Over the hills and far away - CycleBlaze

Over the hills and far away

A month in the Rockies and Cascadia

By John Saxby
2,231 km (1,385 miles) over 27 days between Jun. 21, 2016 and Jul. 17, 2016

Part I -- Prelude
Distant beginnings, and after a prolonged gestation, a plan heart 2

Part II -- The journey was always about the mountain landscapes
In the mountains at last, and already the story is changing heart 3
To the Icefields and beyond -- the first of the high passes heart 3
And another of the high passes heart 2
Kananaskis Country, Highwood Pass, the Benchlands--and a bear heart 2
Through the Benchlands to Waterton Lakes and into the mountains once more heart 2
Across the border to Glacier NP and the Going-to-the-Sun Road heart 14
Whitefish interlude: Strange Goings-On at a supermarket, and a reluctant dance with a telecom company heart 2
West from Whitefish: Horse-and-pasture country, the mother of all headwinds, and--of all things--a Stude in Libby heart 7
From Montana, through Idaho, and back to Canada again heart 2
Back in the States once more: from the Upper Columbia River to the foot of Sherman Pass heart 2
Sherman and Wauconda--the first of Washington's high passes heart 3
Sagebrush and orchards -- the Okanogan Valley and Loup Loup Pass heart 2
Across Loup Loup Pass to the Methow River Valley, to camp before the climb to Washington Pass -- that was the plan, anyway heart 2
Up and over Washington Pass, and down through the Skagit Gorge to the lowlands heart 2
To tidewater and Whidbey Island heart 2
Headin' back East again: the run-in to the ferry, and the Amtrak station at Everett heart 1

Part III -- Notes on the bike and gear; and food; and roads; and trains
Notes on bike and gear heart 2
Notes on food heart 2
Notes on the roads: Traffic, surfaces, signs, and stuff heart 2
Notes on trains heart 3