Day 3: Red Meadow Lake to Whitefish - 30 miles
Sean was in rough shape but when he told me about staying awake half the night because of the bears I understood why. When I was younger I had the same experience while camping in Ontario. One feels so absolutely helpless as there is nothing that can be done (except pray!).
In spite of the bears, the campsite was memorable. In the early morning there was a mist floating over the lake as the sun slowly descended to illuminate the trees around the lake. The mountains on either side were very high and even though we left close to 10 a.m. the campsite was still in shade.
During breakfast we watched a gaggle of six ducks in the lake. They were still very small and I suspect that they are all siblings. When I've seen ducks foraging before they usually leave their bums in the air; these ones dove under the water and didn't emerge for about 10 seconds. Very impressive.
Due to the coldness of the night our tent flys were saturated with condensation so I packed mine separately to dry it out later. When we left it was still cold in the shade so I wore my long cycling trousers and polartec jacket along with warm gloves. Sean? He was in shorts and short-sleeved shirt. The only concession to the temperature was wearing a polartec vest. Beats me how he avoids hypothermia, but he things the same with my beating heat prostration.
We ascended to the top of the pass and then began a great downhill run. The trip took us through dense forests towards the valley floor. We could glimpse the surrounding hills, some of which will have the misfortune to climb in a few days time.
Sean tends to rid up hills faster than I do, something I ascribe to his fitness and the lack of gears on his bicycle as low as mine. On the other hand, I zoom downhill (or 'hoon' as Lis would say) making the most of my uphill efforts.
It was great fun (and challenging) to weave my way downhill avoiding the potholes and rocks. It was a very rough road to say the least. I was glad that I was wearing so many layers as it was still cold, but the day was warming and we had a headwind which at least was warm.
I got to a spot where I decided to wait for Sean. There was a lovely mountain brook with the water making a soothing gurgling sound to accompany the birds. With the warm smells of the forest the problems of life seemed a million miles away.
After removing my layers, fiddling with a few things on my bike, and just enjoying life I decided that there must be something amiss as Sean had still not arrived. So I headed back the way I came (downhill as well!) and saw Sean parked by the side of the road fiddling with his bike. It transpired that one of the front pannier frame bolts had come off and he had almost lost it. He had forgotten to put Locktite on them while assembling the bike. Good thing he didn't lose them as he hadn't brought any spares.
We continued down through more forests and past places where they were being felled. Paradoxically, while it creates a visual blight the smells of the freshly cut pine trees were sweet and delicious.
At the top of a hill we came across two touring cyclists heading north. Steve and Shelley had started off at Mexico 2.5 months ago and were approaching the end. They had recently cycled in NZ and had even been to Motueka where they stayed at the Baker's Lodge hostel. They were rapt when I told them that we lived 2 blocks up the street from the lodge. They were there for ANZAC Day and had attended the same dawn service that Lis and I were at. What a small world. They were envious of my living in Motueka and we reminisced about the place and some of its more unique features, like 'Hot Mamas Cafe'
They gave us some good advice for the road ahead and reassured me that cycling the last part would be OK even though I'll be on my own. Good to hear. From here they were heading into Glacier National park before heading east. After 1.5 years on the road it was time for a "real job". What a life ... but even though Lis is indulgent of my ideocyncracies, she isn't that indulgent!
Eventually the road joined up with Whitefish road which had a sealed tarmac. The road ran parallel to Whitefish Lake and we observed many mega-mansions in the woods by the shore. They were huge, and most had 4 car garages. Sean found out later that they are not owned by locals--too expensive--and are only occupied for a few months a year in summer. What a waste.
Sean had optimistically said that it would be downhill into Whitefish but it was instead a lot of ups and downs. Nothing too difficult, and it was a delight to be back on tarmac. It is much easier to ride on both in terms of the lower roughness than unsealed roads but also the lower rolling resistance.
Steve and Shelley had recommended we stay at the 'Not So Hostile' hostel so we got a room there for $15 each. The bike shop was next door so Sean could get his rear carrier looked at. It was a very eclectic (ie weird) place, funky in its own way.
There was an organic vegetarian restaurant nearby but it was closed so Sean and I wandered through town and eventually found a restaurant that suited. I had a salad and Calzone while Sean had a pizza. Great not to eat out of a can and this was the first proper meal I had had since leaving Samoa on Sunday.
The department of health in Whitefish obviously isn't too strict as there was a large dog in the patio area of the restaurant begging for food. Since Sean was friendly towards him he parked himself by our table and was eventually rewarded with a crust of pizza. Shortly afterwards his owner came out and said "you're busted". Obviously she knew of his wayward habits.
After lunch Sean went to get his bike fixed and I wandered over to a used bookshop. Nothing of interest, but lots of new age and feminist books. It was obviously run by a woman since there was nobody at the checkout and the sign read 'Sorry, we are currently un[wo]maned'.
I wandered around town and looked at the shops. It is obviously geared towards the tourist trade with many eateries and shops selling tourist nick-nacks (ie junk). It reminded me of Estes Park in Colorado. After an ice cream I headed back to do laundry, shower and catch up with the more mundane things in life.
I was unable to get a phone line to connect my palmtop so used their computer to send a few e-mails. After a dinner of wraps at the cafe in the hostel we wandered about town. It is a very pleasant place and must be especially picturesque in winter with snow on the mountains.
We came across a park which had about 15 life size grizzly bear statues which had been decorated by local artists. Some were incredibly creative and our vote went to the red bearon. The photos below show how well done this was. The Sopwith Camel in the claws was a nice touch...I looked to see if it even had a snoopy inside (no such luck).
The tramping bear even sported a can labelled 'people spray'!
We used the opportunity to confirm the size of the grizzly claws and, yes, they are impressive! Just to add to our worry, I read yesterday how a black bear, normally chickens pretending to be bears, grabbed a baby in New York state. They noted that this was an unusualy occurance with only 50 deaths due to black bears in the last 100 years. I wonder what the statistic is for grizzlies ... then again, better not to know