Day 45 – 46: Whitefish and Hammer Nutiriton
I stayed in the Whitefish/Kallispell area for two days, unintentionally, due to the leg issue. After the long climb and ride through Glacier National Park and a soak in the tub, my leg was still bothering me so I took my time, stretched and cleaned my equipment in the morning, before hitting a bike shop in town to get a once over and pick up some tubes (thank you three inch rusty nails on the road side). I ended up hanging out for about an hour talking with several folks and generally procrastinating.
When I was finally about to leave and head west I began grabbing some Hammer Nutrition (http://www.hammernutrition.com/) products from their display when Pat said they were right up the road in Whitefish. I had completely forgotten when I was first introduced to Hammer by my nutty Aussie friend, James, we talked about how they were in some random small town in western Montana. I remember thinking back then ‘where the heck is Whitefish’ and ‘I guess I’ll never be around there.’ Naturally, I had to go up to the place!
As I began the short 12-mile journey on a quiet county road, the weather began to turn and my leg was simply not working well. Seeing a rather ominous cloud approaching quickly from the west, I saw a firehouse with an overhang to the East behind which I could wait out the cloudburst. I pulled around the back, took a seat on some rocks, and prepared to stay for a bit when a woman came around the corner. I explained my situation and how I had learned to get off the road from these windy cloudbursts, and she smiled and invited me into the firehouse.
Inside, dry and warm, I sat on the couch and chatted with Lena Dresbach for sometime, before her husband and fire chief of the West Valley Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Rod, came in. Shortly after, Mary Schlegel joined the growing circle and the time raced by with conversation, occasionally punctuated with additional cloudbursts through the window. Eventually I said my goodbyes and headed north, glad of new friends and a dry place to rest during the weather. Thank you, Lena.
Hammer Nutrition is exactly the type of place I hoped it would be: small, inviting, with an outgoing staff and completely geared to crazy people like myself. For those not familiar with their products, they’re becoming a growing market share on the east coast for nutritional supplements, like gels, bars, and various powders. I use their products regularly (Heed and gels mostly), and after Katie and Max hooked me up with as much complimentary products that my bags could carry, I will certainly continue my support of this company. I met a bunch of people, and hope I get all the names right, because of course I didn’t write things down nor shoot enough video/pictures. Rick in the warehouse gave me some creams for soreness and his own expert prognosis on my leg, along with a bunch of belly laughs. Then Dunkin (oh man, that’s just the wrong name I’m sure) upstairs and I sat and looked over routes to take to Seattle that would be less stressful on the leg. Great people, solid products, small and friendly. Thanks Hammer.
On my ride back down toward Kalispell I stopped to play with an Irish setter in a yard (the worst guard dogs ever) but rode slowly and carefully. A little ways out of town it was clear I needed more rest so I holed up for the next 36 hours to protect the rest of my journey. Short riding, and lots of rest will hopefully be enough to at least put me through to the coast.
I won’t lie, it’s depressing to have something you can’t control slow your progress, particularly an abrupt painful moment that casts a lingering shadow on the trip. But that’s how it goes. The only way to I can deal with the uncontrollable aspects of this journey is to accept the reality, follow that path and know the energy fighting the world will go unnoticed and is more efficiently focused elsewhere. It’s like yelling at traffic, one of my oldest pastimes. I can’t move the other cars. My anger and indignation will not force the cosmos to shift the idiots causing the delays. However accepting that I will, in fact, get there eventually lets me relax and be calm. I am learning that acceptance and recognition that going with the flow and contours of the road makes the journey more pleasant, even if the progress is slower. After all, it’s the journey that’s important, not just the destination.
2 years ago