Rose Pedals . . .: OMG! A Bear!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Day 1 - Kalispell, Montana to Missoula, Montana
148 miles
4,647 ft. of climbing

Today was a great day - but a very long day - on the bike. Eight hours and 51 minutes in the saddle. I'm going to keep today's post brief and let the pictures speak for themselves because I must sleep now. But I will mention three remarkable highlights of the day.

The first remarkable highlight of the day is that Art's birthday was today! He got to spend his birthday riding his bike, so he was a happy dude.
The second remarkable highlight of the day . . . we saw a bear! A real, live bear, in its natural habitat! I was riding this morning with with Art and Ernie on Route 83, which runs through the Swan River State Forest. I happened to look to my right, and there was a brown bear, not more than 15 feet away, emerging from the brush. He looked as if he planned to cross the road. He rose up on his hind legs, but as soon as he saw us, he quickly turned on all fours and crawled back into the forest. Certainly, the bear appeared to be more afraid of us than we were of him. The entire encounter lasted only about five seconds, so I didn't really have time to get scared - or take a picture, unfortunately. But it was really cool to see the bear . . . at a safe distance.
The third remarkable highlight of the day was the fierce headwind we faced during the last 35 miles of today's route. Why is this remarkable? Because I actually finished the route before dark! Believe me, I had my doubts as I was struggling to maintain a speed of 10 miles per hour.

Despite the headwind, it was a spectacular day on the bike. Great roads, awesome scenery, good food and a fun group of people to ride with. Tomorrow, we head to Butte, Montana!