Montana!

There are few places where you can feel as free as you do in Montana. I love this place. Erik, Devin and I came down here to ride Logan Pass. It's one of my favorite rides. Erik brought me here for the first time about 10 years ago and I reflect upon that trip as a key reason that I became so interested in cycling.

On our way down here, we stopped in Waterton for a short ride. My first time there. Amazing spot. We even saw a bear!

This trip was a last minute decision on a long weekend during peak season, but we had miraculously found a place to stay. Or so we thought. Upon our arrival in St. Mary, we discovered that the KOA online booking system hadn't quite registered our reservation and the campground was now full. But things have a way of working out. We ended up at a place called Johnson's (which, incidentally, had room only because of a booking error). Family owned business with a fabulous restaurant and a lot of character. It was just the perfect, quiet spot to unwind.

Our initial ambition of riding the full pass both ways on the same day was quickly discarded in favor of a more relaxed schedule that included swimming in the lake, snacking on gummy tarantulas and, most importantly, plenty of rest. Erik's schedule hasn't provided for much (any) rest for some time now and Devin is the proud father of an energetic three year old. Let's just say that there wasn't any hurry to get out of bed in the morning.

We rode the east side on Sunday. Devin went for seconds while Erik and I chilled out and went for a swim in the lake. Today we rode the west side. Well, mostly. Erik and I got turned around by a ranger just a few kilometres from the top as a consequence of the bicycle restrictions. Devin made it to the top. We finished the day with a dip in Lake Macdonald.

Definitely the sort of trip that makes you wonder why you don't do it more often. I'm sure glad that Erik was able to steal away from work for the weekend.