Katie MacDonald - Bike the US for MS
It's been almost two and a half weeks since we dipped our tires into the Pacific Ocean, and I am still missing the trip like crazy. So much has happened in the past few months, with almost no transition time in between for me to fully process what's happened. I finished grad school in May, went to my graduation ceremony, and then the next day drove out to Bar Harbor to start the ride. After the ride ended, I had only two and a half days on the west coast before I flew back to Massachusetts and moved into a new apartment and started a new job. It's been crazy, but what an amazing few months it has been. The day after the tire dip, I packed up all of my stuff, shipped my bike to Boston, and then Austin and I took a bus to Vancouver to spent a couple days with his family. We had a great time, and managed to fit a lot of sightseeing into one day. We rented bikes and rode around Stanley Park, got gelato at Bella Gelateria, saw the Olympic Torch, and walked around Granville Island. Not going to lie, was really missing my Trek during the ride through Stanley Park - my rental bike only had 3 gears. When I got back to Massachusetts and moved in to my new apartment, the air conditioning, fridge, and shower didn't work, and I didn't have a bed yet, so it felt like I had extended my camping trip a bit longer. When power was restored, and my fridge was working again, I went to the grocery store and was blown away by all of the cooking options that came with having refrigeration, an oven, and a full sized stove. PB&J tortillas are definitely still on the menu though. I thought I would be sick of them, but somehow I'm not! Work has been great, and I am loving my new job, although it has been difficult to transition from biking all day to sitting down all day. I was so excited when my bike finally arrived on Aug. 15! I was able to assemble it myself, and just took it out for my first long ride since the trip. I rode 60mi yesterday, to Cambridge and back, and it was such a good feeling to be back on the bike. I've already been thinking about bike tours that I could do next summer, so stay tuned! There are a few people that have donated since May, so I wanted to give a shout out to Megan, Courtney, Carolina, Nancy, the Todds, and Alex. Thanks so so much to everyone who donated! As a team, the Northern Tier raised $79,245, which is an incredible number. Back in one of my blog posts from Montana, I mentioned that two cyclist from a Bike and Build team had been involved in a devastating accident in Idaho. I didn't write too much about it in my blog at the time, partly because I didn't want to worry my friends and family back home, but mostly because I just didn't know what to say. Mike Platania, a program manager at Bike the US for MS, and Jen Cherry, fellow Northern Tier cyclist, have a much better way with words, and both wrote great write-ups about the accident on their blogs. I highly recommend checking those out.
I recently discovered that there are GoFundMe pages that have been set up to support Laura's road to recovery, as well as Anne's family as they deal with their tragic loss. If anyone would like to support them, the links are below.
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Day 62 - July 28 - Newport, WA to Coleville National Forest, WA - 65.1miI left at 7am with Frank, Sharon, and Jen this morning. It was pretty cool out in the morning, which was nice because it got really hot later on. Just before R1, we saw some bison in a field on the side of the road, and pulled over to take pictures. We stopped at the rest stop on the side of the road, and snacked before heading on. About 1.5mi out, Sharon's derailleur cable snapped, and she had to turn around to go back to the rest stop to get it fixed. In the time it took to get from R1 to R2 my chain dropped twice, so Connor looked at it at R2. After R2, we had a big climb into camp. The grade wasn't to bad, and it wasn't that long, but we were in direct sunlight and it was boiling hot. I was pretty relieved when we finally rolled in to camp. We're staying at the Beaver Lodge tonight, and it is really fantastic. We had lunch at the restaurant, and found out that there were showers, which we didn't think we had access to. Sharon also asked if there were laundry facilities, and the manager let us use it for free, even though it's not technically for guests. We hung out at the restaurant and used the wifi for most of the afternoon, and then I took a short nap in my hammock before dinner. After dinner, we hung out at camp reading the pun book that Catherine sent us in the mail. Pretty good day over all! Day 63 - July 29 - Coleville National Forest, WA to Republic, WA - 81.7miWow today was tough. We got an early start, and left camp at 6am. I forgot my Rumble Supershake on the picnic table though, and remembered it 2 minutes in, so I had to turn around and get it. Sharon and Frank waited for me at a beautiful waterfall a few miles into the route. It was mostly downhill into Coleville, where we stopped at a gas station for water. It was freezing cold when we left camp, but by this point it was starting to get really hot. We had to detour around some construction, and got a little mixed up leaving town, but we found our way back to the route. 15mi later, we stopped at another gas station in Kettle Falls, to refill our bottles, and get an extra bottle for the climb. We also got some snacks, and hung out for a bit, procrastinating what we knew would be a tough climb. The climb started as soon as we crossed the river and left Kettle Falls. This was a really tough climb. It was about 20mi long, and we gained over 4000ft of elevation. It was also super hot, and there was very little shade along the road. Connor had popsicles and ice cold water waiting for us halfway up, which helped quite a bit. The last 7mi were the hardest though, and I had to take a number of breaks. I almost completely wiped out at one point when I was standing up pedalling, and took one hand off my bars to skip a song on my iPod, and totally lost my balance. Eventually, I made it to the top of Sherman Pass. Sharon, Grant, and Chandler were hanging out at the top, and Frank, Eddie, and Vikki came up after me. I somehow managed to find the energy to hold my bike over my head, and hang from the elevation sign for pictures. The descent down was nice, but it was clear that it was got hotter the further down the mountain we went. Going downhill, without pedalling, we were getting hit by waves of heat. I also had to stop at one point, because a butterfly flew into the side of my head, and I ended up with butterfly guts all over my right ear. When Frank and I got to the bottom, we were flagged down by Sharon, who had found a restaurant for lunch. We cooled off in the air conditioning, and had a pretty good meal. We are staying at the fairgrounds tonight, and they have wifi and showers! I used the wifi for a bit, then set up my tent in the shade. Everyone was hanging out in the shade next to the van, so I joined until dinner. We also got to open A second gift from Catherine, which was a bag of Fritos (her snack of choice at rest stops). Thanks Catherine! A bunch of us walked back up to the same restaurant to eat again. Jen asked us to pick up some pie for her, so we decided to play a prank and got her the good pie, as well as some prepackaged gas station pie. When we got back to camp, Julia gave her the gas station pie, and apologized, saying it was all they had. Unfortunately I missed the whole thing, because I was washing my dishes, but it was pretty hilarious. Day 64 - July 30 - Republic, WA to Tonasket, WA - 43.8miWhat a great day! Woke up to the sound of roosters at a nearby farm, and was on the road just after 8am. We took a bike path into Republic, then started the climb immediately after town. The climb was nowhere near as tough as yesterday's. It was a lot cooler in temperature, and parts of the climb were shaded. It was also a lower grade, and about half the amount of climbing (2000ft). I finished the 15mi climb in 1h 48m, just before 10am. This is the first mountain pass we've done where I didn't have to take a single break on the ascent, so I was pretty proud of myself. Jen was already at the top talking to some German cyclists, and Sharon and Frank arrived shortly after me. We hung out for a bit, got the obligatory photo, and we're just about to leave when the van arrived, followed by Vikki and Alison. The descent, 4000ft over 30mi, was not as good as I had hoped for, but it was still pretty great. There were a number of flat sections mixed in with parts that were 5-6% grade. There were headwinds for most of it, so I didn't get to go too fast. At one point, when Sharon was way ahead of me, and Frank was way behind me, I started singing along to my iPod. All of a sudden, I look in my mirror and Frank is right behind me, definitely within earshot. I'm not the best singer under regular conditions, and certainly much worse when I am out of breath, so I really hope he didn't hear me. It is really amazing how fast the terrain changed. The past couple days we have been going through thick green forests, but as soon as we got to the other side of the pass, it was like we were in a desert. By the time we got to town, it was ridiculously hot, probably 35-40 degrees Celsius. We grabbed lunch at the Texas Diner across the street from camp, and then headed to the laundromat to shower and do laundry. While the laundry was in, Vikki, Sharon, Julia, and I ran across the street for ice cream to cool down. After laundry, I spent most of my afternoon in my hammock in the gazebo at camp, watching Netflix, and taking advantage of the fact that I finally have service and can use my data. Later in the afternoon, I went for round two of ice cream, watched more Netflix, then joined some people at the Mexican restaurant. I didn't eat there though, because later I went to the taco truck with Eddie, Stefan, Megan, Vikki, and Chandler. These tacos were fantastic, and only $1.25 each! I ate 7 of them, and had absolutely no regrets. Apparently the record from previous years is 20 tacos. Sleeping in the hammock tonight, with Grant and Chandler in their hammocks beside me. Hoping the support beam we are hanging from is strong enough to hold all of us! Day 65 - July 31 - Tonasket, WA to Winthrop, WA - 70.7miGood news, the support beam didn't break! I had a great sleep in my hammock, and was ready to go super fast this morning because I didn't have to take the time to put away my tent. Sharon, Frank, and I went to the gas station to fill our water bottles with ice cold water, and then took highway 20 out of town. We had a good ride into Omak, and the roads were quiet enough at times that we could ride side by side and chat. At one point, we came across a heavy duty farm field watering system that was spraying water onto the road, and had to ride straight through it. It was a bit on the chilly side, but later in the day I would have given anything to go through it again. We were slightly ahead of the van, so we made our own rest stop at a gas station, and fuelled up with snacks. After leaving town, we started our third mountain climb in three days - Loup Loup Pass. The beginning of this one was really tough. It was a decent grade, and then all of a sudden it got really steep, with absolutely nothing around to shade us from the hot sun. Thankfully, this didn't last for too long though. I refilled with water at the van and trailer about 10mi from the top, and then picked up speed down a nice little descent in the middle of the climb. This pass wasn't as physically challenging as Sherman Pass, but it was mentally challenging at times. At one point, I got really mad at my Garmin bike computer for displaying that I was losing elevation, when I was working my butt off to go uphill. Eventually though, as always, I got to the top and relaxed for a bit before the descent. The descent was pretty great at times, and the first segment was 6% grade for 8mi. As we went down, we were surrounded by badly charred trees - evidence that there must have been a forest fire not too long ago. We stopped for Mexican food in Twisp, then slowly, and full of food, finished the last 8mi into camp. At the KOA, we had a relaxing afternoon soaking in lawn chairs in the river. The water was pretty cold, but once my feet went numb it was alright. I had cereal for dinner, and hung out in my hammock for a bit afterwards. Only one more day of mountain passes! Day 66 - August 1 - Winthrop, WA to Diablo, WA - 65miGot up at 5:45, and was on the road by 7am with Frank and Sharon. Wishing I had gone into town to explore it last night, because it looked so cute as we biked through this morning! Rest stop one was supposed to be at a market at mile 20, but this turned out not to exist, so we snacked on the side of the road instead, slightly into the beginning of the climb. Washington Pass was definitely the most scenic climb we have had since Glacier. It was really beautiful, and I stopped a couple times for pictures. It was a decent climb, and had a large switchback right before the top. After stopping for pictures, we had a 3mi descent, then a short climb to our second pass of the day, and final pass of the trip - Rainy Pass. We had R2 here, got some photos, and then had a pretty great descent, at least for the first little bit. Eventually, the winds picked up and we were having to fight them a little bit. There were also a few hills that we had to go up near the bottom of the climb. The last 7mi, I was just really ready to be done for the day. Right before camp though, we got a breathtaking view of Diablo Lake, which is a really pretty shade of blue. There is absolutely nothing here besides the campground, which I was totally unprepared for and had barely any food to make for lunch or dinner. I hosed off at the spigot, then took a nap for most of the afternoon. When I woke up, I made instant mashed potatoes and refried beans - the only two dinner items left in my food cubby. It was not a very satisfying dinner, especially after a mountain climbing day. Later in the evening, we all hung around by the picnic table and chatted. When it got dark, we made a campfire. At one point, we heard someone snoring, and we're trying to figure out if it was Frank or Julia. Frank overheard us, and shouted from his tent "it's not Frank". Day 67 - August 2 - Diablo, WA to Darrington, WA - 56.3miLast night was one of the worst sleeps I have had on the trip. Every sound I heard, I was convinced was a bear, and couldn't sleep for hours. When my alarm went off at 6:45, I could hear rain. I peaked through the little window on my tent, and saw nobody was moving, so I went back to sleep. Maybe 30min later, Sharon came over to my tent, and we decided to wait until the rain ended to get going. This meant I got to sleep until 8, which was much needed. I was slow moving in the morning, and ended up having to rush in order to leave with Frank and Sharon. I stopped for a couple photos of Diablo Lake, and then started the day off with a small climb. The scenery was incredible this morning, with the clouds covering the tops of the mountains. We stopped at a general store in Newhalem, got some snacks, and took photos with the train. Luke, Ethan, and Guy caught up to us here, and we all rode on to Marblemount together. We got breakfast in Marblemount, and it was amazing. I got eggs benedict, and split an order or cinnamon french toast with Sharon. There was light rain, on and off, for most of the day. Frank, Sharon, and I rode into Darrington together, and stopped at the grocery store to get food for dinner. After the grocery store, we went to the Burger Barn to get ice cream, but were told that they were out. We stuck around and used the wifi for a bit, and then biked the last 4mi to camp. Washington's geography is pretty amazing. We have been through mountains, a desert, and now we are basically in a rainforest. Camp tonight is pretty beautiful, which makes up for the fact that it was impossible to get the stakes of my tent into the ground. I had my dinner, and hung out while the guys played wiffleball. Currently I'm sitting by the campfire with almost the whole team. Can't believe this is going to be over in a couple days! Day 68 - August 3- Darrington, WA to Snohomish, WA - 48.1miSecond last day. Crazy. Had a much better sleep last night, and woke up in the beautiful rainforest. The route leaders set up a cereal buffet for us for breakfast, which was super great of them. Frank, Sharon, and I rolled out together, and headed to Arlington for the first rest stop. We grabbed an awesome second breakfast at the Stilly Diner. After the diner, we headed back to the official rest stop and met Shayna, Ethan's girlfriend who had flown out to surprise him. We waited around to see his reaction, which was adorable. Also during this time, Sharon pointed out that my tire pressure looked low. I pumped them up, and discovered that I had been riding at 45psi for the past little while (normally I ride at around 90psi). I rode with Chandler and Sharon, and we managed to go at a pretty fast pace along the bike path. We were in Snohomish in no time, and were able to shower at the aquatic centre nearby. Sharon, Frank, and I then walked about 3mi round trip to do laundry, which was probably not worth the walk. We attempted to taxi back, but it would have taken 45min to get one. Back at camp, a soccer field tonight, Ryan showed up and surprised Alison. We all went out for Thai food, and then ice cream. At the Thai restaurant, Julia told us about how her and Vikki had talked to the attendant at the laundromat, and he had asked if they were biking from Maine to Seattle. They said they were, and he replied that he had just met a mother, father, and daughter who were doing that ride. Apparently he though Frank and Sharon were my parents! After dinner, we set up our tents for the last time, and I attempted to start packing up my stuff. At around 10:30, Catherine arrived! She managed to get on an earlier flight, and drove out to camp so that she can ride the last day with us tomorrow. So great to have her back with the team. A bunch of us stayed up until around 12:30am, catching up, talking about tomorrow, and just hanging out. Day 69 - August 4 - Snohomish, WA to Seattle, WA - 39.3miThe last day. Still can't wrap my head around it. I woke up at 6:30, to the sound of people talking near the trailer. Getting ready this morning felt different than most other morning. I didn't feel rushed, everyone was chatting, and moving at a fairly slow pace. At one point, a few of the smaller people on the team tried squeezing ourselves into empty cubbies in the trailer. Turns out I actually fit in my cubby! We rolled out as a team just after 8am, and went for one last breakfast at Jake's in Snohomish. I ordered a scrambler, which is bacon, eggs, cheese, and hash browns all mixed together. This thing was huge! One of the only breakfasts on the trip that I couldn't finish. Even with Grant helping me, I only got through about half of it. We all rode out as a team, minus Grant who stayed behind to fix a flat and said he would catch up. The first part of the morning included a not-so-insignificant climb (~600ft) which I was not expecting, but it wasn’t too bad. R1 was at a Target about 15mi in, where we all stopped and regrouped. Eddie played the song “A Thousand Miles” for us, and we sang along as we left our last rest stop of the trip. We were on a bike path for the rest of the ride in. Catherine, Sharon, Chandler, and I stopped to take a photo of the “welcome to Seattle” sign. Sharon took off after the photo, and Andrea caught up to us, so Chandler, Catherine, Andrea, and I rode together for a while. Chandler blasted Disney songs off his phone, and we all sang along and took turns requesting songs. “Go the Distance” from Hercules turned out to be a very fitting song for how we were feeling. We eventually saw some teammates’ bikes in front of a bike shop along the trail, and stopped to check it out. After this, it was on to Gasworks Park, where we regrouped before riding in to Peddler’s as a team for our celebratory lunch. Peddler’s had a taco truck, free beer, and we were cheered on by a bunch of people as we rode in. It was really cool getting to meet everyone’s friends and family. We also got to meet some people from the Swedish MS Center in Seattle, who we got to present a $15,000 cheque to. It was at Peddler’s that we also got the long awaited 4,295 mile bumper sticker, and the BTUSFMS socks! This is definitely the hardest I have ever worked to earn a pair of socks. After we wrapped up lunch, we biked out as a group to finish the last 2mi of the summer. I rode near the front of the group, with Catherine, Grant, Eddie, Stefan, and Connor, as we headed towards the ocean. About 0.25mi from the finish line, my parents were hiding behind a tree taking pictures of us riding in! I almost crashed my bike when I saw them, because I didn’t know they were coming. Best surprise ever! We were directed off the bike path and onto the beach by a large group of people cheering and holding signs. As soon as we hopped off our bikes, we were each handed a bottle of champagne, and I was quickly covered head to toe by Grant spraying his champagne bottle over everyone. I honestly can’t put into words how I was feeling when we lined up along the water and dipped our front tires. We posed for photos, and then a bunch of us jumped into the Pacific, still wearing our jerseys. Julia unfortunately forgot to take her phone out of her back pocket, so it went swimming with her. Just as we were wrapping up, and people were starting to leave, Austin arrived! We got some more photos, and then headed up to the road to get an Uber to the hotel. Just as we were getting the Uber, I realized that I had to run back to the trailer, which was at the Edgewater Hotel (where the rest of the team is staying), so that I could get clothes to change into after a shower. This resulted in me running 0.3mi, soaking wet, with no shoes on, through a busy Seattle sidewalk, so that I could get everything I needed before the Uber showed up. Eventually, we made to the Sheraton, and I was able to rinse off the champagne and salt water before celebrating with Austin and my parents. Later in the night I cleaned out my cubby, signed the trailer wall, and went out with the team to celebrate making it across the country. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the night, and there were some people that I didn’t even get to say goodbye to because of all the commotion at the beach. This team really became like a family over the course of the summer, and I’m going to miss everyone like crazy. Day 59 - July 25 - Libby, MT to Sandpoint, ID - 96.5miWhen my alarm went off at 4:50am, it was still dark out, so I turned it off and woke up 20 minutes later. I got ready to go, and headed out with Frank at around 6:30am. Around 10mi into the day, Theresa caught up to us and told us about a waterfall that was coming up along the route that we could hike to. We decided to go for it, and took a short hike into the woods to see the falls. It was totally worth it - absolutely gorgeous. According to Theresa, they filmed part of the movie The Revenant here. The ride was beautiful today, with trees, rocky cliffs, and the river along the road. Shortly before R2, Frank and I came across some big horned sheep grazing on the side of the road. Apparently Chandler, who was about 5-10 minutes behind us, somehow completely missed them, even though people who came in after him said they were still there. I got a sandwich and a piece of pecan pie for lunch, and felt uncomfortably full for the next little while. We crossed into Idaho a little while after the rest stop, and was immediately greeted by a downhill caution sign that said “6% grade next 1.5mi”. What a great welcome to Idaho! We also crossed into our last timezone, Pacific time, which is pretty crazy. It was so hot that Frank and I had to stop at a gas station before the rest stop to fill our water bottles. Shortly after that, we came across the turn we were supposed to take, found out it was all gravel, and decided to stick to the main highway. Turns out this was the right decision, and the route leaders had sent out a tweet telling us to do this, although we didn’t get the message until later. We got ice cream at R3, and then had less than 20mi to go into Sandpoint. We are staying at the Sandpoint West Sportsman Club for the next two nights, and it is incredible. We have almost full use of the facilities, which include saunas, squash courts, a pool, workout equipment, and, my personal favourite, a hydromassage machine. After exploring the club, Vikki, Frank, Julia, and I went for Thai food for dinner, and then ice cream for dessert. We also stopped by the beach on our way back to the club. Back at the club, I played squash with some of the guys, and even gave racquetball a try. We are sleeping in one of the squash courts tonight, which is definitely a first for the trip! Day 60 - July 26 - Sandpoint, ID - Rest DayOur last rest day! It is so weird to think that the trip is almost over. Yesterday we entered our last time zone, today is our last rest day, and tomorrow we get to our last map and our last state. So crazy. A bunch of us went out for breakfast at Panhandler Pies, where I got a breakfast sandwich and an apple cinnamon roll. Delicious! After breakfast, Frank and I went to the bike shop, where I picked up a new chain to replace my stretched one. Then it was on to the laundromat, as per usual on a rest day. After getting our errands done, Frank and I grabbed some pizza for lunch, and then I hung out at camp for most of the afternoon. I finally booked my flight home, which was nice to get done. I even joined some of the guys for a workout (focusing on anything but legs). Frank, Jen, and I grabbed dinner at a brewpub in the evening, and then went back to Panhandler Pies for dessert. After dinner, I watched some Netflix, and participated in a racquetball tournament with Eddie, Chandler, and Stefan. Day 61 - July 27 - Sandpoint, ID to Newport, WA - 36.1miHad a decent sleep in today, and woke up at 8am to get packed up. Frank, Jen, Julia, Vikki, and I biked down to the water to grab breakfast at Trinity @ City Beach. One of the best breakfasts of the trip! Just as we pulled in to the restaurant, a man walking out saw my BTUSFMS jersey and asked about it. Turns out, he is from Alberta and his wife has MS. He thanked us for what we are doing, and it was very touching getting to meet him. The ride today was short, but fairly hilly. At one point, I heard a dog barking and said to Frank and Julia "I don't like the sound of that!". Frank, thinking I was talking about the noise his bike was making, replied "it'll stop as soon as I shift gears". We made it to Newport, and I got a picture with the Washington state sign. Can't believe this is our last state! After the picture, I joined Chandler, Frank, Jen, and Vikki at a coffee drive through place and got a milkshake. We then went to the Riverside Restaurant to grab lunch before heading over to the church. After picking out my room for the night - a private one, all to myself, with the solar system painted on the wall - I got changed into my bathing suit and a bunch of us went down to the river for a swim. The water was cold, but refreshing on such a hot day. We also got to play fetch with a dog named Ruby, who wandered up to us at the beach. When her owners came for her a while later, she didn't want to leave! They literally had to drag her away. Back at the church I rinsed off with a spigot shower, and then we headed to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. Hung out at the church after dinner, and then went to the grocery store because I realized I was out of Clif bars. Met up with Alison there, and we walked back together, talking about how crazy it is that the trip is almost over. Day 53 - July 19 - Cut Bank, MT to St. Mary, MT - 67.3miRough sleep last night. First off, we had been warned about feral dogs in Browning, a town we went through today, so I was up worrying about that. Second, the fish tank in the basement started making an awful noise in the middle of the night. However, the day ended up turning out pretty well. As soon we got out of the valley, we could see the Rockies in the distance. It was really cool to see them getting bigger all day, and then all of a sudden we were right in front of them. We had some pretty rough headwinds most of the day, which sucked. We were also pretty nervous about going through Browning, so a bunch of us left the first rest stop as a group. Turns out, Browning was absolutely nothing to lose sleep over, and we only saw two dogs who had no interest in chasing us. After leaving R2, we started to climb up into the foothills of the mountains. I really cannot describe how amazingly beautiful the scenery is here. At R2, we saw some wild horses running across the road! After R2, the climbing got more intense. Not as intense as it will be tomorrow, but way more climbing than we have done in the past month. One thing I did not expect, is the number of cows roaming the roads of the mountains. The first one I saw, I thought it was a bear from a distance. Cows are now the latest animal to be added to the list of animals I never thought I would be afraid of. The last 5mi into camp were an amazing descent into St. Mary. We are camping in Glacier National Park tonight, and the scenery is unbelievably gorgeous. Photos can't even do it justice. Stefan, Alison, Catherine, Chandler, and I grabbed pizza for dinner at a spot in town, and Andrea, Luke, and Grant joined us later. Currently, I am sitting in front of a campfire with a group of people. Kind of nervous about the possibility of bears tonight, so we'll see if I get any sleep! Day 54 - July 20 - St. Mary, MT to Fish Creek, MT - 52.7miWhat an incredible day. First off, I didn't get eaten by a bear in my sleep, which is always good. Second, the first thing I saw when I poked my head out of my tent this morning was Andrea sitting up in a completely collapsed tent, which was pretty hilarious. We got ready to go, and then Catherine and I headed out for our first mountain climb in over a month. Less than 2mi into the ride, I saw a bear standing in a meadow on the side of the road. At first I thought it was a statue, but then in turned and ran into the forest, at which point I shouted "BEAR!!" at Catherine, who turned just in time to see it running away. This had me freaked out for the next couple miles, but soon the beauty of the park completely overwhelmed me, and I was able to put the bear out of my mind. We stopped every couple miles to take pictures, and even did two short hikes on the way up. The headwinds were pretty bad at times, but we pushed through them. Eventually, we made it to the top of Logan Pass (elevation 6646ft), cheered on by everyone who had already gotten there. It was an absolutely incredible feeling, and I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face even if I tried. We celebrated, took pictures, put on some warmer clothes because it was colder at the top, and then I ate my lunch. There is nothing quite like making a PB&J while sitting at the top of a mountain pass, looking out over the valley. We toured the visitor's centre, got some souvenirs, and then most of the team took off while Vikki, Catherine, and I stayed at the top to do the Highline Trail hike. This was one of the biggest highlights of the trip so far. Part of the hike involved walking along a cliff with a wall and rope on one side, and a shear drop on the other. We also saw some big horned sheep, a marmot, and a mountain goat! After the hike, we went back to the visitor's centre where our bikes were locked up, and Catherine discovered that she no longer had her key. We spent about an hour talking to park rangers, trying to call the route leaders, retracing her steps, and trying to find bolt cutters, but had no luck. Fortunately, a ranger who was just about to get off work offered to drive her down to camp where she could grab a spare key, and I descended the mountain solo. The descent was pretty incredible, and I stopped for lots of pictures. Eventually, I made it to Lake McDonald Lodge, and attempted again to call the route leaders, to no avail. I grabbed a snack at the gift shop, and was outside talking to some teenagers about Bike the US for MS, when Catherine and Luke saw me, and let me know that Catherine had got the spare key, and Connor was driving them to the top to retrieve her bike. I finished the last 14mi, and arrived at camp a little while later. We are camping right on Lake McDonald tonight, and the view of the lake almost makes up for the fact that there are not many good spots to pitch a tent. It was pretty quite around camp, so I set up, relaxed by the lake, and ate some snacks while waiting for everyone to return. When most people were back, we made dinner, and then had a campfire to celebrate Catherine's last night with us before she leaves for med school. Overall, probably one of the best days of the trip. Day 55 - July 21 - Frog Creek, MT to Whitefish, MT - 34.9miMy tent was set up on a slight hill last night, so I kept sliding down to the bottom of my tent, then I'd wake up and have to shimmy back up to the top. Not a fantastic sleep. We did get to sleep in until 8:30 though, which was nice, and then we had a big group breakfast at Eddie's Restaurant in Apgar. It was only a 30mi day, so Vikki, Catherine, and I decided to go kayaking on Lake McDonald. It was pretty amazing, and interesting to be using our arms instead of our legs for a change. After the kayaking, it took less than 3 hours to get into Whitefish. It was our last mail drop day, and I got a box full of snacks from Austin! We had a group meeting at 5, and then Catherine left for the airport shortly after. She'll be back for the ride into Seattle, but we're all going to miss her for the next two weeks! Julia, Vikki, and I wandered around town for a bit, and then got pad thai at a restaurant called Wasabi. What an adorable little town! Very touristy, but there are lots of great shops, and we were able to find an ice cream place for dessert. Later in the evening, I biked to the movie theatre to see Tarzan with Eddie and Stefan. Looking forward to the rest day tomorrow! Day 56 - July 22 - Whitefish, MT - Rest DayStarted the day with breakfast at the Buffalo Cafe with Julia and Vikki, then we headed to a service project in Columbia Falls. We were helping clean an apartment, and the family made us a delicious lunch. We were there for about 3 hours, and then we headed back to town and I ran some errands. Went to a bike shop and picked up a few things, then Sharon and I went to the laundromat and grocery shopping. After I finished my errands, I went back to Buffalo Cafe for dinner with Chandler, Sharon, and Frank. After eating, we went to the ice cream place for dessert. Back at the church, I got some stuff done on my laptop, and then went out with Eddie, Connor, and Stefan. We ran into Andrea, Julia, and Alison, and ended up back at the ice cream place where we met a nice couple that bought everyone's ice cream! This kind of generosity from total strangers never ceases to amaze me. Day 57 - July 23 - Whitefish, MT to Eureka, MT - 57.7miVikki, Frank, and I started off the day by going for breakfast at a crepe place in town. Frank and I split two crepes, one with banana and Nutella, and the other with sausage, cheese, egg, and some vegetables. Hands down the best crepes I have ever had, and a fantastic way to start the day. Vikki stopped to go to a pottery studio a few miles into the ride, so Frank and I rode together for most of the day. We chatted for a bit, and I was also able to get a lot of podcasting done. My current favourite is 99% Invisible and I listened to several episodes over the course of the day. We stopped at a small cafe for lunch at R2, where I got tacos and enjoyed some free wifi. In the lest segment of the ride, Frank and I saw a ton of deer, just chilling on the side of the road. We are sleeping in Lincoln County High School tonight, and are joined by two BTUSFMS cyclists who just started the great divide. We also had a fantastic pulled pork dinner provided by Theresa, who will be joining us as a segment cyclist for a couple days. After dinner, a bunch of us went to the rodeo that happened to be in town. Neither Megan nor I brought enough cash to buy tickets, but the guy selling the tickets took what money we had, and gave us a second ticket for free. As we are only 8mi from the border tonight, they played the Canadian national anthem, as well as the American. We saw tons of events, including barrel racing, calf roping, and bareback riding, but my absolute favourite was the mutton busting. This is a crazy event where kids hold on to a sheep for dear life as it runs around the arena. On the way out of the rodeo, Sharon and I saw a pickup truck with a "free puppies" sign, and three puppies in the back. I was so tempted to take one to keep in my trunk bag on the back of my bike! Day 58 - July 24 - Eureka, MT to Libby, MT - 76.1miDidn't have a fantastic sleep last night, as I chose to sleep in a hallway where we couldn't turn the lights off. I rode out with Frank, Jen, and Alison, but Jen was going at a much faster pace so Frank, Alison, and I quickly fell back. It was a hilly, but beautiful ride along Lake Koocanusa. Eventually, we crossed the lake via bridge, and took the much closer quieter road on the other side. Immediately after crossing, we came across a huge sign warning us that this was a grizzly bear habitat, and to be aware. This made me more than a little nervous for the rest of the day. I had a PB&J tortilla at R1, and then just as we were about to depart, Alison got her first flat of the trip. She stayed at the rest stop to fix it, while Frank and I headed on. The smell of the pine trees was really strong, as we cruised through the forest, and the ride went smoothly, until just before rest stop 2. We were on a beautiful descent, and I was going pretty fast, when all of a sudden a bee flew into my jersey and stung me! I clutched my jersey, killing the bee, and held it away from my body until we got to the bottom of the descent and I was able to stop. We had to go back up the hill slightly to wait where the rest stop was going to be, and I was able to examine the sting and clean it up. The last section of the ride took us past the Libby Dam, across the river, and onto an even quieter backroad on the other side, which brought us into town. We are camping at Fireman Park tonight, which brought on some confusion as I was under the impression that we were camping at the fire department itself. I cleaned off with a freezing cold spigot shower, and then grabbed dinner with a big group. The burger I got was huge, and it was one of the first meals of the trip that I was unable to finish in one sitting. I did however, have room for ice cream a couple hours later, so Frank and I went out to get some. After ice cream, we went to the grocery store, and then I did some bike maintenance because the chain has been acting weird lately. Turns out, it is stretched way past what it should be, and I have to replace the chain, which I can do in Sandpoint on our rest day. Cassie, the super awesome executive director of BTUSFMS, joined us tonight, which is always fun. She'll be with us for a couple of days, until we get to Newport, Idaho. |
katie macdonald
Summer 2016, I biked 4,295 miles, coast to coast across the USA to raise money and awareness for MS. March 2017, I biked self-contained from San Francisco to San Diego with my friend Carissa. August 2017 I connected the dots and biked from Seattle to San Francisco. Summer 2018 I am heading to the UK! Follow my journey here! Miles biked for MS:
6,800.13
Updated August 27, 2018 Archives
January 2019
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