|
Search
| |
After riding the Going to the Sun
Highway through Montana's Glacier National Park
I rode U.S. 2 across Montana and North Dakota, then interstates down to
Minneapolis.
Day 37 - Saturday, July
7 -
Bolder, British Columbia, to Cut Bank, Montana
 |
I got on the road
at 5:50 a.m. this morning to try to avoid the worst of the heat. It was
in mid 60's, and very pleasant, even a bit chilly. I had the road to
myself and enjoyed watching the effects of the rising sun - illuminating
the taller ranges first, then the lower ones. Once the sun got high
enough to see it directly I could feel the air warm up rapidly. |
| I saw quite a few
of these signs, and it kept me on my toes knowing that daybreak is
one of the prime times for deer to move about. I didn't see any,
fortunately. |
 |
 |
This
billboard caught my attention. I had to turn around to look at it again,
and to get the photo. It got me thinking - how could you possibly forget
to get out of the car? (I know what Sirius is trying to say here, but
think about it.) Only if you lose track of what is going on around you.
In the cocoon of a car you don't feel the temperatures outside, don't
hear the sounds, don't feel the wind, don't smell the smells. You don't
even feel the road very much. On the bike it's not like that. You are
very aware of your surroundings - one of the enjoyable aspects of biking
- and it would be inconceivable that you would forget that you're
riding. |
I crossed the border into
the U.S. at the Port of Roosville and had breakfast at Eureka. The first town of
any size was Whitefish, an upscale tourist town that serves as a gateway to
Glacier Park and a large recreational area. The first things to hit me after
returning to the U.S. were interesting: I hadn't seen more than a couple antique
stores and quilt shops in Canada, but there were many here. Breakfast cost $8
instead of $12. My motel tonight cost $60 instead of $100. Class A motor homes,
Escalades, and SUV's replaced the pickups that dominated the roads in Canada and
Alaska. In Alaska probably half of all the bikes I saw were BMW GS's (dual
sport/off road bikes). Here I couldn't believe the number of Honda Goldwings and
Harley full dressers - many of them towing trailers, some with ice chests
strapped on top. It's no doubt partly the influence of the roads, but I also
think it reflects a somewhat different world view. The Canadians I met, and the
Alaskans in particular, seem to have more of a "roughing it" and adventuresome
spirit.
| When I was a kid
and we took our annual summer vacations "out west" dad would always seek
out the dams. Many of them were being built during the 40's and 50's,
when we took our trips. This is the Hungry Horse dam, on the way up to
Glacier National Park. We visited it on one of our vacatins. It was one
of the tallest dams at the time it was built and is still an impressive
sight. |
 |
 |
By early afternoon
I had made it to Glacier National Park and the Going to the Sun Highway.
The highway was completed in 1933, a major engineering feat at the time.
Much of the original road remains - narrow lanes, often with no guard
rails. The drop offs are nearly vertical in places, and up to 1000 feet
down. A section of the road collapsed during the past winter requiring
installation of a temporary bridge at one point. The road was newly
re-opened to traffic July 1 this year. Needless to say, it was a very
dramatic drive. |
| Once over Logan
Pass (elev. 6646 feet) and going down the east slope the terrain changed
rapidly. The craggy mountains merged into foot hills, that merged into
the high prairie of north central Montana. The temperatures on the east
slope were in the mid-70's, in contrast to the 80's and 90's on the west
slope. I particularly enjoyed riding U.S. 89 from St. Mary to Kiowa.
|
 |
 |
I got to my room
in Cut Bank just before 5 p.m. Once settled in the room I had the
obligatory gin and tonic - usually one before my shower and one after.
But tonight I had 2 (or was it 3) before my shower - I lost track. You
can see I have traded my traditional "farmer's tan" for a "biker's tan."
My cheeks, nose and upper lip get lots of sun whereas the rest of my
face is protected by my helmet. I don't find a "biker's tan"
particularly becoming, but I guess it's part of the experience.
|
Tomorrow I will take U.S. 2
across Montana, and Monday across North Dakota to Great Falls. At that point
I'll take interstates down to Minneapolis. I'm looking forward to riding U.S. 2
- the northern most U.S. highway and originally commissioned in 1926.
Day 38 - Sunday, July
8 - Cut Bank, MT to
Wolf Point, MT
 |
Today was one of
the most enjoyable rides of my trip! I rode U. S. Route 2 across Montana
from Cut Bank to Wolf Point. I had the road mostly to myself in the
morning. Temps were in the upper 60's, it was overcast, and the light on
the fields and hillsides was beautiful. |
| Northern Montana
is wide open country - big sky country. There are very few farmsteads or
houses, or buildings of any kind. Riding across northern Montana I felt
a sense of peacefulness and exhilaration. |
 |
 |
There is some
farming in the area, mostly wheat in the western section, but more hay
in the eastern section. |
| I found these
elevators an interesting contrast. The older one, in the foreground, has
fallen into disuse and disrepair. It's been replaced by the newer and
larger one in the background. (This photo makes them appear to be the
same size, but the new one was actually much larger.) |
 |
 |
The
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad parallels Route 2 all the way
across Montana. Seeing this train reminded me of my family's summer
trips out west when we drove Route 30 across Nebraska. We were clipping
along about 70 mph in our 1951 chartreuse Pontiac one day when we pulled
along side a steam engine pulling a long freight train. We struck up an
interaction with the engineer, who would blow the whistle when we
motioned him to do so. We asked him to go faster and he made the wheels
of the big locomotive spin. It was an exciting moment! |
| The open road in
the American West disappearing straight ahead into the horizon always
gives me a "high." |
 |
 |
Occasionally I
would see horses, although I didn't see any cowboys saddled up. I found
this horse particularly photogenic. The "cowboy" in the rear is loading
his mower to haul it to another field. |
| I had the good
fortune to meet Ken and Jen from northeastern Michigan this evening at
my motel in Wolf Point. They are riding Ken's R1200C out to Glacier Park
and back home. We shared travel stories and bike stories. Jim's bike is
a classic and in immaculate condition. I may see them next week at the
rally in West Bend. |
 |
Day 39 - Monday, July
9 -
Wolf Point, MT to Devil's Lake, ND
 |
After checking
into my room last night I noticed these guys on the bathroom floor, and
I became a little worried. I was relieved to wake up this morning,
knowing I had escaped the fate that befell these guys. |
| Almost all of
Route 2 in North Dakota is 4-lane divided highway. It's amazing how much
less of the surroundings you take in on a 4-lane as compared to an old
2-lane road like Route 2 in Montana yesterday. I did notice several
large fields of pretty blue flowered plants. I'm not sure what they
were, but their color was striking. |
 |
 |
Rugby, in north
central North Dakota, claims to be the geographical center of North
America. It may be - I don't know how you would go about
determining that, however. Since I visited the eastern most point on the
North American continent last summer, and the western most point
accessible by highway earlier on this trip, I thought it fitting that I
should also visit the middle of the continent. |
| Another BMW rider
pulled in shortly after I did. It was David, from the United Kingdom. He
shipped his R1150GS to New York and has ridden to the southern tip of
South America, then to the Arctic Circle, and is now on his way back to
New York. In all he has ridden over 24,000 miles on this trip. We had a
great chat about bikes, trips, cameras, etc., and then were off on our
separate ways. |
 |
 |
Tonight is the
last night I expect to be in a motel on this trip - I'll be with family
and friends the remainder. So it was only fitting, I suppose, that the
gin ran out. |
Day 40 & 41 - Tuesday
& Wednesday, July
10 & 11
- Minneapolis
Today I rode to
Minneapolis to stay with Chris and Maria and Emmet and Claire until Thursday
morning when I will ride down to West Bend, Wisconsin, for the BMW Motorcycle Owners
of America national rally.
 |
Last night we had a bit
a rain and wind storm, which soaked my butt pad, by the way. This
morning it was overcast and cool with a strong tail wind -
30 mph I would guess. I got great gas mileage! Here you can see I tied
my butt pad to luggage rack to dry it out, and it worked, too! |
| The road map
indicated that the tallest structure in the world - the transmission
tower for KVLY-TV - was just 10 miles off the road, so I had to go over
to have a look. It reaches 2,063 feet into the sky and is guyed by 9
sets of guy wires, three of which are visible in this photo. It was hard
to appreciate the height of the tower since there were no other
structures nearby to compare it with. However, when you consider that
the Sears Tower in Chicago is 1,450 feet high you begin to get an idea
of how tall the tower really is. It was surpassed for a few years by
another TV tower in Poland that collapsed in 1991. I'm curious why few
people, including many who live in North Dakota, are not aware of this
tower. |
 |
 |
Even standing at
the foot of the tower it was hard to really realize the immensity of the
tower. Each of three legs are approximately 6 inches in diameter - they
felt solid but I couldn't be sure. The tower includes a little elevator
big enough to carry one person to the top for service and maintenance.
|
|
