June 9 to June 19, Sandpoint ID to Cut Bank MT

6/09/05 Thursday	near Heron MT
6/10/05 Friday	Libby MT
6/11/05 Saturday	Eureka MT
6/12/05 Sunday	Whitefish MT
6/13/05 Monday	Whitefish MT
6/14/05 Tuesday	Lake McDonald MT
6/15/05 Wednesday	St. Mary MT
6/16/05 Thursday	Waterton Village ALB
6/17/05 Friday	Cardston MT
6/18/05 Saturday	Cut Bank MT
6/19/05 Sunday	Cut Bank MT

6/09/05 Thursday, near Heron MT 48 miles

We crossed into Montana a few miles before camp today. We're now on Mountain time. That's me and Maddy in the photo.

The campground is out in the middle of nowhere, at the intersection of highway 200 and 56. Geoff and Dave have cooking duties tonight.

Brendan and Wes bought cookies for everybody for desert.

6/10/05 Friday, Libby MT 54 miles

We stopped at Kootenai Falls, checked out the cable bridge, and took a few photos. That's Don in front.

I need to get an occasional shot of me in here.

We are camping in the backyard of Jan and Keith in Libby, MT. Keith is a friend of Bill's from an ACA leadership training course. They cooked us a dinner of hamburgers, salad, potato salad, sodas, homemade wine and ice cream with choice of 3 toppings.

6/11/05 Saturday, Eureka MT 66 miles

I was kind of hammering today because I wanted to get to camp in Rexford in time to ride the 8 miles to the bike shop in Eureka to buy a new set of pedals. (My old ones had a broken ball in the outside right bearing.) When I called the store from camp, the owner offered to drop off the pedals on his way home. It turns out he's a bicycle commuter. He brought two sets of pedals for me to choose from in his pannier.

There are no stores nearby so we ate at a nearby bar in Rexford. There were only three items on the menu but it was good and fairly cheap.

6/12/05 Sunday, Whitefish MT 68 miles

I was riding slowly all day trying to save my sore knee. It rained most of the day. Got into camp after 5:00. Others were late too so dinner, nommally at 6:00, was nearly 7:00.

Brendan took the above photo somewhere around now. That's RonE with the English couple, Geoff and Carol. Geoff is an amateur racer. He and Carol have toured all over the world. Note their "Airnimal" folding bicycles with suspension.

The Great Divide tour is to start soon and Brian Martinson and the other tour leader are here in camp with John from New Zealand and maybe another participant or two.

They brought some ACA items people had ordered. Don bought a pair of size L rain boots and sold me his XL for $5 off ($25).

6/13/05 Monday, Whitefish MT 11 miles

We rode the 5 miles into town to do some personal shopping and buy lunch for the group tomorrow. I bought a new shower cap for my Brooks leather saddle and a patch kit. The lady in the Chamber of Commerce said the pass is open!

6/14/05 Tuesday, Lake McDonald MT 39 miles

The water in the north fork of the Flathead River is much clearer than the water in the middle fork.

We can see Glacier National Park long before we get to it. That's Don and Bill.

Don at Lake McDonald.

Tonight we're at Sprague Creek campground on the shores of Lake McDonald, 22 miles from Logan Pass on Going-to-the-Sun highway. After dinner folks roasted marshmallows...

... And made s'mores.

There are no showers or hot water in this NPS campground, so I took a cold sponge bath in the men's room. Thundershowers arrived as dinner was being prepared.

The latest word is the pass is open.

6/15/05 Wednesday, St. Mary MT 42 miles

The scenery lived up to expectations. I took lots of photos. The weather was beautiful. We lucked out as the pass was snowed in two days ago.

The Weeping Wall.

Looking back down the hill from the summit I decided I have definitely earned the upcoming downhill.

Saint Mary Lake.

We're staying at Johnson's campground in St. Mary tonight. Tomorrow we go into Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.

6/16/05 Thursday, Waterton Village, Alberta 49 miles

This is Lower Saint Mary Lake.

An eagle nesting on the top of a telephone pole.

These horses were just below the eagle.

Chief Mountain.

Some riders had problems at customs with bear pepper spray and some didn't. (You can see the back of Jeanne's trailer in this photo.)

This is overlooking the valley as we descended to our camp site at Waterton Village.

6/17/05 Friday, Cardston MT 35 miles

We had reservations tonight at Lee Creek campground. We opted to spend the C$150 for the "pavillion" a large garage-like building with kitchen, bathrooms, and showers. Most people set up their tents inside to dry them out.

About supper time the sun came out.

6/18/05 Saturday, Cut Bank MT 74 miles

The only services were one small store out in the middle of nowhere. We're in the plains now, but at the top of each rise the Rockies are still visible.

The Riverview RV Park is on the industrial end of Cut Bank MT. Thanks Brendan for the photo. Note the Tennessee flag at the top of the hill.

In camp is another Northern Tier tourist, Dave, going east to west. He is a bricklayer from Orange County CA who has toured in Alaska and all over the US.

I walked ovsr to the Albertson's and bought some AAA batteries and 3 Power Bars to replace the ones that got left behind in the bear box at Sprague Creek camp in Glacier Nat. Park.

Dinner was at Pizza Hut. Bill showed up to distribute food money and then disappeared for his day off. I sat with Geoff, Carol, and Dave, the E-W tourist.

6/19/05 Sunday, Cut Bank MT

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