Day 20 West Glacier to Big Fork 77km

This morning had a Monday morning feel to it, the wake up call at 0700 was most unwelcome after a second night of poor rest. Fears of bears continue but yesterday a mountain lion was seen IN the campground, even the locals were taking it seriously, so I had even more to worry about in the tent, in the dark and absolute quiet, well except for Kerstin snoring softly. This Monday morning feeling was compounded by having to backtrack 20 miles to Columbia Falls and having to leave Glacier, which we just adored. This feeling was supplanted by a real sense of intense frustration with my 5th flat tire. Requiring me to push that bloody bike, under the bloody hot sun, along the bloody hwy for a mile til Kerstin realized I wasn't just slow and came back (the pump is on her bike), the swearing you can achieve when by yourself in this situation is pretty impressive. After that I seemed to struggle, everything felt like I was going uphill. A lunch stop at a pub, complete with stuffed Buffalo head and baseball on TV was a prescription for an improved outlook. Yet soon again I was battling my body, pushing hard to achieve what was usually easy riding, and looking for reasons why. Was I unwell, was it the altitude, was I fatigued, dehydrated, injured, sleep deprived??? Finally the penny drops, it's not me, it's the bike! The back wheel was not aligned properly post tube change... the brake is essentially on! Another roadside repair and the wheels are spinning much easier! The final miles into Big Fork are a breeze, and a beautiful campground on the shores of the (enormous) Flathead Lake is a balm after a challenging day. We are greeted by the wonderful hosts Will and his wife who make us feel completely at home. A yummy dinner, a cup of tea, a shared sunset and snickers bar and the future looks bright! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad