After another evening in Denver I made my way via shuttle to Fort Collins, the closest thing to home. I was happily able to post the remaining images from my photo class (some which I actually like). Also I heard from a good dear friend that her medical issues are not as daunting as first expected, which is awesomely bodacious! So tomorrow, after 2 1/2 days at "home" visiting my cousin, I will be returning to the office in Denver to again repack my bags for my trip to Glacier-Waterton Lakes International Peace Park. Oh, the joy and excitement!!