"If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain."
Well, my name's not Mohammed but after a long absence the mountains were definitely
calling, and PAC Tour's Ridge of the Rockies ride started looking especially
appealing. It's been three years since my last PAC Tour and Bob Choquette's recent
experience with PAC got me thinking about it again. A summer of extended commuting as
training didn't result in many centuries (just the two from Rideau Lakes) or any
extended climbing, but did get me more mileage than I've had in the last few years. So
got permission from the missus and indifference from the kids ("Gone for three weeks?
OK, Dad, see ya!") and I was off.
The gods are smiling # 1: American Eagle decided they wouldn't charge me the usual $75
US for the oversized luggage that contained my bike. I hoped it would still make it
all the way to Kalispell, Montana (via Boston and Minneapolis) because I could have
sent it guaranteed three-day-arrival UPS in advance, though UPS wanted $200 and there
was going to be all sorts of customs brokerage issues. But there it was when I arrived.
The gods # 2: My all day flights get me into Kalispell late Monday night after a
morningdeparture from Ottawa. Then all hell breaks loose in New York and Washington on
Tuesday morning and all the airports are closed down. I'm glad I got here in time, as
there are lots of tour participants who now have to cancel or make other arrangements
to join us down the road once the airports open back up. It's a terrible tragedy and
Americans everywhere we go are glued to their televisions and look shocked.
Meet seven other early arrivers (the PAC ride officially starts Thursday) on Tuesday
morning at breakfast. The plan is to ride from Kalispell up to the Canadian border,
stay overnight in Glacier National Park, and ride back on Wednesday. What follows has
to be one of the best bike rides ever. It's 84 km from the south end of the park, to
Glacier Lodge at the north end. There's a 35 km warm up along Lake McDonald, then a 20
km climb up the Going To The Sun highway to Logan Pass at 6,680 feet. Perfect warm
sunny weather, with enough of a breeze to make the climb comfortable. Constant 6%
grade for the 20 km, with cliff on one side of the narrow road and drop-off on the
other. Great views at the top, with 8 to 9,000 foot peaks all around; then a screaming
30 km descent to the Lodge. We decide to do the last bit to the Canadian border
tomorrow. A Montana greasy spoon finishes off the night.
Don Friedlander
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