8 Day Ride to Glacier National Park

[Madness]

Here is the link to my photo album of the trip. 300+ photos. I hope it works.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4285874225

Here is a write-up of my trip to Montana last week. Had a awesome time and saw some spectacular country. We left 8/8 and got home on 8/15. Spent eight days on the road and traveled from Oregon to Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

I picked up a '96 Royal Star three days before we headed out. What an awesome bike!! No plans on selling my Midnight. I'll give it a rest and use it mostly for day rides. The Royal Star is fabulous touring bike. It came with a mustang seat which has to be the most comfortable seat I have ever ridden on.

The last 4 days of the ride will be in a second post. I guess I got a little long winded and the site said I had too many words.

Day 1 Albany, OR to Lewiston, ID 438 miles

We started off Sunday morning a little late. I was up way too late the night before packing and trying to figure out how to load my gear on the new bike. We headed up I-5 from Albany, OR at 6:30am. South of Portland we took I-205 and crossed the Columbia River into Washington and headed east on Hwy 14. By the time we got to Umatilla at around 1pm to fuel up and grab some lunch it was starting to warm up pretty good. Then we got on Hwy 12 for our last leg of the day to Lewiston, where we were spending our first night. After we unpacked and ran into town for some dinner, it was in the pool to cool off and relax after a long days ride.

Day 2 Lewiston, ID to Kalispell, MT 385 miles

We were up and on the road around 6:30am for the ride to Kalispell. It was still pretty warm in the low 60's when we headed out in the morning. The forecast for the area was around 105 degrees for the next few days!! The warm morning didn't last very long once we got out of town on Hwy 3 and started into the mountains. After about an hour riding we all stopped and put on more gear and heavier gloves. Finally stopped in a little town, St. Maries, I think, for some much needed breakfast and coffee. All of us sat around and had our hands wrapped around our coffee cups trying to get our fingers thawed out. We got back on the Hwy and continued north to I-90 and headed east. We stopped in the old mining town of Kellogg, ID for a short sight seeing break. This was the town they filmed that movie several years back with Pierce Bronson about the volcano which erupted and destroyed their town. Then it was back on I-90 to Kalispell, MT. We arrived around 4pm at our motel. When we checked in we found the rates were more than what we remembered when we reserved the rooms. After a short discussion, we step outside and called the Motel 6 just down the road a block and found their rates about $30 a night less. It didn't take us long to make up our minds and head down the block. We unpacked and got cleaned up and headed next door and had a fabulous Mexican dinner. Then it was back to our rooms to relax and get ready for our ride to Glacier National Park the next morning.

Day 3 Kalispell, MT to Browning, MT 228 miles

Day 3 was the ride we were all waiting for. We were going to ride into Glacier National Park going west to east on the "Going into the Sun" road. We headed out around 6:30am and stopped in town for some breakfast. While we were waiting for the food, my brother was reading the local paper and saw that there was new chip seal being put down on a large section of Hwy 2 today. This was the route we were going to take for our return ride to Kalispell. The three other bikes on the trip with me were Harleys with belt drives and are very susceptible to cut belts from driving through the chip seal. We decided that we would just double back at Browning and see the same area again from the other direction. We were trying to decided before we left, which way would be the best. We found out that either way was just awesome!! The ride into the park started out in the early morning shadows as we wound our way along Lake McDonald and gradually started our climb into the mountains. The posted speeds and traffic were slow enough to be able to really enjoy all the scenery and not have to worry to much about the road. We stopped at the visitor center and the summit and tried to spot some mountain goats on the nearby peaks to no avail. Then it was down the other side and a short ride into Browning for some lunch and a break. After lunch it was back through the park from the other direction. Now we were seeing the "other side" of things which was just as spectacular. Just after cresting the summit and headed down the other side I saw my brother, who was leading, motion for everyone to slow down. As I looked ahead to see why all the cars were creeping along I noticed that there was a mountain goat in the pull-off area. It was licking something that was spilled on the pavement. Hopefully, someone dumped some water or something, but I have a feeling it was probably spilt anti-freeze from someone's car. We continued down and back into Kalispell around 7pm. Then it was off to dinner and another nights rest for the next ride.

Day 4 Kalispell, MT to Eureka, Yaak, Libbey, Kalispell, MT 300 miles

Day 4 was a loop of NW Montana. Off again around 6:30 for breakfast before headed NW on Hwy 93 and the town of Eureka. After refueling the bikes and shedding some gear because of the heat, we got on Hwy 37 south along Lake Koocanusa for a few miles. Then we turned off and crossed the lake on bridge and took road 508 up and over the Purcell Mountains to the town of Yaak. Road wasn't a main road. It looks like the back country logging road like we have here in Oregon. Very narrow, and very windy. It wasn't a fast crossing because of all the sharp corners, but at least it was paved the whole way with the exception of a stretch with loose gravel that must have been left over from the last chip seal. This caused some hairy moments when we first ran into it because the gray color of the road hid the gravel very well until you were into it. Once down the other side we headed south on Hwy 2 to the town of Troy. From there we took a short 20 miles detour south on Hwy 56 to check out a grove of 300 to 500 yr old cedar grove a restaurant waitress told us about. We didn't take the whole hike through the grove because it was getting late, but saw some huge cedars while we were there. Headed back north on Hwy 56 to Hwy 2 for the return to Kalispell. Arrived back at the motel exhausted around 7:30. Everyone got cleaned up and headed out for a much needed dinner for our last night in Montana. Then it was back to our rooms to pack our gear and get some sleep for our ride for Grangeville, ID for the next night.

[Madness]

Part 2 of 8 Day Ride to Montana

I added maps of each day ride and an overview of the entire trip to the photo album for those who would like to see them.

Day 5 Kalispell, MT to Grangeville, ID 289 miles

On day 5 we looped around the east side of Flathead Lake on Hwy 35 out of Kalispell to avoid major road construction. At the south end of the lake we got on Hwy 93 and headed for Missoula. After a short stop in Missoula we continued south and turned off onto Hwy 12 for the ride through Lolo Pass. I've heard a lot about this road and was looking forward to this stretch. What a awesome ride. We were really cruising through this stretch. I thought I had plenty of rear tire left until we finished the trip, but as you will see if you look at the photos, it didn't make it!! The posted speeds were 65-70mph and we didn't exactly adhere to them very well. We arrived around noon in a town named Koosiah, ID. While standing around taking a break I decided to take a look at my tire. We had done this a few times while we were in Kalispell and were all sure I had plenty left. Well, I now saw that I had a problem. After calling the local bike shops, I found that the only tire in my size was in Clarkston, WA which is about 75 miles north of us. The lady at the gas station called a guy which has a small bike repair shop 12 miles away in Harpster, ID who helped arranged overnight shipping and would have me back on the road in the morning. Luckily we were only about 25 miles from our motel in Grainger, ID where we were planning on spending the night. We followed the guy to his shop and parked my bike there overnight. Then I hopped on the back of our Gary's Ultra Classic to ride "bitch" for the 15 mile ride into Grangeville. My brother, Larry, and Gary gave me no mercy for having to ride "bitch" either. After unloading our gear it was off to dinner, then back to the motel for a long swim in the pool and a few beers. Keeping our fingers crossed that there would be no problems with the tire tomorrow.

Day 6 Grangeville, ID to Enterprise, OR 267 miles

We knew this was going to be one of the hottest rides of the trip and were hoping to get an early start, but because of my rear tire, it wasn't going to happen. Headed for breakfast just after 6am. After finishing I gave Richard at the bike shop a call to see how things were going. He said he had some bad news, the tire didn't get dropped off at the store like it was supposed to last night. He said he would make some calls and call me right back. A few minutes later he called and said the tire had been dropped off in Grangeville instead and he would run over and pick it up. I told him that since we were already there, and had to come to him anyway to get my bike, that we would bring it over for him. Then it was off to get the tire. We picked it up, and with me riding "bitch" again, I put the tire over my head and we were off. On the way I noted to Gary that today was Friday the 13th. A few moments later, Gary said, "Did you realize that we are on Hwy 13?" Boy, that's kind of a coincidence. While going down the road I was watching for mile markers. Mile post 9, then 10, 11, 12, can you believe this?? The turn off to Richards shop was at mile post 13!!!! I'm glad I'm not superstious!! Arrived back in Harpster with the new tire and got to work giving Richard a hand mounting the new tire and getting it back on the bike. Except for initially having a problem getting the bead to seat, everything went off without a hitch. I hadn't bothered to ask Richard beforehand how much everything would cost. I knew I didn't have a choice and was stuck in the middle of nowhere. When he told me $150 total I had to contain myself from jumping up and down with glee!! I had expected to have to pay at least $100 more with shipping and all. After paying Richard we were on our way again just before 10am. We were going to ride across the Snake River through Hells Canyon to get to Enterprise, OR and it was going to be in the heat of the day. As we got into Grangeville again we turned off onto Hwy 95 and headed off for Cambridge, ID before heading NW on Hwy 71 deep into Hell. As we started to wind our way into Hells Canyon it was already very, very hot. Now it started to get VERY, VERY, VERY HOT!! The scenery was breathtaking in spite of the heat though, and the road was a twisting snake in itself. After crossing the Snake we turned onto Hwy 86 a few miles and stopped at a little store there to take a break and get something cold to drink. As I was walking into the store I noticed a thermometer hanging in the shade. 109 degrees!! I can only imagine what the temperature was on the road. Back on Hwy 86 for a few more miles then turned off on North Pine Rd/Forest Rd 39 for our ride through the Hells Canyon Recreation Area. About 10 miles up the road the temperature started to come down a bit. Then after a couple of more miles I notice a couple of raindrops. Soon there were large drops coming down at a pretty good rate. You never saw a group of riders so happy to see it rain. We had ridden into a small thundershower. The temperature dropped over 20 degrees. What a relief!! The rain only lasted for a few miles, then the sun was back but the temps stayed down at a tolerable level. We took a short detour to the Hells Canyon Overlook to get a view of the canyon from above and the Seven Devil Mtns on the other side. Then it was back on the road as we snaked our way along the Imnaha River and out of the canyon for Enterprise. Got into Enterprise around 5pm and checked into our un-air-conditioned motel rooms. We've stayed in Enterprise before and know of a small micro-brew pub in town so as soon as we unpacked we headed there for a fantastic dinner washed down for some awesome micro-brews. After we got back, Larry just wanted to get some rest, Gary's sister-in-law lives in town so he went to visit. My brother Thom and I decided to head back to Terminal Gravity for one more brew and to check out the "Open Mike" music. Well, the beer was still great, but the music was horrible. After finishing our beer we headed back to get some sleep.

Day 7 Joseph, OR Bronze, Blues, and Brews Festival

No ride today except for the short 6 miles from Enterprise to Joseph for the Blues festival. Larry wasn't going to the Blues festival and left for home around 5:30am. Thom, Gary, and I arrived in town at 10am. After parking the bikes, my brother went to get a spot at the head of the line to make sure that we would be able to get our usual spot in the shade since the day was shaping up to be another scorcher. Gary and I walked around town to kill some time and I needed to find some gifts for the grandkids. After just over an hour and sweat dripping down my back, I picked up a bottle of water and joined my brother in line for the noon opening and rush for the shade. When they let us in my brother and I ran down into the park and found a good spot to watch the stage and enjoy the shade. Music starts at 1pm with five different bands playing until 10pm. The beer garden had several micro-breweries serving everything from light ales to dark bitter ales. The alcohol content of these are pretty high so we limited ourselves to four beers for the day so we'd be able to ride back to Enterprise tonight. Gary's sister-in-law works at the motel 2 blocks from the park and told us next year she might be able to get us rooms there so we wouldn't have to worry about riding. Two block isn't too far to crawl. The music and beer was fantastic. The weather started out very hot. Then we had some thunder clouds roll in from the mountains behind us to cool us off and drop a few sprinkles. We left about a 1/2 hour early to beat the crowd heading out of the park.

Day 8 Joseph, OR to Albany, OR 468 miles

We were up by 6am and shortly had our bikes loaded up and were ready for the ride home. We made a short run back into Joseph for breakfast and were on the road by 7am. We headed west on Hwy 82 for La Grande. Then it was south on I-84 for Baker City. By the time we got to Baker City we could tell it was going to be another very warm day. We took Hwy 7 for our trip west through the Blue Mountains. Then on the other side we turned off onto Hwy 26. After a stop for gas and a couple of rest stops, we stopped in Prineville at Gary's parents house for a quick lunch and refreshments around 2pm. Up until the Prineville area we were able to keep our speeds up with very light traffic. We knew that once we got to the Central Oregon area of Bend that things would change for the worse. At Redmond we turned off on Hwy 20. At the town of Sisters the traffic was at a standstill and backed up at both ends of town. Sisters is a very, very small town with the Hwy 20 running down the center of it. It is not even a mile long, but the town has turned into an artist, gift shop, and tourist trap. No stop lights, with people trying to cross at every block. Cars trying to pull out from side streets, and a steady stream of cars, motorcycles, RV's, horse trailers, and semi-trucks inching their way through town. As we get into town we take the first turn onto a side street to bypass the mess. At the other end of town we get back on the highway again. As we look ahead of us Hwy 20 stretches for miles in a straight line as it heads back into the Cascade Mountains. As far as I can see it is car after car. Luckily, most of them were keeping a very good pace except for the occasional RV which sometimes took awhile to get around. Just after reaching Santiam Pass we got off Hwy 20 and took Hwy 22 which is a much better road and offer many more passing lanes. We ride all the time in this area and know the back roads. So at the town of Mill City we waved goodbye to all the traffic and took Hwy 226 back to Albany. I think we only had to pass 2 or 3 cars on this 30 mile stretch. Pulled into the driveway about 5:30pm, tired and relieved to be home again. Except for the worn out rear tire and the slight delay the next day everything went as planned. The weather couldn't have been much better. The sights along the way were awe inspiring. We met some great people. (If we only had a dollar for every time someone asked us-"Are you headed for Sturgis?") The roads in Idaho and Montana were fabulous with there 65 to 75 mph speed limits. (Of course we never went more than 5 over. Right Gary G.? Now if Oregon would only bump the speed limit up I'd be in heaven.

Total Trip:
8 Days
4 States
Approx. 2,400 miles and a smile that's still on my face.