Day 18 – June 21 – Columbia Falls, MT to Essex, MT – 47 Miles

Today would take us to West Glacier, MT the western gateway to Glacier National Park.  From there we could go thru the park on Going-to-the-Sun Road or around Glacier to the south on US 2.  The road thru the park had been officially opened two days ago.  To go over Going-to-the Sun Road is a challenge.  Cyclist must be off the road by 11:00 AM due to traffic concerns.  This requires staging at a location near the base of the 12 mile, 3,600 ft climb.  The route also takes you farther north requiring a return trip south to rejoin the Northern Tier cycling route on US 2.

For me, I have driven Going-to-the-Sun Road it is a spectacular drive.  It is scenic  and steep.  It would definitely be a challenge.  Is it something I need to accomplish to fulfill some life list?  No.  If we decided to do it I would give it a shot with the risk of thumbing a ride to the top if I didn’t make it by 11:00 AM.  David O’Neil is on a timeline.  While he realizes he will probably not have the time to complete a transcontinental trip by his deadline of July 19, he would like to make it as far as he can by that date.  He figured the additional time taken to travel Going-to-the-Sun Road then return to the route would add 2 days.  If we stayed on Route 2 and took it over Marias Pass, we could make it as far as Cut Bank, MT on Friday.  Weather was also an issue as a cold front with rain was moving in  on Friday.

So together we decided to get to East Glacier via the Marias Pass route on US 2.   It is still a 5,200 ft climb, but the grades are not as steep and the road conditions are better. From Columbia Falls we would go as far as Essex, MT a small town at the base of the climb over Marias Pass.  Essex is also the location of the Izaak Walton Inn, an historic former railroad hotel and inn.  We called ahead to see if rooms were available and they were.

Due to the rather low mileage day we started late, taking our time packing up camp and first having breakfast in Columbia Falls.  It was after 10:00 AM before we made it out of town.

The route from Columbia Falls did not take the more direct US 2.  The alternate took local roads north from Columbia Falls then east and south toward West Glacier rejoining US 2 about 3 miles west of town.  It was a scenic ride on lightly traveled roads.  Blankenship road for a couple miles was gravel but in good condition.  We made it to West Glacier by noon and stopped for a light lunch before continuing east on US 2.

The last 28 miles to Essex was a challenge. The grades were not bad, but traffic was heavy and for the first 18 miles, the road was winding and the shoulder was non-existent.  These sort of conditions make the ride stressful.  The last 10 miles a shoulder appeared giving us some relief.  We arrived in Essex around 5:30 delayed by another flat tire on Joe’s bike.

It is a strange thing that some of our shorter days have been our most difficult.  Having nothing to do with the distance and everything to do with the riding conditions.  The important thing is we made it safely and are enjoying each others company.

We will start out tomorrow with the climb over Marias Pass, we will see how far we can get, East Glacier?, Browning? Maybe as far as Cut Bank, MT.