Another Fabulous Pre-Tour Day in Kalispell

Monday, September 1, 2014
Pre-Tour Ride - Kalispell Loop (+exploring and getting lost)
35 miles

It was a chilly morning in Kalispell - around 50 degrees and overcast at 6 a.m.  But then the temperature actually dropped a few degrees by the by the time I headed out for my ride at 8:30.  Being the minimalist that I am, I didn't want to wear or bring my jacket.  I usually warm up pretty quickly, so I always tend to under-dress in terms of cold-weather gear.  But today, it stayed overcast for most of the morning and, without the sun, it stayed pretty chilly the entire time I rode.  I opted to do the recommended route Lon provided us - a 24-mile loop ride around Kalispell. As I headed south out of town, the route quickly took me away from the busy traffic of downtown Kalispell to quiet country roads through farm fields and eventually, to a bike trail.  It was a pleasant ride (sans rain), which I thoroughly enjoyed, even though I was by myself.  I ended up with 11 extra "off route" miles (i.e., wrong turns and various sundry exploratory jaunts).  My favorite wrong turn brought me to my first "interesting sight of the day" of the tour - a giant pig statue at the entrance to the Lower Valley Processing plant, where they apparently produce jerky, sausage and other fine locker meat products. Coolest thing I saw all day.

"Interesting Sight of the Day"

 

Is it just me, or does this pig look terrified?  Appropriately so, I suppose, given that he's the mascot for a slaughterhouse. ☹


Art, along with Ed, Tom & Ernie, opted for a more ambitious ride.  They returned to Glacier National Park and rode the Going-to-the-Sun road - which included a 10-mile challenging but scenic climb.  I saw that the forecast called for a 40% chance of rain up there, so I begged off and opted for the Kalispell loop, where there was 0% percent chance of rain, which required me to carry 0% percent of my rain gear. 

At 4:00, we gathered for our rider meeting with PAC Tour, at which Lon & Susan briefed us on the "dos" and "don'ts" of the Tour, and what to expect every day.  Most of the 44 riders on the tour, like me & Art, had done previous tours with PAC Tour and were familiar with the drill.  But its always good to be reminded. 

Right after the meeting, we all headed over to the local  pizza place/saloon for a group dinner - the same crazy place we ate at our first night in Kalispell.  Plenty of beer, soda, salad and pizza - only this time we didn't have to wait on ourselves!  We had a great time chatting and getting to know our fellow riders.  After dinner, PAC Tour also treated us to dessert at the Dairy Queen just a quick walk from the saloon.  Suffice it to say our group noticably stimulated the beer and food economy in Kalispell during the few days we were there. 

Tomorrow the tour officially begins with a 148-mile ride south to Missoula, Montana.  I can honestly say, at this moment, I could not be happier.☺

A view from my Kalispell Loop ride today

Fellow riders Brian and Tim returning from their ride today

The famous PAC Tour "white board" - where PAC Tour posts important daily information for us riders.