Day 13: Up and Over the Continental Divide (the first time...)

As previously stated, Apgar is a really nice campground, and we were sorry to leave. But we had another (what the heck?!?) big day ahead of us. We filled our stove gas bottle and made coffee and oatmeal with dried berries (which is getting to be our go-to breakfast) and just made a 7 am start time - about the same time at Bernie and his friend.

Cycling off into the cool morning for about 3 miles, we stopped in West Glacier and had coffee and wrote postcards. Then there was no more reason to delay, we set out onto hwy2 for our Continental Divide Crossing day! (We would have loved to do Logan Pass on Going to the Sun Road instead - which we have done before on light single bikes - but we were about 10 days too early for it's opening as it turned out).

At the risk of rehashing some oft used cliche's about Glacier Park, let me just say that it truly is a gem of the country. As for cycling, it has some Beautiful climbs - and some very long grades. And going west-to-east is harder - since it is more of a climb from the west side, and less of a descent on the east side since you end up at a higher elevation at East Glacier than you started at in West Glacier.

At about the halfway point for the day, we stopped into one of our favorite places: the Izaak Walton Inn at Essex, and had lunch and a growler fill of Great Western Brewing Red Ale (for tonight). While having lunch we chatted with an older couple who had seen us on the road and was suprised at the time we were making (I think it's a tortoise and hare thing, myself).

Then we set off from Essex down a short hill, crossed the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and into the park again. By this time, it is starting to get warm and we're feeling the heat, and the effects of the unrelenting climb (needing butt fluffs, stretching, standing while cycling, etc). Brigitte is starting to flag (though she's not giving up) and asks when the next butt fluff is. "It's coming up!" I tell her, fully knowing that a feature called the "Silver Stairs" is coming up.

But I can sense she is skeptical, and she asks again, and I say that "it's up by that big RV, about 1/4 mile ahead". As we approach, she says something to the effect of I must have misremembered - and then they appear on the right: a cascade of cold mountain water cascading down a literal staircase of rock from probably 100' up [check this]. She is both impressed, and relieved (as am I, that the darn Stairs WERE there!), since there is literally no signage for them at all.

But the bottom line is that Brigitte loved them and we doused our heads in the cool water, and filtered some cold water for our bottle for the last assault on the Divide.

(As we set out for the last climb up the pass I could see the railroad tracks high above us to the left, knowing that to reach the top of the pass we have to climb to them!
I was not about to point this out to Brigitte!)

And finally we arrive at the pass: 5,216'. And the Marias pass version of the "garden wall" is still spectacular (the actual "Garden Wall" is on Logan Pass - which was still closed at this time).

Marking the divide is the obelisk that Hoover dedicated to Teddy Roosevelt in 1930, that was moved from center of hwy2 in 1989. This is truly a milestone for us, as well.

After resting a bit, it's "down" into East Glacier - with a headwind (oh, the irony of having to pedal downhill, too!)
We pulled into East Glacier and the RV park we intended to camp at was closed (as in permanently), with just some kid on a riding mower that was mowing the dandelions.
We found another place by the road, that had very nice new room for us (but lousy wifi). Upon the recommendation of our waiter in Essex, we had a great Mexican dinner at "Serrannos" - Brigitte had a tofu chimichanga (it's a thing?!?) and a pork enchilada for me. We washed these down with a Moose Drool and a Glacier IPA .

After dinner we walked to the East Glacier Lodge accompianied by little happy dog named Lucky (it turned out) - We walked around the lodge a bit and then found a nice sunny spot on the deck and almost fell asleep! Back at our motel, true to form we did not even see our pillows.

Tomorrow we have another big 71 mile day to Shelby. Rhonda & Will (my cousins on the homestead now) have gone to Helena. But hopefully John T and Bonnie may be around. Our Plan is to visit the homestead, then turn south for Helena and Yellowstone!

Them Stats: 61 miles, 3,457' of climbing - WTH?