Waterton-Glacier Tour
Day 5 Waterton Lakes National Park to Glacier National Park

The long climb up from Waterton

I got up fairly early at 7:00 a.m.  I was packed and on my way out of Waterton at 9:30.  A tailwind pushed me out of the park.  I turned on to Route 6 and headed to the border crossing at Chief Mountain.  I began a long slow climb that I thought would never end.

Finally, I came to an overlook with a sign announcing an elevation of 5250 feet.  This is higher than the climb to Crowsnest Pass.  I saw an excellent  view of Waterton Lakes National Park.  I could even pick out the Prince of Whales Hotel in the distance.

At the top of the long climb.

When I got to the top of the hill, a tour bus pulled in and about 30 elderly people disembarked and  lit up cigarettes.  That was the last thing my lungs needed after a long climb.  I was talking with some of these folks when this guy walked up and asked me, "You're from Worcester.  Aren't you?"  I was surprised and said "yes, I am".  The gentleman said "I recognized your accent".  It turns out he lived in Worcester for several years before retiring in California.  Plenty of people commented on my New England accent  on this trip.  Nobody ever guessed my accent that closely before.

At the U.S.A.-Canada Border

The rest of the ride to the border was a long series of descents and climbs.  The border crossing at Chief Mountain is located half way up a wicked hill. 

American customs was a breeze.  After the usual immigration questions, the inspector asked me "Are you with Backroads?"  At first, I didn't understand the  context of his question.  I replied, "No, I've been  sticking to the main highways".   Then he rephrased the question and asked, "Are you riding with a group?".   I responded, "No, I'm all by my self".  Then he asked me, "Well, where did you leave your car?"  I replied "It's back in Massachusetts".  At this point he had a puzzled look on his face.  I quickly explained, "I flew into  Kalispell last weekend."  Obviously, this guy has no concept of loaded touring.  Sometimes it's not easy being a cyclist in our car culture.

A short distance later the  road exited the boundary of Glacier National Park.  This  part of the road was populated by range cattle.  The cows were all-over the place.  At one point one of them moved towards the road as I was descending.  I thought I was going to hit damn thing broadside.  Fortunately, it stopped when it reached the edge of the pavement.

The constant climbing and descending continued unabated.  When I reached the top of the last big climb, I pulled into a scenic overlook.  A young couple offered  me a juice box and a ham and cheese sandwich.  Man, did that taste good!  As we talked, I  noticed that the sky had been growing hazy all afternoon.  Since the humidity was very low, I suspected forest fires.

I descended to Route 89.  I was looking forward to an easy 14 mile ride into Glacier.  This was not to be as I encountered some of the worst headwinds of the entire trip.  I was already tired from the constant climbing.  I struggled to go 10 M.P.H. on level ground.  When I reached the town of Babb, I needed a break.  I stopped in a general store for a drink and a snack.

Flying saucer parking is out back.

I got back on my bike and continued pushing into the wind.  I was bone-tired from all the climbing.  Soon, the road ran along the shores of Lower St. Mary Lake. As I neared St. Mary, I spotted the establishment on pictured on the left.  Isn't it nice for these people to go out of their way to make our  "foreign" visitors feel welcome.

In St. Mary, I stopped at a small store, just outside the entrance to Glacier National Park.  I picked up my groceries for the evening.

At the park entrance, I inquired about camping. The park staff recommended the hiker/biker sites at Rising Sun Campground about 6 miles into the park.

St. Mary Lake

I rode along St. Mary Lake with the wind in  my face the entire way.  However, the scenery was pretty and I  got a psychological boost knowing I was near my destination.

Arriving at the campground, I paid  the $3 fee for my hiker/biker site.  Since there were no other hikers or bikers, I had the site all to myself.  What a deal!

While setting up my tent, Jennifer, a young woman in the site across from mine, came over and introduced herself.  We chatted for a few minutes.  She had been traveling by car and hiking in the Canadian Rockies with her two dogs.  I showed her my bike and explained how it comes apart for air travel.  She wanted to walk her dogs and I needed to finish setting up camp.  We agreed to get together to later in the evening.

Bear-proof food storage box

The site had a big steel bear box pictured on the left for storing food and other odorous items.

After supper, I put some hot water on the stove and invited Jennifer over to my site for a hot beverage of her choice.  We sat and talked for a couple of hours.  Both dogs laid down by our feet under the picnic table    Jennifer had a rough time coming through U.S. Customs at Chief Mountain earlier in the day.  For whatever reason they decided to search her vehicle and gave her a real hard time over a couple of items they found.

She was very disappointed that the U.S. National Parks would not let her hike with her dogs.  Her whole life seemed to revolve around these animals.  The Canadian Parks let her take the dogs everywhere.  It was so nice to talk to someone else who was out doing something active rather than passively watching the scenery go by the car window.  She could relate to my touring experiences better than most of the other people I met on this  trip.  After a while, the conversation gradually turned to jobs, families and life in  general.

After a couple hours, we both got tired.  Jennifer and her two dogs returned to her site.  I put the stove and beverage supplies in the bear box for the night and retired to my tent.  My total mileage this day was 55.

Continue to Day 6

Introduction
Day 1 Kalispell, Montana to Dickey Lake, Montana
Day 2 Dickey Lake, Montana to Fernie, British Columbia
Day 3 Fernie, British Columbia to Pincher Creek, Alberta
Day 4 Pincher Creek, Alberta to Waterton Lakes National Park
Day 5 Waterton Lakes National Park to Glacier National Park
Day 6 Going to the Sun Highway Glacier National Park
Day 7 Glacier National Park to Kalispell, Montana