Not sure what was more enjoyable for Little Lady, swimming in Surveyors Lake yesterday or playing in the campground playground until 10 pm last evening. Poor Chase was eventually sent to go and retrieve his sister from her late night shenanigans, at least the sun had not gone down yet.

This morning was all about crossing the border back into the United States and this would be only thirty miles away with only seven miles of gravel. Enroute I saw a plethora of wildlife including a couple lady elk, couple mule deer, a wild turkey, cows accompanied by a few bulls sporting some unusual horns and it was all topped off when I got photo bombed by a collar tagged deer. Canada really threw a hell of a going away party for this guy.

The Canadian Rockies are simply majestic and indescribable to be honest. I will forever be a fan of this part of the continent and thank you Canada for properly introducing me to this style of cycling.

Back in the USA! It was nice to see some beautiful Montana ranches and immediately spot a white-tailed deer as I rode on a backroad into Eureka after perhaps the most easiest border crossing possible. I was literally the only one in line and had time to chat a second, or three, with the custom agent, who had some obvious pin pointed questions about the ride that I was claiming to be on. I mean I guess my bags could actually be stuffed full of narcotics instead of bike packing gear?

Well, I did it. It was not the same redundant breakfast experienced during the TransAmerica Trail adventure where I would proudly select the lone convenient store bacon, egg and cheese wrapped in aluminum foil that had been under a heating lap for way longer than it probably should have been. Nope, I took it to the next level once in Eureka with a Subway bacon, egg and Swiss cheese on flatbread toasted. This breakfast celebration is dedicated to Kelley and David!

During my planning for this trip, today was going to be a shorter mileage day of riding due to the unknown duration of the border crossing. Since the crossing was actually a total nonevent, I decided to get some extra miles in and get a start on the climb up Whitefish Pass to make tomorrow’s ride to Whitefish a little more manageable. I literally rode to where the pavement ends and we are now in a primitive campsite adjacent to Clarence Creek. Erin is in her hammock, a deer just walked by behind her, and the kids are about to be taken on a walk down to the creek. Don’t worry, we have bear spray and the kids make plenty of noise.