The most stressful day of all!

Start:  Campground/RV Park, Rexford, MT
End:  Rocky Mountain Lodge, Whitefish, MT

Mileage: 
Weather:  RAIN!

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho
States Being Conquered:  Montana
States to be Conquered:  Alberta, Canada; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; New York; Vermont; New Hampshire; Maine

Particulars:  Who is the bigger threat? Was it a warning about the upcoming weather?

As we were leaving the campground in Rexford, MT, Hannah and I stopped to observe a herd of deer who were calmly grazing at the side of the road. They didn’t seem at all bothered by the big diesel truck and the trailer. Then, something happened! The deer were on alert with their heads held up, eyes peering and ears on alert. There, they spotted it, the danger and off they went into the woods. The great threat? Four bicyclists in spandex and bright colors!

To say the least, it was a stressful day. The rain started and didn’t stop. After having a nice day of riding from Libby to Rexford, the rain was even more disconcerting! Hannah and I drove to Whitefish and waited, and waited. To fill our time we went to get something to eat at Subway and check out the local community. Then we went back to our waiting spot in front of the Grouse Mountain Lodge, a perfect spot to watch the highway. And then we waited. There was no cell phone service between Eureka and Whitefish, so no way to call and get an update. Thinking that we may had missed the bicyclists, and the goal for the day was West Glacier, Hannah and I departed Whitefish for the last 20 something miles to the intended destination. A few miles into our trip, I had the distinct impression to turn around and go back to Whitefish. I had been driving the highways and not following the off-highway map the men were navigating, so Hannah and I retraced their path. Still no sign. I was really starting to worry and sent a text saying such. We then headed northwest out of Whitefish and once again the bicycle map was off highway so off we went to find the bicyclists. Their path was through beautiful farmland with beautiful views, but it turns out the map WAS WRONG! The men discovered the same thing and spent a few extra hours travelling in different directions trying to get to Whitefish. FINALLY a text came through and we eventually connected in Whitefish and we all could breathe a sigh of relief!

A report from Kelly Thompson:  The rains continue. A 70 mile day from Eureka MT to Whitefish, MT. We went through the Flathead Valley where we saw some impressive 500 acre Hobby Farms. Everyone is riding strong. We have now had rain 9 days of 11 days riding.

A report from Joe Thompson:  If Thursday was the nicest so far, Friday was among the wettest and coldest. We rode from our camp next door to the bar at Rexford 70 miles to Whitefish. We had intended to keep going to West Glacier but due to what we believe is a map error we spent about an hour of wasted time going in a circle in a downpour and were so cold and tired we just called it a day. We plan to ride to East Glacier on the road South of the park tomorrow in fabulous weather!

Interesting People Along the Way: