skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Glacier Park ride
I managed to get to Glacier Park and ride my bike up the Going to the Sun Highway from just past the far end of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass and then back down. When I got into the park it was really hot and the hottest I've ever been in Glacier Park. I sat here on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald in the shade at Apgar, ate my lunch under this tree, and looked at the mountains in the distance that I'd be riding up. Bicycles are restricted between 11 am and 4 pm due to car traffic. But I was wondering as I sat here with all of this heat just what I was myself geting into.
I drove my car to the other end of the lake and hung out in Lake McDonald Lodge. The lake is just on the other side of it. I'll post some interior photos of that next. It's really cool, and if you ever go to Glacier, be sure to check out the old Lodges. One time I stayed in the East Glacier Lodge. It isn't expensive to stay in one and it is so cool. One of our Artists, Laura A. worked a summer here at Lake McDonald Lodge. She told me that she was sitting on the other side of this Lodge next to the lake and a mountain lion came strolling along the path right behind her and then went up the stream to the left of this photo. She just sat there and the mountain cat just walked on by. It must not have liked her beautiful red hair.
I parked my car up the road from the Lodge and waited as long as I though I should, I wanted it to cool down. You have to ride up the river for a couple of miles. I was trying to spin easy and get used to things, but I was sucking air. Then the road turns left/ to the north, and the climb starts. That section seemed to take forever and climbs and climbs and you go through a tunnel. I took a photo that many have done of Heaven's Peak from inside of the tunnel.
Finally I came to the switchback and you can see the goal from the road. There were some hikers coming down from Granite Park as that is where the trail comes down from. They hadn't taken enough water for their hike and that is a common mistake. After the switchback you can see Logan pass up in the distance. It's that notch up in the distance.
There were some Bighorns out on the road near the top. That is kind of unusual. This photo shows how steep the climb is and how very big the mountains are. I'm still in awe of it after all of these years. You can see the road I came up as a brown scar on the sidehill in the distance below. I must admit my legs started to get tired as I got close to the top, and in the last mile or so. It didn't take them long to recover on top however and I'm pleased with my fitness.
I went as fast as possible when I got back down to the valley floor to get back to my car as it was getting dark and I didn't want to run into a grizzly bear. My car and Lake McDonald are beyond those mountains. I was a little nervous at this point as dusk is when the animals come out plus I wasn't making that much noise. I did have bear spray with me however, for what good that would do. Bear bells on a bike are well,..out of the qestion. I did see two people just starting out with touring bikes and camping gear. They were going to climb it in the night I suspect. Not something I'd do.
It's really a big climb on a bike, and the hot weather didn't help. Here is my bike back in the cabin. I used a big 28 tooth gear on the back and 39 on the front. I stayed in that gear all the way to the top. It took me 1 hour and 40 min to go up, (I did stop and take photos an cool myself off in water falls and such) and it took me 40 min to go down and get back the car. You can't go that fast down hill as you would get going too fast and the road is really rough until you get back down in the valley. One time I stopped and my rims were too hot to touch. I let some air out of my tires as I didn't want them to explode. You can only let go of the brakes for a few seconds at a time, as you will start going too fast. Your hands get tired of squeezing the brake levers, and they start to hurt.
I slept like a log in the cabin after my bike ride, and then I got up and went sailing. I wasn't prepared for how radical it would become out on the lake. The winds got high and the waves big with a long period between them and spray would wash over the boat. I had fun sailing after I got used to it, but I was freaking out a little to begin with. I looked wasted in the cycling photos people took of me on the ride. I think I look more healthy in this one after a good night's sleep!
I managed to get to Glacier Park and ride my bike up the Going to the Sun Highway from just past the far end of Lake McDonald to Logan Pass and then back down. When I got into the park it was really hot and the hottest I've ever been in Glacier Park. I sat here on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald in the shade at Apgar, ate my lunch under this tree, and looked at the mountains in the distance that I'd be riding up. Bicycles are restricted between 11 am and 4 pm due to car traffic. But I was wondering as I sat here with all of this heat just what I was myself geting into.
I drove my car to the other end of the lake and hung out in Lake McDonald Lodge. The lake is just on the other side of it. I'll post some interior photos of that next. It's really cool, and if you ever go to Glacier, be sure to check out the old Lodges. One time I stayed in the East Glacier Lodge. It isn't expensive to stay in one and it is so cool. One of our Artists, Laura A. worked a summer here at Lake McDonald Lodge. She told me that she was sitting on the other side of this Lodge next to the lake and a mountain lion came strolling along the path right behind her and then went up the stream to the left of this photo. She just sat there and the mountain cat just walked on by. It must not have liked her beautiful red hair.
I parked my car up the road from the Lodge and waited as long as I though I should, I wanted it to cool down. You have to ride up the river for a couple of miles. I was trying to spin easy and get used to things, but I was sucking air. Then the road turns left/ to the north, and the climb starts. That section seemed to take forever and climbs and climbs and you go through a tunnel. I took a photo that many have done of Heaven's Peak from inside of the tunnel.
Finally I came to the switchback and you can see the goal from the road. There were some hikers coming down from Granite Park as that is where the trail comes down from. They hadn't taken enough water for their hike and that is a common mistake. After the switchback you can see Logan pass up in the distance. It's that notch up in the distance.
There were some Bighorns out on the road near the top. That is kind of unusual. This photo shows how steep the climb is and how very big the mountains are. I'm still in awe of it after all of these years. You can see the road I came up as a brown scar on the sidehill in the distance below. I must admit my legs started to get tired as I got close to the top, and in the last mile or so. It didn't take them long to recover on top however and I'm pleased with my fitness.
I went as fast as possible when I got back down to the valley floor to get back to my car as it was getting dark and I didn't want to run into a grizzly bear. My car and Lake McDonald are beyond those mountains. I was a little nervous at this point as dusk is when the animals come out plus I wasn't making that much noise. I did have bear spray with me however, for what good that would do. Bear bells on a bike are well,..out of the qestion. I did see two people just starting out with touring bikes and camping gear. They were going to climb it in the night I suspect. Not something I'd do.
It's really a big climb on a bike, and the hot weather didn't help. Here is my bike back in the cabin. I used a big 28 tooth gear on the back and 39 on the front. I stayed in that gear all the way to the top. It took me 1 hour and 40 min to go up, (I did stop and take photos an cool myself off in water falls and such) and it took me 40 min to go down and get back the car. You can't go that fast down hill as you would get going too fast and the road is really rough until you get back down in the valley. One time I stopped and my rims were too hot to touch. I let some air out of my tires as I didn't want them to explode. You can only let go of the brakes for a few seconds at a time, as you will start going too fast. Your hands get tired of squeezing the brake levers, and they start to hurt.
I slept like a log in the cabin after my bike ride, and then I got up and went sailing. I wasn't prepared for how radical it would become out on the lake. The winds got high and the waves big with a long period between them and spray would wash over the boat. I had fun sailing after I got used to it, but I was freaking out a little to begin with. I looked wasted in the cycling photos people took of me on the ride. I think I look more healthy in this one after a good night's sleep!
No comments:
Post a Comment