Met a grizzly at 9600

     My experience yesterday is one for the record books.  At 8:24 I pulled out of the campsite off of the John D. Rockefeller highway and headed for a mother load mountain.  After 37 miles of fairly easy going, the climb began in ernest at 1:00pm. Beginning a big climb starting in the afternoon noon is a bit dicey given that my energy reserves were waning, the heat and the time of day.  What I thought was a ten mile pass morphed into a seventeen mile grueling climb.  Mile after mile cranking away in my lowest gear, my progress averaged under five mph.  Watching my odometer click off the miles, focusing on the road ten feet ahead of me, keeping up the steady rotation of my pedals and directing my thoughts and energy into rolling forward up the hill, I gradual chipped away at the gaint before me. Into my twelfth mile after passing a rest stop, I did a double take when glimpsing in my rear view mirror, there was a woman cyclist a foot behind my rear tire.  Trying to be friendly given the strenuous climb, I said hi. Jennie from Montreal on a midlife crisis cross country ride (having turned fourth), pulled even with me.  Sort of a Tom boy, she kept me cranking as we talked.  Having someone to cruise with made for a more tolerable climb; she took my mind off the grind.  I had never ridden with a solo woman rider before.  There is that unspoken wall between the sexes which makes for a less relaxing ride. Being conscious of how I was coming across and all the other translation issues always gums up a good time.  I travel alone for a reason.  Nevertheless, I stayed in my groove and persisted upwards.

    Just before the top, RVs traveling down hill in the other direction we're shouting  "BEAR, BEAR!!!"  Two national park trucks had just arrived ahead of us.  We were told under no circumstances were we to try to sneak by the bear which was about 150 feet away on a slope just beyond the guard rail.  The ranger nearest us, sitting in his truck, asked if we had bear spray, Jennie did and he told her to get it ready ASAP!  It was scary but exciting.  I asked if she knew how to use it and she said yes in not such a confident way. Terrific. As the bear wander way towards the woods, one of the Rangers placed his truck between us and the bear.  We rode by his side for two hundred yards with the understanding that if the bear turned on us, we were to drop our bikes and jump into the pickup section of the truck. With the bear off several hundred feet, the ranger signed off, telling us not to hang around at the top too long.  "Get your picture of the summit sign and get off the mountain. There are twelve grizzly families up here".   Nice to know as Jenny had a bad case of paranoia for the last quarter mile to the top.  With our eyes on the look out for bears we posed for pictures at the 9600 ft elevation Continental Divide sign.  Jennie was intent on getting to Dubois that night, 30 miles away!  I was not tired, not!  But game for the downhill flight. She had to rendez-vous with a guy she had been cruising with off and on.  We flew down hill almost the whole way.  Jenny like other younger riders were fearless, reaching speeds in excess of fourth mph.  Brakes? I kept it under thirty-five, tiring not to smoke my disc brakes. We flew and the thirty miles vanished in no time. We cruised into town and immediately picked up six pack of cold IPAs.  Our KOA camp was loaded with nine bikers; we all pitched our tents in a grassy circle surrounded by RVs.  I struck up a conversation with the RV right next to us.  He showed me his semi truck arranged which he used to haul his jeep and camper.  We sucked down a "Bud" together and head fortune  respective dwellings.  Much to my delight, twenty minutes later, the trucker brought a plate full of juicy burgers and hotdogs for all us cyclists to feast on.  It pays to be friendly no matter how different they may be from you. 

     86 miles and a killer pass, amazing! I slept like I was dead!