Preparing for the Mountains

New year, new ride.  Many challenges with this ride.  For 16 days we'll ride the mountains and high desert of the northwest; battle the weather, traffic, road conditions and perhaps a little wild life; and then there's "Going to the Sun Road," for me the climax of the ride, when we get to Glacier National Park.  For those that know about these things, Going to the Sun often doesn't open until approximately July 4 depending on the winter's snow fall and plowing activities.  The road officially opened on Friday (6/19) this year.  This one has been on my list of rides to do.  I can't wait.

I'm helping with sag support for the ride this time, which means I'll be in the support vehicle every third day supporting riders on the route that day with food, water, flats and encouragement.

I started riding at the end of February this year. Of course, it was below zero that day and fresh snow on the ground, so there was some quality time on the trainer when needed.  I expect the terrain to be similar to the west coast portion of the cross country ride until we get toward Glacier; which means long, slow climbs and crazy, amazing descents.

My bike left last Thursday.  It's scheduled to arrive at the bike shop in Anacortes, Washington tomorrow.

So, at this point, it's finalizing travel, stacking and piling gear, and getting the blog started.

Hope you enjoy it.  The first post will probably be at the end of the week.

I'll miss the support of a couple of dedicated followers this year, but I think at least that many more have asked whether there'll be a blog.  Feel free to comment, which means you'll need to register for the blogger.com (no cost) if you're not already registered, or send email to my personal account.

Thanks to everyone that's provided support and rides this year!

We'll talk to you from the road!

Cascades to Glacier Epic Tour

Day	Location	Miles
June 26	Anacortes, WA	0
June 27	Sedro-Woolley, WA	37
June 28	Marblemount, WA	52
June 29	Winthrop, WA	91
June 30	Winthrop, WA	0
July 1	Omak, WA	48
July 2	Republic, WA	69
July 3	Colville, WA	56
July 4	Priest River, ID	101
July 5	Priest River, ID	0
July 6	Sandpoint, ID	28
July 7	Libby, MT	95
July 8	Eureka, MT	68
July 9	Whitefish, MT	59
July 10	Lake McDonald, MT	40
July 11	St. Mary, MT	40
July 12	East Glacier, MT	31
July 13	Shuttle to Airport	0