Today we rode into Glacier National Park. Bikes are not allowed on park roads between 11 AM and 4 PM and the entrance to the park was only 30 miles away so our planned departure time was noon. This gave me some time to see the town of Whitefish. Glacier Cyclery was the high point and I even got some socks featuring a goat riding a bike.
The day was chilly and the skies were very overcast but I was confident we would avoid the rain if we paced ourselves right. It worked for most of the day but after about 15 miles a downpour started. I quickly pulled over and put on my rain pants and, apart from my cold and wet feet, was actually quite comfortable.
I got to the town of West Glacier, just outside the park, at about 3pm. This gave me time to hose off the incredible amount of mud from my bike and to visit a few shops. At the stroke of four, we all started down the road to the park entrance. Ellen wanted to see Apgar Village at the south end of Lake McDonald so she hung back a bit and turned west as the rest of us went to the Lodge. I should have stayed with her because not two minutes later a grizzly bear crossed the road 50 feet in front of her. Apparently I was only a few hundred yards ahead and if I had turned around I would have seen it, too.
We all made it to the Lodge without further incident and were treated by WomanTours to a great dinner in the restaurant. Tomorrow I'm planning washing my bike (again) and a hike at Avalanche Creek. I can deal without seeing a Grizzly, especially if it's only 50 feet away.
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