June 6 - Gramps and Granny Ride Adventure Cycling's Great Divide

Whitefish MT 

Man These Bikes Are Heavy 

We had a great afternoon in Whitefish on Wednesday, June 6.  We picked up our Surly Long Haul Truckers from Glacier Cyclery and began to get reacquainted with them.  Kitty felt really awkward on her bike, as she usually does when she hasn't been on it for a while.  CC lowered the seat, which helped a lot.  Both bikes were in great shape, thanks to the careful maintenance and packing that Anne at Twin Sisters in Silver City had done, and the careful unpacking and double checking that Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish did.  We did a lot of walking in the rain in Whitefish, and of course found a place with great food.  Just down the street from the Super 8 is a little local restaurant called The Shak.  We had been told to go for their barbecued brisket and pulled pork and to stay away from their fried chicken.  We ended up getting a little of everything, and it was ALL fantastic.  We chatted for a bit with Sherry.  She and her husband are the owners, cooks, servers, and dish washers.  They've come up from New Orleans and brought their good cajun cooking with them.  On the weekends they have special cajun entres.  If you are ever in Whitefish and want really good home cajun cooking at a reasonable price, check it out.

We spent the afternoon loading up our bikes.  We couldn't believe how much weight we have, and yet we really didn't see anything we are willing to part with at this point.  So we packed it all carefully, then walked downtown to enjoy the town.  Whitefish is a touristy little place that looks like it has been invaded by people from California.  We walked by one of the little espresso places and saw three bikes parked out in front, so of course we had to go in.  Three young people (when you are in your 60's everyone looks young) from Seattle were enjoying a meal in a warm, dry place.  They were doing the Northern tier Adventure Cycling route, and had come down through Eureka, where it had been snowing.  They were laying off a day because of the weather.

Kitty had been silly enough to go on this walk with sandals and no socks.  She stopped in one of the trendy little shops and bought a pair of wool socks for $20.  Those of you who know Kitty will realize how cold her feet must have been to spend that much on a pair of socks!  In spite of the cold, we found a great place to find ice cream for dinner.  Then we went ot a grocery store to buy more food.  Go figure!  We already had too much, but we HAD to have peanut butter and jelly.

One more night in Whitefish, with a promise to ourselves to get an early start the next day.