Day 56

Clark Fork, ID Corner Store Assessment



Background: Today we biked 70 miles from Libby, MT to Clark Fork, ID. Clark Fork is a border town that has an approximate population of 500+ people. Most people purchase their groceries from a small market in town that is analyzed below. Additionally, there is one gas station also discussed below. Clark Fork has no locally sponsored farmer's market, but the neighboring town of Hope (8 miles) does host weekly markets during the summer season. Activity levels appear to be high with many children biking around town, playing basketball at the school courts, etc.

Monarch Market (small grocery store) 118 4th Ave.

1. Healthy Cereals: Rice Crisp, Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran, Oats and More
2. All types of milk available
3. No baked chips in stock
4. Large selection of wheat breads
5. 100% Juice: apple, orange, white grape, V8, tomato
6. Fresh produce: apples, oranges, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, bell peppers, onions, bananas, onions, potatoes
7. Canned Vegetables: fully stocked
Canned fruits: peaches, fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, pineapple

Clark Fork Beverage (Cenex gas station/liquor store) 218 4th Ave.

1. Healthy Cereals: Cheerios, Raisin Bran
2. All types of milk
3. Lays baked chips (no single sizes)
4. Multiple packages of Wheat bread (approximately equal to other breads)
5. 100% Juices: orange, pineapple, V8
6. No fresh produce
7. Canned Vegetables: peas, mixed vegetables, green beans, corn, kidney beans
Canned Fruits: pineapple, pears, oranges, peaches

Riding into an off-day tomorrow... Sandpoint, ID here we come!

Day 55

Bikeability Assessment



Our 71 mile day took us parallel to the Kootenal River along a high ridge. Needless to say, the scenery and views were breathtaking. We began our travels in Eureka, MT and finished up the day in Libby, MT. With the exception of the portions closest to each of the cities, the route was excellent. We had little traffic, large shoulders, and fair road conditions. We move into Idaho for a couple days tomorrow before beginning the mountain passes in the Cascades!

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 1.5 miles from beginning of road)7:45 AM

1. 2
2. 2
3. 2
4. 4
5. 1 foot shoulder present in poor condition

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 14 miles from beginning of road) 8:45 AM

1. 4
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 6 foot shoulder present with a guardrail

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 25 miles from beginning of road) 10 AM
1. 5
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 6 foot shoulder present with a guardrail

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 34 miles from beginning of road) 11 AM
1. 5
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 6 foot shoulder present with a guardrail

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 18 miles north of Libby, MT) 12:45 PM

1. 4
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 6 foot shoulder present with a guardrail

Montana State Highway 37 (approximately 6 miles north of Libby, MT) 1:45 PM

1. 2
2. 3
3. 2
4. 3
5. 1 foot shoulder present

Day 54

Eureka, MT Corner Store Assessment

Background: Eureka is a 1,000 person city in northwestern Montana. It has one convenience store within the town limits that is analysed below. The city also has a grocery store and organic food store within the downtown area which both serve as the main food shopping locations for locals. One citizen stated that the town puts a relatively large emphasis on organic, fresh foods whether it be by purchasing them at the local store or driving outside of the city to one of the many produce gardens. Although it appears that Eureka has a large demand for such foods, it actually does not sponsor a farmer's market. Activity levels seemed moderate with many locals walking around downtown during our stay.




Town Pump (convenience store)Intersection of U.S. 93 & 1 St.

1. Healthy Cereals: Cheerios, Special K (individual sizes)
2. All types of milk
3. Single sized Lays Baked
4. 2 packages of Wheat
5. 100% Juices: orange, V8, apple, and pineapple/peach mix
6. Fresh produce: oranges, apples, celery, carrots, and fruit cocktail
7. Canned vegetables: green beans and corn
Canned fruits: pineapple, all others in heavy syrup

**The relatively close proximity of the two groceries to the local convenience store likely has an effect upon the low amount of nutritious options.

Day 53

Bikeability Assessment

The crew started the final stretch of our journey today by biking 72 miles from East Glacier Park, MT to Columbia Falls, MT. Our route took us along United States Highway 2 the whole time. Although the sights were beautiful, the ride was fairly dangerous with high speed drivers and limited shoulders for most of the day. Many bikers mentioned several instances of close encounters at our breaks. Naturally, inadequately sized shoulders and close proximity to vehicles defined the day for us. However, we all made it safely to our destination and enjoyed a variety of fresh fruits with our dinners courtesy of Dr. Alice Ammerman. All the guys said thank you, Alice!




United States Highway 2 (2 miles west of East Glacier, MT) 7:45 AM

1. 3
2. 2
3. 2 (speed limit of 70 mph)
4. 3
5. 2 foot shoulder present

United States Highway 2 (12 miles west of East Glacier, MT) 8:45 AM

1. 2
2. 1
3. 1
4. 3
5. No shoulder present

United States Highway 2 (29 miles west of East Glacier, MT) 10:10 AM
1. 2
2. 3
3. 3
4. 3
5. 6 foot shoulder present

United States Highway 2 (44 miles west of East Glacier, MT) 11:15 AM

1. 2
2. 2
3. 1 (speed limit of 70 mph)
4. 3
5. 3 foot shoulder present with guardrail

United States Highway 2 (4 miles west of West Glacier, MT) 1:45 PM

1. 1
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 7 foot shoulder present with rumble strips

Days 50-52

Off days at Glacier National Park.

A few photographs of the beautiful scenery:

Day 49

We made it! One of the biggest milestones on the trip has now been scratched off the list. The Cycle 20Ten crew cruised into East Glacier today after a 52 mile day. The terrible winds, traffic, and heat of Montana has been put behind us now as we begin our 3 day break. We look forward to going on a couple hikes, performing some bike maintenance, and spending more than 7 hours off of the bicycle per day. Laundry, daily showers, and nightly Mexican food will also be on our agenda.

What waits for us on the other side of this respite? Thirteen days of intense biking across the difficult terrain of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. That can wait though.

Congratulations to all the crew members for making it this far under such time constraints. I would also like to thank the parents of the young men on this trip for setting up a rental car for us to travel around the National Park. Time to enjoy some time off!!

Please check out the Cycle 20Ten main website for updates on our adventures in Glacier. I am sure that Coach B will be posting an epic update describing our many fun times over the last couple days. Link may be found on the right hand column of the page.

Some pictures of today's biking:

Day 48

Bikeability Assessment

Sun River to Depuyer MT (70 miles)

United States Highway 89 (intersection Deerfoot Trail, approximately 4.5 miles north of Sun River, MT) 8:30 AM

1. 4
2. 3
3. 2
4. 3
5. 1 foot shoulder present

United States Highway 89 (intersection with 4th lane, approximately south of Fairfield, MT) 9:45 AM

1. 2
2. 3
3. 3
4. 4
5. 4 foot shoulder present with rumble strips

United States Highway 89 (8 miles north of Fairfield, MT) 11:15 AM

1. 4
2. 3
3. 1
4. 4
5. 1 foot shoulder present in poor condition

United States Highway 89 (6 miles north of Choteau, MT) 3 PM

1. 3
2. 2
3. 1
4. 4
5. No shoulder present

United States Highway 89 (16 miles south of Dupuyer, MT) 4:15 PM
1. 2
2. 3
3. 1
4. 4
5. 0.5 foot shoulder present

United States Highway 89 (7 miles south of Dupuyer, MT) 5:15 PM

1. 3
2. 3
3. 1
4. 2
5. No shoulder present