Day 7: Apgar to Kalispell
The last day of a tour is always a mass of conflicting emotions:
elation and pride from the accomplishment, disappointment from the
impending end of the experience, and relief from having made it
through. Soon annoyance was added to that, as I managed to lock
myself out of my room.
We started the day slowly, getting breakfast at Eddie's and imposing
on innocent bystanders to take dozens of group pictures by the lake
(poorly lit, unfortunately). My pace was slow; I didn't want to
hammer in to Kalispell and be done with the whole thing in 2 hours.
We rode as a group through West Glacier, then Paul and Nancy went off
the front. We had a pretty stiff headwind, and I hung back with Mark
and Suzanne for a while, trying to resolve the question of the oxygen
content of the air in bicycle tubes (does it increase or decrease over
time? We didn't come up with a definitive answer).
We all stopped at the gift shops in Hungry Horse to pick up our last-minute
huckleberry items. (Taffy and fudge for me...mmm!) Paul took off before
the rest of us, as his plane took off that afternoon. Nancy followed
him, and the rest of us rolled out not long after.
I hung back with Mark and Suzanne for a while, then started working a
little harder, and caught up with Nancy near the end of Whitefish
Stage Road, on the outskirts of Kalispell. We missed a turn and
briefly wound up on a very busy street, but quickly got back on the
route's back streets, and back to the Outlaw. Nola was already
getting her bike set up on her own car--she and Julie both had to
leave that evening for the next Timberline tour. Paul was already in
and getting ready to leave also; we made a $1 bet on the Cal-Illinois
game that day. (I lost, badly). Mark came in not long after me and
Nancy, and Suzanne and Julie not long after that.
Most of us had lunch at a local pizza place, shared our stories and
said our goodbyes. Julie saved my butt by taking my bike box to the
airport before she hit the road--the thing never would have fit in the
hotel shuttle or a cab. I hung out in a sports bar watching Cal get
dismantled (the ugly beginning of an ugly 1-10 season), played a little
video poker, then caught the hotel shuttle to the airport. While
waiting for my flight, I managed
to crash the airport's Internet terminal. (They clearly had never heard
of SSH in Kalispell).
Conclusion:
It was an incredible trip. Logan Pass is the most memorable single
day's ride I've ever done. I'd like to come back to Glacier earlier
in the year, when there is more snow and better waterfalls and
wildflowers. The wildlife is amazing, and I'd like to come back and
do some long hikes, hoping to have some wildlife encounters which
aren't quite so touristy. I would recommend Glacier to anyone looking
for a bike touring experience--it's better touring territory than even
the California coast.
Timberline did a good job. But for my money, an expensive lodging
tour shouldn't have two throw-away days. It would have been nicer to
get driven up to West Glacier or Apgar and do another day or two in
Glacier or Waterton.
In general, supported lodging tours probably aren't going to be my
thing. They are fairly expensive for someone like me who is pretty
comfortable planning tours on my own. But if you're short on time and
long on dough, it's a great way to meet people and to view some of the
best scenery you'll ever see. (Scenery seen from car windows doesn't
count).
Despite needing something like 4000 calories a day while touring, I
managed to gain a pound or two on the trip--one of the many benefits
of lodge touring. Ride to eat, eat to live, live to ride!
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| Day 7 Totals |
| Average speed: | 20.0 kph |
| Distance: | 60.8 km |
| Climb | 260 meters |
Cumulative Totals |
| Average speed: | 22.9 kph |
| Distance: | 531 km |
| Climb | 5144 meters |
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