rod mclaughlinBike tour Kalispell-Denver - days one and two (16 apr 12)
Rode from Kalispell to Bigfork. Beautiful ride along Lower Valley Road which follows the Flathead River. I could see ospreys and bald eagles nesting all over the place. But mid-April is early spring in Montana. Camped at the State Park in Bigfork, which has few facilities at this time of year, nevertheless they charged me $15. Then it snowed slushy wet snow in the morning, so I waited and waited for it to stop. My tent had a couple of holes in it because I'd left it next to the hot air outlet. There was a brief break, so I set off. It kept raining on and off, and, inevitably, I got a flat tire. Fixed it with chilled fingers, and got as far as Polson, a total of only 50 miles. And, since everything was soaked, I stayed in a motel. For two nights. The second day, when I wasn't riding, had hardly any rain at all - but tomorrow, when I must press on, will. Should get to St. Ignatious which has a great campground, then Missoula the next day, which has Adventure Cycling, America's leading bike advice center. They should be able to tell me how to get to Denver. There's only one 11,000 foot pass. That's far east, and should be snow free. It's the 7,000 foot one before Idaho Falls that'll be hard going.
I can't finish a post without slagging the Guardian. Here's the queen of the liberal media bemoaning "America's deadly devotion to guns": http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/16/americas-deadly-devotion-guns It's so easy for liberal Brits to be "culturally relativist" toward cute Amazonian Indians, and, especially, Muslims. But our American cousins are considered beyond the pale.
PS. There isn't a campsite at St Ignatious. And it isn't spelled 'St Ignatious'. Back
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