Today we would cross the highest pass on our trip, Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park. There is complication because the Park Service does not allow bikes on the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ from 11am – 4pm, so to make it up the pass in time from our camp in Apgar Campground we felt we needed to leave about 4:30am.

We have heard different stories of Ranger Enforcement depending on who stops you if you are still on the road at11:00am. Some may give you, your bike and gear a ride to the top; some may fine you $75; and some may fine you $75 AND make you ride back down to the bottom again. The 11:00am curfew is only for riding UP the road.

Best plans . . . Mike, Mike and I were the first out at 5:30am!!! It was dark. Good thing we had our lights onboard!

Nice of the Park Service to have facilities staggered along the way . . .

. . . unfortunately, I guess you need to be a ‘card carrying; member to use them They were all locked along the way!!!

Lots of streams’ like this along the way . . . falling water is a powerful thing, look at all the uprooted trees!!!

What?  . . . is that Hannibal Lecher in front of me at 5:45am in the morning, on a dark desolate road . . .

. . . no ends up it is just Joe, from Nashville, who is also doing part of the Northern Tier. He found the mask in Maine and attaches it to his bike when touring. A great conversation starter!!!

One of the two tunnels we will pass through today . . .

Had some neat cut outs that let the light through.

Eventually the sun popped over the mountains about 9:30am it was just like someone turn on a a floodlight . . . FANTASTIC!!!

. . . and you could finally see all the waterfalls you could only really hear when it was dark.

Lots of snow left in the park.

This was a really cool natural feature . . .

. . . a lot longer than just this, it gives the cars quite a spray as they travel downhill . . . loud too!

Great peaks and a Kodak moment around every corner!!

As we climbed and climbed and made another corner we saw far below McDonald River which we had biked along at O’ dark thirty this morning!

Nice!

Looking down the valley from another angle . . .

Still lots of snow. That is one reason the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ did not open until Wednesday, one of the latest seasonal openings ever!!! It had been open to just bikers and hikers for the last two weeks. If we had ridden up on Wednesday, rather than today, we would have had the WHOLE road to ourselves. No traffic . . . but we were two days too late. The traffic really didn’t start building today until about 9:30am.

Higher and higher, Baby!!!

This was a little interesting section of road construction. Wonder what will happen if that natural rock pillar gives way!!!!!

5 hours and 15 minutes after leaving camp at 5:30am, we passed over the top at 10:15am, well within the 11:00am curfew for bikes. I think the Park Service ties critters out for the tourists!!

I took this same photo last year with Connie when he mbbt rip traveled the opposite way rom Waterton National Park in Canada  to Glacier, but she was unloaded and we were heading down the pass. This year it was UP the pass 11 miles, at 6% grade and fully loaded. She is a good old girl and performed well. She may retire after this trip . . . we’ll see!!!

YES . . . made it by 10:15am.

WOW  . . . looks like a bike convention!!!

Of course we had to have a group photo. Everyone made it to the top. Some took a ride up, some had their gear hauled up and rode their bikes up and some of us came over the top fully loaded!!!!

There was a great ceremony going on at the pass. The opening of Logan Pass for 2017 was dedicated to the first Park Ranger from the Blackfoot Tribe. It was quite the ceremony. LOTS of speeches!

Francis Guardipee.

And take a look who was there covering the big event for NPR, Nikki, our overnight hostess for the night we stayed in Whitefish. Yeah . . . she had stopped at our Apgar camp about 7:00am and hauled up, in her car, all the panniers folks did not want to carry today.

Soon it was time to load everything and head over the top and onto our home for the night at Johnson’s RV and Campground in St. Mary. Here is Mark riding though a recently plowed section of the road!!!!

We biked along St Mary’s Lake and it was another BEAUTIFUL day!!!!

I came around a corner and up from the edge of the road, just like a deer, popped up a brown bear. I was as startled as it was!!! He looked at me and stopped briefly but then scampered across the road in front of me and up into the woods on the other side of the road. By the time I got my camera out all I could see was it’s butt!!!!  YIPPEE, finally a bear sighting for me. Bear #1.

Another mile down the road was a typical ‘Yellowstone style traffic situation’ so common in that park, as well as here in Glacier, I guess. When someone see some wildlife EVERYBODY just stops where ever they are. Even the middle of the road . . .

. . . what were they watching? a bear up in the field, about a half a block away . . .so Bear #2  for me but I pedaled on . . . not as impressive as another quarter mile down the road when . . .

. . . I saw a grizzly and her cub coming up through the grass. The mother had a tracking collar on and when she saw me she stood up and looked around. By the time I got my camera out again she had turned her attention back to the road . . . wanting an escape or me as a meal? . . . tough decision.

. . . they scampered up the ditch onto the road . . .

. . . and she gave me the ‘evil eye’. I stopped and considered backing up but when an oncoming car startled her,up into the grassy field she and her cub went. The cub was really cute . . I would have like to given her a big puppy hug  . . . but it may have been the last thing I ever did!!! Video in the works!

It was quite a day . . . riding loaded over Logan Pass on a picture perfect day and seeing four bears within a mile of each other. If only Smoochie could have been here, too!!!