Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We stayed with a friend last night in Kalispell, so I didn't get an early start. But that was just fine as I only had about 55 miles planned for the day.

First, here's what kind of day it was:

Some clouds, but none threatening, with temps in the high 70s or low 80s. It was a pretty ideal day for riding.

My first interesting encounter of the day was an airplane fuselage:

And just a hundred or so yards up the road was this mailbox:

Related? I would certainly think so.

Next up was the small(ish) railyard in Columbia Falls. My route took me on a bridge directly over the railyard and I was able to get this nice picture:

Not far down the road, I had to cross the train tracks, but this time there was no bridge and I did have to wait for a train to pass:

And then a few other random things that I've been meaning to take pictures of...and finally did today:
 
For some time now (at least through Idaho and Montana), many people protect their mailboxes on the looker's right with a board, a piece of metal, or occasionally something more elaborate. I'm quite sure it's to protect against flying snow from winter snowplows.

I also noticed the chokecherry bushes/trees. Yesterday in particular they were really thick and heavy with fruit in some areas. I managed to get this reasonably representative picture today.

I ended today by making it to Glacier National Park and paying my entrance fee. After chatting with a ranger about the regulations for biking Going-to-the-Sun Road, I decided to knock off the first 10 or 12 miles since I had only ridden 58-ish miles to that point. I set off from the Visitor Center and encountered this sign just a mile or so up the road:

One, I was pretty well annoyed with the ranger for not giving me the heads-up about this restriction. That was the whole point in stopping to talk with him. Admittedly, I was mostly asking him about riding up tomorrow morning. but still... Come on, man!

Second, I opted not to continue past the sign. I don't want to get arrested and possibly deported to El Salvador, Viet Nam, or some other random country.

So, I turned around and will ride the entire length of Going-to-the-Sun Road tomorrow morning.

Finally, I saw this handsome buck on that one mile back to the Visitor Center:
When I initially encountered him, he was just 10 to 15 feet away from me on the shoulder of the road. By the time I got my phone out and camera ready, he had casually meandered a bit further away.

Tomorrow will be an early morning. To beat the traffic on Going-to-the-Sun Road, I'm probably going to be riding before 7am.

Comments

  1. Rob TAugust 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM

    The plane fuselage reminds me of the movie 'A Simple Plan'. One of my favorites! Keep up the great pics.

    ReplyDelete

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