Oldschool
Moderator
Day 2
I am and have always been an early riser, and anyone who knows me, or has traveled with me, knows this. Thankfully Ian is similar in this respect and we always got an early start to the trails. Running early has the advantage of good light for photos and cool air, on what was an otherwise very hot trip. Temperatures in the high 80’s and mid 90’s was the norm, and neither I, nor my ride like it too hot. It can be a challenge finding food that early in the morning, but we had the Polebridge Bakery this morning. They had great coffee and sublime fresh baking, albeit a bit pricey.
Day 2 would end up being a too-long day considering the terrain, and I have learned a lot on this trip on how to tailor the ride based on what the track consists of. I also learned a lesson about Google maps and Satellite images and their reliability, or lack there of.
506 km for the day.
After a wonderful breakfast of a Huckleberry Bear-Claw (still hot) and rich dark roast coffee, we set off toward Whitefish Montana. We zig zagged south east along Big Dog’s track with a few modifications of my own thrown in. The heat of the day became intense but the scenery along this day’s track was so beautiful and varied, that the heat could be overlooked for awhile. Today’s ride stared with a beautiful run into the mountains and past a great camp site at Upper Whitefish lake. The section south of Whitefish was easy and as the day progressed we found the riding became more challenging including a section of freshly dug up track near Empire Mill. It had been slow going and the day was fast slipping into dusk. Once we reached Highway 12 we decided to head into Helena a grab a hotel rather than push any further. The next day, ironically, we discovered a nice campsite less than 5 miles further along the track.
I am and have always been an early riser, and anyone who knows me, or has traveled with me, knows this. Thankfully Ian is similar in this respect and we always got an early start to the trails. Running early has the advantage of good light for photos and cool air, on what was an otherwise very hot trip. Temperatures in the high 80’s and mid 90’s was the norm, and neither I, nor my ride like it too hot. It can be a challenge finding food that early in the morning, but we had the Polebridge Bakery this morning. They had great coffee and sublime fresh baking, albeit a bit pricey.
Day 2 would end up being a too-long day considering the terrain, and I have learned a lot on this trip on how to tailor the ride based on what the track consists of. I also learned a lesson about Google maps and Satellite images and their reliability, or lack there of.
506 km for the day.
After a wonderful breakfast of a Huckleberry Bear-Claw (still hot) and rich dark roast coffee, we set off toward Whitefish Montana. We zig zagged south east along Big Dog’s track with a few modifications of my own thrown in. The heat of the day became intense but the scenery along this day’s track was so beautiful and varied, that the heat could be overlooked for awhile. Today’s ride stared with a beautiful run into the mountains and past a great camp site at Upper Whitefish lake. The section south of Whitefish was easy and as the day progressed we found the riding became more challenging including a section of freshly dug up track near Empire Mill. It had been slow going and the day was fast slipping into dusk. Once we reached Highway 12 we decided to head into Helena a grab a hotel rather than push any further. The next day, ironically, we discovered a nice campsite less than 5 miles further along the track.