b'Day 21 Day 22JUNE 18 JUNE 19Our four days in Whitefish have been fantastic but its time to move on. We repack ourOur 22nd day of the trip and 18th day of riding is indeed the most spectacular. We pack bikes with dry, clean clothing, say goodbye to Dave and set off from Whitefish for Glaciercamp at dawn ready to conquer the Continental Divide and to cover the 18-mile climb to National Park. My knees and elbows ache and the pain in my tailbone is a constantthe summit before 11AM.reminder of how our entire tripall of the planning and investment and anticipation Just after dawn and about 30 minutes after leaving camp, we encounter a car moving at could have ended with my fall three days earlier. a crawl about a hundred yards ahead. Just off the road next to it is a black bear. We stop We take a leisurely ride through most of the Flathead Valley. As we turn toward Glacierand strategize the best way to pass as I ready the camera. National Park just north of Columbia Falls, we encounter tourists and RVs and a line ofOne of Daves friends had told us that bears coming out of hibernation have been traffic, the first weve experienced to date. We buy provisions at a camp store just outsideknown to chase down bikers. So we wait until the car pulls up next to the bear then make the western gate into the parkthe last place for supplies. a move to the drivers side of the car. We ask the man driving if he could please keep Glacier National Park is stunningly beautiful, with roads lined by walls made of rocksmoving slowly to keep his car between us and the bear. It is all very harrowing and I cant from the surrounding mountains. Soon after entering the park we see an elk in therelax until the bear is far behind us. woods just off the road. A mile before the turn for Avalanche campground a red pickupAbout 10 miles into our climb we begin to encounter steep switchbacks. The road truck going the opposite direction slams on its brakes and pulls a quick U-turn. Its Dave!narrows. On one side of us, rocky overhangs; on the other, a short stone wall, then an He was fishing after work and passing through on his way home. We chat for a while andimmediate cliff plummeting hundreds of feet to the valley below. On occasion, a large RV he tells us the pass is clear. Great news! passes and makes our ride all the more nerve-wracking.As we say our goodbyes again, Dave gives us a beautiful trout he had literally justLogan Pass has been cleared just the day before. The road is open save for piles of caught and cleaned, along with a little foil. Dinner!! snow here and there, as we bicycle through a channel with 10 to 20-foot walls of snow When checking in at the campground, we ask about the road ahead and discuss ouron either side of us. Closing in on the summit, with the snow rising above us, I wonder route. The ranger tells us that cyclists must reach the summit at Logan Pass by 11AM, aif we could possibly trigger an avalanche. Certainly, there are spots where the wall has safety precaution with all the vehicles on Going-to-the-Sun Road. collapsed and the road is half-covered with snow. We cook the trout over a campfire and a deer walks up to the edge of our camp andThe sun beating down on the snowy corridor creates a frosty vapor in the air, and nibbles a fern right from Emilies hand. melting snow seeping across the road has created some slick spots. We reach the summit We fall asleep excited yet nervous about the next days climb over the Continentalat 10:59, one minute prior to the 11AM cutoff for cyclists going to the top. After posing for Divide. selfies, more and more RVs and cars arrive for the ceremonial photo at the sign marking the Continental Divide. We are the only people we encounter on two wheels, having BEGIN: Whitefish, MT reached one of the highest points in the contiguous United States under our own power. END: Avalanche Campground, Glacier National Park, MT Our descent is less harrowing but just as scenic and we stop several times to gaze at DISTANCE: 44.08 miles mountain goats on the edge of the escarpment overhead. TRIP TOTAL: 875.6 miles We spend the night at a KOA in Babb, Montana located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation just on the eastern side of Glacier. The road narrows. On one side, rockyBEGIN: Avalanche Campground, Glacier National Park, MT END: KOA Campground, Babb, MToverhangs. On the other, a short stoneDISTANCE: 41 milesTRIP TOTAL: 916.6 mileswall separating us from a cliff and a valley hundreds of feet below. 17'