kellita the señorita the ibby dibby dow: Rocky Mountain Bonding

Today was insane. We woke up to pouring rain and 48 degree weather, which was not what any of us imagined when we dreamt of our epic ride into Glacier. But we were pumped anyway. After a parking lot dance party to Raise Your Flag, we were off and I can't remember ever being so pumped or bundled up on a bike.

The first part of the day was SUPER SLOW. We had 21 (may be exaggerated, but i think it's close) flats on the day, which is crazy. The rain was cold, but with the help of a dance party at mile 15, we kept on. I rode most of the day with Michael, which was awesome. We did some video blogging once we realized how close we were to the Rockies.

NaPalm, who led this trip last year, provided lunch right before the mountains. Afterward, Michael and I set off to climb. I've never been to the Rockies, so to bike them is the ultimate adventure! So the wind is crazy, the ride is hard, it's pretty cold, and now my stomach is acting up. Let's just say I bonded with my brother in more ways than I ever needed to by taking a #2 in on the side of the road, not one, two, but three times during the ride. Meaning I'm squatting about 20 feet away from him, sometimes keeping up a conversation. We're closer than we ever wanted to be.

Anyway, we climbed for a couple of hours, it got warmer for a minute, and then got to the most ultimate downhill, about 5 miles downhill, into Glacier. It was one of the best moments of my life even though the freezing rain was hitting my face so hard it felt like someone was stabbing me. When we got to the bottom, I hugged Michael and he said, "are you crying?". I was. I was so freaking happy, and it was so beautiful, even in the rain.

We ate at Park Cafe, which is famous for pie, recommended by Sarah. I had the best bison burger ever, and then strawberry rhubarb pie, which was outstanding. After purchasing a pair of wool socks (since I sent mine and my long underwear home with the parents back in South Bend which I'm now regretting) we headed to camp which was a muddy rainy mess. My tent crew from TRNP saved me a spot, and I set up camp. Tonight is Mark's last night with us as he has to be back in Alaska on Monday to start teaching. We're going to miss the crap out of him. So Kira, Trav, Sam, and I wrote and performed this song for him...

This place is amazing, and today's ride was insanely great. I can't wait until tomorrow to climb some more and do Logan Pass. Wake up is at 4:30am. EEK. Hope the rain goes away.