Another leisurely morning but at least got to use the washing up facilities! 

 

The route up to Whitefish was all on paved roads so gave a nice contrast to the wilderness of the day before as I was able to have a nosy at some pretty fancy houses. 

 

As I got close to town I met a lovely, if slightly eccentric, older lady who was joining an ACA tour group to ride the route from Whitefish to Lincoln. We rode to the bike shop together as both had a couple of bits to pick up and I tried to assuage some of her fears as she was a little worried about what was to come. Her bike was not the most suitable but the stretch to Lincoln isn’t the most demanding and she’ll have the support of a sag waggon to carry her equipment. 

 

I had planned to get some food in town and push on to a campsite but it was hot and I was feeling quite tired so opted for another State Park campsite just out of town which would allow for a swim in the lake to cool down. A really nice glacier meltwater lake which was surprisingly warm. Being a Saturday it was also busy with people launching boats and other water toys. 

 

Was later joined by southbounder Roger from Michigan. Roger could talk. But in the manner of regurgitating information and stories, rather than seeking to engage in a conversation. He did later give me his left over Canadian dollars though, which made me feel guilty about judging his communication style. We were also joined by another guy called Mike, who spoke very slowly and precisely. Him and Rodger were a sitcom waiting to be made. 

 

The main issue with the campsite (which I had been warned about) is that it sits below an elevated train line. However, given the scarcity of trains I’d seen for 3000 miles across the country, I thought this wouldn’t be a big issue. Turns out this was a special night-time express route with freight trains passing through loudly at what seemed like hourly intervals.