29.5 miles/ +770 ft/ Total miles 2707.7
Yesterday I rode the Hi-Line — on the Empire Builder. I got to East Glacier about 8 pm, saving myself about 10-12 days riding the bike on Hwy 2, which runs parallel to the Great Northern RR tracks (now BNSF).
This morning I resumed the bike ride, up to the summit of Marias Pass. I enjoyed the views of the mountains. It was great to smell the pines in the clear mountain air and hear the birds singing. Trees! Mountains! I feel so good here!
Marias Pass is much lower and easier to ride than Logan Pass (Going to the Sun Highway). I rode over Logan Pass last year, so I decided to ride over Maria’s on this trip. It saved me a lot of miles and climbing.
*******
On Thursday morning in Williston, I headed out from my motel on my bike to get to the coffee shop, grocery store, and library. However, I had ridden only about a half-mile when I heard the hissing sound of a tire going flat. I found a shady spot in a city park, pulled off the rear wheel, and found the hole in the tube – not a hole, but a gash about ⅛ inch long. And a similar length gash in the tire. Rats. I made the traditional field repair, using a dollar bill as a “boot” inside the tire. That worked OK to go to the grocery store (I never found the coffee place) and back to the hotel to start making phone calls.
The bike shop in Whitefish said they had a similar tire, so that was good news. But I did not like the idea of riding almost 90 miles on the bad tire. So I called R&E, my bike shop at home, to find out if they could ship a replacement tire to East Glacier so I could get it Friday night. Success! They packed two folding tires and a couple more spare tubes, shipped it UPS overnight, and I got the package when I got to the hostel in East Glacier last night. So now the new tire is on the back wheel and all is well.
It was lucky that I rode the bike in Williston, so the tire failure happened there and I was able to get a new tire before riding any further. I’m sure the damage is from riding on the interstate, especially since I rode through about 8 miles of road construction just east of Glendive, and there was a lot of debris on the shoulder. Once again, luck was on my side.
Judy's Bike Ride 2017 
Go girl! Trains rock! Glad you are learning flexibility and adaptation! Enjoy the Park!
I’m happy to hear you are back on the road. You are so resilient! I ended up in your neighborhood. It is much cooler here. Travel safe, Brenda.
Judy — You made record time across Eastern Montana! Sounds like you made the right call to get back to the mountains, trees and landscapes that will inspire you for the rest of the ride. Congrats on reaching Morias Pass and the continental divide. It’s all downhill to the Pacific. Stay safe and enjoy the Western Montana scenery. — Dave
Glad to hear it’s been a good day back on the bike! Breathe deeply and enjoy the mountain air.
Hi Judy. Mary and I (Bruce) think of you everyday since we met you on the Central Lakes Trail in Garfield, MN. Amazing to see where you are now! Hope you have great biking going forward. We were out biking this PM by our house in Lakeville. I met a man from CA who does tour biking quite a bit. One of his favorites is San Francisco to San Diego. We’re going to meet on Tuesday and do a local trail, get to know more about each other and who knows maybe plan a trip to CA. Stay well.
I was wondering if you’d go on Going to the Sun road again – nice to see something different. Glad you are glad to be back on the bike! Have a great time getting closer to home each day!