After the surprises of the first couple days, we have begun to settle into a rhythm of sorts. The riding is still hard but our legs are slowly acclimating to the demands of the route. We had a good day, although a late start due to the search and rescue mission Bill was on to find his phone (unfortunately, but not surprisingly, unsuccessful), riding from Elkford to Fernie. Lots of spectacular scenery through on the back roads. Beautiful weather so far - clear skies and temps in the high 80s to low 90s - but it does get hot riding in the sun all day. We’re keeping Coppertone in business. We arrived in Fernie and got a room. Nice change of pace. Fernie turned out to be a good stop. We both got some repairs at Gear Hub, a local bike and ski shop. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Left Fernie for Eureka, MT., again a bit late due to repairs, but well worth it to get our steeds in good working order.
We crossed the border around 6:00 PM last night (Tuesday). No issues; and no confirmed need to convert kilometers to miles.
A word on the wildlife. We have seen a fair number of deer, elk and small game, but no grizzlies, although plenty of signs that they are around. Some cyclists we have met have seen our bear friends on the same trails and same days as we are riding but no sightings so far. The common wisdom is that bears want no part of humans and are non-threatening unless provoked or surprised. So the advice is to make noise as you ride, particularly around sharp curves. Any noise is acceptable - a whistle, bell, singing, etc. Many riders seem to simply yell, HEY BEAR, as loud as you can. Maybe every minute or so. Just let them know you’re coming. Mike does a good job of that - loud, deep voice, relatively frequently. Bill, on the other hand, at least according to Mike, yells ‘Hey Bear’ at a low volume in a conversational-like setting. It’s as if he is in a coffee shop saying, ‘Hey There’ to the grizzly, like meeting an old friend. Mike reminds him that they are not quite old friends.
Anyway, we’re off to Whitefish, MT, today. We’ll post again as technology allows.
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