Waterton-Glacier Tour
Day 7 Glacier National Park to Kalispell, Montana

Montana Scenery

I  woke up to another clear cool morning.  I made my usual breakfast.  I did not want to take the used fuel bottle on the plane.  I ran  the stove run until it was out of fuel.  I left the MSR bottle in the bear box with a note saying it was free for the taking.

I packed camp and hit the road.   I had a nice tailwind all the way.  Along the way, I  got  some views of the Montana country side like the photo on the right.

I also got some nice views of the Flathead River like the one below. I arrived in Kalispell around noon.  I stopped in a restaurant for a second breakfast.  It's amazing what a few days of touring does to your appetite.

The Flathead River

I stopped into a Laundromat.  I wheeled my bike right inside and pulled my dirty clothes out of my panniers and dropped them into the washer.  I didn't want to stink up the airplane on the flight home.  I talked to the attendant, a young girl of about 21.  I could tell by talking to her that she was a very bright kid.  She reminded me of my daughter in a lot of ways. 

On the way to the motel I stopped at a Wal-Mart to drop off my film for one-hour processing.  I checked into the motel and  dropped off my touring load and returned to pick up my pictures.  I also bought a photo album.  I spent the next hour organizing my photos and putting them in the album. 

Later in the afternoon, I went for a walk to get some supper.  I found a sports bar with a grill.  I ordered a big obnoxious burger from the grill and took a seat at the bar.  When the bartender came over, I noticed a big poster of Larry Bird right in front of me.  I pointed to the poster and said to the bartender, "you know how to make a guy feel  right at home".  I ordered a Black Star and we talked about Boston and for a while.  According to the bartender, Drew Bledsoe's farther (Bledsoe is starting quarterback for the New England Patriots) lives in the area.  Every once in a while, he comes into the bar to watch his son on the bar's satellite TV system.

Three of four beers later, I had a nice mellow buzz on.  I was having a good time chatting with the locals and watching college football.  However, I still needed to disassemble and pack my bike.  This takes a good 2 hours work.  I knew if I hung around any longer, it wasn't going to happen. I did not want to wait until the morning to start that task.  Reluctantly, I said good bye and headed back to my room.  I disassembled and packed my bike in record time.  It gets easier with practice.  I forgot to write down my total mileage (must've been the beer).  I estimate my mileage for this day at 40.

The following day I flew home.  Delta Airlines put a nasty dent in the corner of my  bike case.  Fortunately my beloved Bilenky emerged unscathed.  

The following morning I started my new career.

If you enjoyed this tour report, you will also enjoy:
Colorado and Utah Mountain Bike Trip
Nova Scotia Tour
Blue Ridge & Shenandoah Tour
Seattle to San Francisco
Bryce, Zion & North Rim
Yucatan Peninsula

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