It's on!  Today is the day for submissions of Letters of Intent for the 2013 Tour Divide.  Here is my letter of intent submitted today!


Dear Tour Divide,

It has been a few months since we last spoke and we didn't leave on good terms.  I admit it.  You won.  I was weak and you beat me.  I don't want you to take this the wrong way so you need to know that this isn't an apology letter but a letter of pure vengence. Consider 2012 my "rope a dope".  I am about to crush you. I layed on the ropes just long enough to learn your ways, measure the rythym of your breath, and figure out your soul crushing motives. I am coming back to step on your head and grind you to a bloody pulp.  You will be sorry for how you treated me last year. 

But I still love you

All the best,

J.D. Pauls

Tour Divide - Day 4

Well I realised that keeping up with this blog takes a little work.  Good thing I kept a journal or no way I could have remembered much of this.  The journal itself was a challenge, finding time and effort to write in it and trying to keep it dry enough in the non stop rain for the first few days....

Day 4

Good night sleep. Up around 5, packed up and headed across the street for a big breakfast.  Started slow.  Noticed this was the first day my knees were really tender.  Started up a nice paved path on the climb up to Whitefish Divide.  What a treat compared to the Canadian side.  A little bit of me felt like this was cheating the path was so nice.  Great start to the day.  Pavement turned to gravel and up through some incredibly wild land.  Several avalanches to climb over with some downed trees.  I was moving quick and the descents let me pick up some good time time.  THE SUN WAS OUT!!!  I was in good spirits.  Hammered through some flat sections flew by Mike from DC with a wave and enjoyed every bit of what must have been a 1-2% negative grade. (think I paid for the hard pushing later in the day) Passed a few tour fans snapping pictures then off to Red Meadow Pass.  Made a right hand turn and the road straightened out up towards the pass.  I noticed a couple dark figures in the path about 100 metres ahead.  As I got closer I realised they were black bears.  As I looked down to set my camera up and lifted my head they were gone.  They wandered into the bush, but I wasn't sure where or which side of the path.  With no other options I decided to proceed past where they entered the trees.  Banging on my frame bag and shouting hoping they would take the hint and take off.  I guess he was just as curious of me as I was of it.  As I rode past the spot I though they were at I looked left and about 30 feet away was 2 big dark eyes staring at me.  We exchanged a brief look and a quick understanding that we were all good and each of us continued on our way.  Very cool!  And for a city boy mildly terrifying as well.

Caught up with 2 great guys from Wisconsin and we pushed over a snowy Red Meadow pass together.  Beautiful frozen lake at the top. This was the last happy thought I had that day.  After the decent and heading into Whitefish I hit a series of rollers. They were paved and wound around a magnificent Muskoka like lake, but I couldn't ride them.  So I walked and walked and walked.  My motivation was low my spirits were crushed and I felt defeated.  I had no idea how I was going to continue.  The road flattened out and I decided to ride forward a far as I could. I stayed on route past Whitefish towards Columbia Falls another 10 Miles.  Met up with a few guys who were heading out of Whitefish and were planning on crashing at the home of a guy who worked in the bike shop in Whitefish.  I was not able to keep up with them so I continued to town alone.  In a weird twist of fate, ahead in the road in the reflection of my headlight I saw black lump with reflective tape.  It was one of my rain booties that I left at camp on the first night!  Cool. 

I stumbled into town looking for food and a place to sleep.  The motel had a sign that said no vacancy but really meant "I'm sleeping don't bug me" since it appeared that half the rooms were empty. So across the street was an RV park.  That office too was closed, being as it was almost midnight so as I considered my options I heard a voice from a dark window above "may I help you?" I couldn't see him and wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, and I wasn't entirely sure it wasn't the voice of  God at this point.  I answered "oh yes, really need a place to sleep".  The manager came down and told be that he was up watching the security cameras and saw me.  Weird hobby but I am glad he was.
He let me stay in his tool shed which had heat and a T.V.  I grabbed a shower in the public washroom and he opened up his  store so I could grab dinner, the standard junk food, and went to sleep.  I felt like a king!   

End Day 4 in Columbia Falls.  380 Plus miles complete!