Ride on, Highway Cat !!: Batterred, but not Beaten

Day 9, Glacier Park Lodge - Golden (Travelodge motel)
Dist. 81.5 km., Saddle Time, 4 hr., Avg. spd 19.6 km/hr. Rating: Deplorable
Thursday, May 26, 2011
After waking to a cold wet morning, I decided to drag my heals and wait for a rise in the thermometer. after checking some road and weather stats., I headed to the vast, empty dining area for a healthy plate 'o' vittles. I secured the 3 egg ham/cheese/veggie omlette (combination pizza basically) and a few cups of Joe as I stared blankly out the window at the cold rain... sigh. I think I saw Jack Nicholson limping around the grounds outside...
   Last night I heard strange noises out my window. A cross between an Owl and a Wolf. Perhaps it was the ellusive Owlwolf . No one has ever seen a live one, however, there is a famous grainy photo circulating amongst people in the know.
   I finally rolled out at 11am !! Turns out, I'm way overdressed. It was cold as hell earlier...
The road out was a downhill, then a mix of rolling slopes and flats. Finally there was a worthy
downhill. The road conditions are great except for a Debris Field that was being cleaned up by workers and their machines. More climbing, then across a river and all Hell broke loose...
   Dark grey clouds moved in. Winds picked up and so did the freezing rain. After seeing the "22 km to Golden", things got much worse. The gusts were so powerful that I could barely keep from going over the edge or into traffic. I was riding on a flat stretch of road parallel to a river. This roadway acted as a conduit for the winds. Periodically I would be delivered a gift in the form of wind break generously offered by the odd stand of trees. Otherwise I was dealt fluctuating cross winds that kept me guessing. At first, I was afraid, then I was annoyed, then I was angry. I tried to use my anger as a power motivator. Turns out that swearing at the headwind has no effect. This was depleting my energy stores quickly. I was getting worried. I tried walking, but that was too difficult. Also, every time I came to a distance sign, the numbers seemed to increase as I forged onward. It was like a sadistic prank. Was I heading to an infinite finish line ?

Anyway, after powering through 20km in 2 horrendous hours, I found "Tim Hortons" on my horizon line. How fitting eh? There's always a Tim Hortons at the entrance or Exit to a town. Or both. After around 30 min. sitting there, my hands warmed up enough to order food. I drew some attention as I was the only person with "Crazy-Eye Syndrome". The violent shaking was eye catching too.

Once ready, I went back out and skipped the Municipal Campground, securing the Travelodge Motel. Mother Nature had me beat.
The location was prime, as the liquor store was acoss the street. .. BEEEEERR ! !
A bike shop (Summit Cycles) and the Grocery Store were down the street also.
Here are some gloomy pics... I didn't take any during the storm because I was focused on surviving instead.