Day 3 to Anchorage

Hello! I am currently at the KOA Kampground outside of Glacier National Park in Montana. It is about 20 miles to the Canadian border. As I'm writing this it is 9:30 pm and still plenty of light out to see, and sundown will only get later as I travel north. It's a little weird because I feel like I'm stuck in that 8:45-type light that you would get in Texas. I am amazed at how cold it got (around 40)! When I left Salt Lake City this morning it was around 65 degrees and stayed in the 70's all day until I got close to Glacier National Park and into the mountains. The view here is quite awe inspiring. There are snow-capped mountains in all directions! I have always loved the southern rockies, but I think it's northern counter-part might out-do it!

Today I stopped in some random town to go on a road ride. I was getting really bored of driving and I saw this small road to the side of the highway while going over a mountain pass. I thought it looked very interesting, so when I got to an offramp of the highway I took it and ended up in this podunk town in Southern Montana. It was beautiful weather and the whole town was outside mowing their lawns or grilling bbq for Memorial Day. They looked at me like I was crazy as I changed into my cycling gear and took my bike out of my car. I headed for the road that I had seen. I quickly realized that I was not in shape for this altitude! Also, the road was about a 10% grade for 6 miles, so that might have also been why I was so out of breath. I struggled to the top, panting the whole way. Now, the fun part. I had never gone down a big descent on my Orbea and was itching to see how it performed. It handled better than I expected, and the bike makes a really cool whirring sound while descending. I haven't put a computer on my bike yet, so I don't know my top speed, but I estimate it to be around 5000 miles/hr.

Also, today in the car I finished listening to "Rant" by Chuck Pahilniuk (sp?). It was a great read and I highly recommend it to people who like his edgy style.

Tomorrow the plan is to ride part of theGoing-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. I plan on riding about 7:30 or 8:00. It's going to be a cold ride for sure!!!