One thing I forgot to mention about my flat on the ascent to Logan Pass was that it put me in a three way tie for most flats on the trip - 11 - with Ron and Bethany...
I did get my wish that Monday morning...I would be dropped at the Logan Pass parking lot so that I could pick up where I left off the day before...and I could finish the Going to the Sun Road. Since the van was going up anyway, I was joined by 7 other riders who wanted to descend again. The hope was that conditions would be much better than the day before. Due to the rain and weather the previous day, the descent was treacherous and the scenery was mostly masked by clouds and fog. Also, we were hoping for less traffic given that it was a Monday.
Thanks to Skylar for fixing my spoke so I could descend with confidence.
The ride from camp to the top took about an hour and 15 minutes. On the way up, music was blaring and spirits were high.
As the van climbed toward Logan Pass, we were on the outside lane...the one with a two foot rock wall separating us from the sheer drop offs to the valley below. The scenery was vast and AMAZING....Ryan drove and was very chill with one hand on the wheel while he scoped out the scenery to our right. I tried really hard to ignore the inner voice that kept screaming 'Keep your eyes on the road!!!!'' I have a crazy fear of heights and my heart was racing.
I was so thankful that we would descend going west...with the mountain to our right side...which means that losing control of my bike could likely mean that I bump into the mountain - instead of flying over the two foot stone wall and careening to my death...(queue hyperventilation)
Anyway, we made it to the top, stopped for pics and began the descent.
I was on my brakes a bit..so probably floated down in the mid 20's at best. The experience of sailing down the Going to the Sun Road was awe-inspiring. As I gazed at the scenery...firmly planted in the right lane...on the mountain side...the 'safer' side...I felt as if my heart would burst. I did not stop for pictures until the sheer drop offs subsided - they would not have done the AMAZING views justice anyway.
This descent would be a top 5 travel experience for me for sure. Others in the top 5 (in no particular order) : scuba diving in the Cenotes of Mexico, snorkeling off Cancun while a hurricane of thousands of neon blue fish swirled below, walking into the Vatican as the sun streamed in on a July morning and rocking to sleep under the stars on the deck of a small sailboat in Tahiti...
I am grateful for my flat tire on the ascent...because it allowed me to descend in near ideal conditions - the highlight of our trip cross country!
Once we left Glacier park, we rolled on to Whitefish to complete our day's ride and settle in for a rest day the next day...
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