The Anti-Canadia Tour

Sabbaticals rock and here's the gory details. Read along if you want to be a groupie!

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The Anti-Canadia Tour

Postby Tawmass » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:40 am

FYI, you can view the pictures I took on this trip by CLICKING HERE.

After the debacle at the Canadian Border, I decided to do a reroute.

*August 3, Sunday: All the hotels were filled last night in Bellingham, but I finally found a room at the funky Windmill Inn in Lynden. After pouting for the morning, I decided to ride up to Mt. Baker and back. What an exceptionally beautiful ride! I even took in some gravel road exploration. That night I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.
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*August, 4, Monday: After surfing the web, it seems the carburetor float issue is a common occurrence with my bike and is due to the float bowl gasket being made of cork instead of rubber. The cork gasket gets old and stops sealing, hence the oozing starts. There was Ride West BMW in Seattle and I hoped they would have the gaskets, so that was the direction I chose on this day – head south. I headed south towards Whidbey Island and although beautiful (especially Deception Bay), the traffic sucked. I eventually caught the ferry to Mukilteo, called up my Uncle Marty and Aunt Penny and coaxed them out of a place to stay for the night. We spent the evening with good dinner, conversation and even some tequila.
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*August 5, Tuesday: Uncle Marty took me to the BMW shop and they had the gaskets – good deal. I installed them and sure enough – that was the fix. I then bid them farewell, stopped and had a lunch coffee with my good friend Toni Arritola (was great to see you again, Tonita!) and decided to hit Hwy 2 over Steven's Pass towards Leavenworth. My GPS kicks butt. How did I ever tour for so many years without one? It was yet another beautiful drive especially stopping in the burg called Startup and wetting my whistle with locals Brenda and Becky. I love my Beemer - while it's ugly, it's such a great bike. I pulled into the KOA in Leavenworth around 7:30pm, set up camp and crashed out. It cost almost $50 just to throw down a tent (gasp!). Note to self: when calling ahead, be sure and ask the price too!
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*August 6, Wednesday: I woke up very early at 4:30am in KOA Land and it was nice and quiet. After a shower, I finally pulled out my travel laptop I purchased called the EEE PC. It's a nice little unit with no moving parts, so perfect for the bike, although my fat fingers have to not be overzealous with the touch typing. Going to continue heading east and plan on staying in the mountains due to the heat. Hard to believe I know, but I already have a plethora of photos of which I still need to upload, but the KOA is too noisy, so I'm getting outa here. Will upload later.
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Last edited by Tawmass on Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:24 pm, edited 11 times in total.
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Postby E-Ticket » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:58 am

Tawm .... I am so sorry about the Canuks being hard-a**'s with you.

But I am glad to see you're making lemonade. :wink:
Looking forward to your trip report from Glacier. If you can swing it, you really need to spend a night at the Many Glaciers Lodge on the East side of the park. It is awesome. If their rooms are full up - it is still worth your time to drive in and check out the view from the lodge. It will knock your socks off.

Just remember that you can still have way too much on your trip - you're just doing it in a different direction!

Cheers! E-Ticket
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Postby Tawmass » Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:50 am

* August 7, Thursday: I continued north on Hwy 97 and took an old backroad to Lake Chelan, another beautiful lake that I considered staying at. My long-time road companion of 30+ years (and good luck charm), Rocky Racoon, and I were bonding in the heat. I continued north and decided to go check out an old ghost town just west of Okanagan called Ruby. Nobody local had heard of it, but it was on the map and GPS, so I went in search of. I finally found the lone sign after about six miles of dirt road. I was hoping for some old buildings, but only the sign remained. After that, I continued up the dirt road and thought I’d check out another place called Conconully, which was next to Lake Conconully. What a quaint little resort town. I checked into possibly getting a hotel room and one hotel had the host coming to the door in a cloud of pot smoke - whoa! Since it was a resort town, the room costs were a tad steep, so I elected to camp in the pristine state park. Holy smoke, there were deer everywhere! They were walking through downtown, in yards - everywhere. The town was also OHV friendly, as it was legal to ride your ATV through town - very cool. I made camp and hit a local bar/diner, hung with some local bar flies, went back to camp (dodging Bambis), snagged a shower, played my guitar till dusk and hit the hay.
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I was awake before dawn and the Bambis were cruising the campground like a pack of wolves. They started circling my camp, so I pulled out a bag of Doritos and sprinkled a handful onto the ground. They gobbled them upright and then came back for more by the numbers. They suddenly turned into sabre-toothed Bambis and I swear I heard one of them say, “Gimme more chips or the bike gets a steamer!” Poor Barney gets no respect, not even from deer. I finally fought off the evil pack of deer, packed up my camp and made my way back down to Hwy 97 and continued north, but not before making friends with the town watchdog. I love the mornings. This is the ‘magic’ time that all photographers crave and the morning vistas did not disappoint. I putted north taking in the fresh morning air, making my way towards Hwy 20 and the pass heading east. I stopped into the dwarf town of Tonasket for (you guessed it) my morning mocha. In talking with the nice lady at the mocha stand, I inquired about when the annual Suicide Horse Race was in Omak. She responded, “Tonight.” Tonight?! Holy crap, I’ve wanted to see that for years! It starts today and goes through the weekend - how cool of timing is that?! Looks like I’ll be staying in the Omak area for a day or so. :)
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"Hey pal, gimme more chips or else!" Another evil deer bullies me around.
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Last edited by Tawmass on Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby YamaHead » Thu Aug 07, 2008 12:59 pm

You lucky dog Tom! 8)

Kinda says it all, duzn't it? :wink: .....
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NO FEELIN' LIKE 2-WHEELIN'! 8)

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Postby Tawmass » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:43 am

* August 8, Friday morning: I drove back to Omak, found a room at the Royal Motel, unloaded my gear and hit the rodeo. Man, was it hot out - in the 90s, if not 100. Sure glad I have all my cold-weather gear for Alaska like an electric vest, insulated gloves, etc. Maybe I’ll ship home a box of some of that instead of packing it around. The rodeo was big fun. There was plenty of cowboys, cowgirls, big hats and a lot of really nice people - salt of the Earth. Nice to see some patriotism and not a bunch of liberals protesting for a change. Some of those cowgirls are fine looking too! This was the 75th year of the rodeo event and they really put on a good show. There was even a one-armed dude herding some buffalo - I’m glad I stayed. The big deal was the Suicide Race and it’s a crazy course! They start out from the top of the Omak River bank, drop down, down, down to the river, cross that and race into the rodeo grounds. That hill is one helluva descent! On this night was the first qualifier and it was the last event of the day. They put on a great show of bronco riding, calf roping, barrel racing, etc. and some of those cowboys are tough mofos! I’ll stick to something safer like riding motorbikes, thank you. Below are a few picture highlights of the event, but if you want to watch the video I took of the race, then CLICK HERE. It’s dark and shaky, but what can you expect from a miniature camera and no tripod, plus throngs of people clambering for a look also? Also you could see a very major forest fire brewing up to the east - yep, the same way I am heading.

Today’s plan is to head east on Hwy 20 to Kettle Falls or further east through the Okanogan and Colville National Forests. I’m starting to feel like Bronson in that very old show, "Then Came Bronson", plus got the song stuck in my helmet. Gonna do a quick load of laundry then head out while it’s still cool out.
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Postby E-Ticket » Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:02 am

I've seen a version of the Suicide Race in Idaho....but at night? :shock:

Sounds like your "Great Americana Tour" is going just fine, Tawm!
Now, it's time to drag out your maps and see how far it is go see the Devils' Tower.

"Going down that long lonesome highway
Bound for the mountains and the plains
Sure ain't nothing here gonna tie me
And I got some friends I'd like to see
One of these days I'm gonna settle down
But till I do I won't be hanging round
Going down that long lonesome highway
Gonna live life my way"

Cheers! - E-Ticket
"AYHIN"

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Postby lovalljm » Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:54 pm

:cry: Sharon @ I just got back from the coast and have been catching up on your trip. We are so-oo sorry that you did not get into Canada. I can see the pouting the morning after. Get to Yellostone and maybe even Sturgis, its your vacation live it up. You have to live each day the fullest, it may be the last.....
Keep posting we will follow you.....

Jim & Sharon L. in Eugene
Every ride is a Good One!!

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Postby Tawmass » Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:50 am

Thanks for chiming in, emails and phone calls folks! Turns out there are others on my trip that have been denied at the border too.

* August 9, Saturday morn, 1205 miles: Barney Gets A Bath
Once again, I was up with the chickens and heading north from Omak on Hwy 97. I elected to take a windy looking side loop that circled back in to Tonasket. The morning sun had the hills and mountains in a stunning display, even though it was smokey due to the fires. I had the road to myself, other than a few farmers, a turkey (my namesake) and a few bumper burgers (deer). As I rounded the corner to Fish Lake, the pavement ended. Dang. A scan of the map and GPS showed it was about 25 miles to Tonasket via dirt roads, so I turned around. Dirt roads are fine and Barney was made for that, but with my supplies packed up to the second story, I declined and turned around back to Hwy 97.
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Song-stuck-in-my-head-for-the-day is: "Ruby" and "Long, Lonesome Highway" (thanks Randy). :) "Ruby" is due to going to the townsite and the other is self explanatory. I topped off with Tonasket’s finest petrol and headed east on Hwy 20 towards Republic and Sherman Pass. Once again I veered off the main highway on a southward loop that would bring me into the town of Republic from the south. I’ll be honest - I saw along that route a town named Aeneas and I was hoping to get a photo of the town sign saying, “Entering Aeneas”. :wink: That road was nothing short of fantastic and once again I had the road to myself - and the rains that started in. But once I got to Aeneas, there wasn’t really a town, and once again the pavement stopped. Another GPS recon showed over 35 miles of dirt road to get to Republic, so bailed again. A quick push of Barney’s starter button suddenly produced nothing. WTF? Oh man, here I am in the middle of BFE and my trusty scooter dies. I pulled off all my gear (to get to the tools under the seat), checked the battery and found that the battery’s positive lead needed tightening. That resolved the issue, I reloaded and returned to Hwy 20 again heading towards Republic. That’s when the rain really commenced to descend from the skies. I was fixated on riding on the non-shiny pieces of pavement for best traction in the downpour. I rolled into the quaint town of Republic and marveled at how well it was kept up and the amount of mining/logging history they displayed throughout. Thought for the day: what would they call the Democratic Party in Republic - The Republic Democratic Party?

Leaving Republic, I dummied up and decided to adorn myself with all my raingear - good call, as it was non stop over the scenic vistas of Sherman Pass. On the other side of the pass, I pulled over for a roadside stop containing history about log flumes, when lightening went off over my head and scared the crap out of me. This was while I was still wearing my ear plugs too! I continued on amidst God’s tazers and the rains, crossed the mighty Columbia River (called Roosevelt Lake at this point), pulled into Kettle Falls and decided to bag it for the day - enough rain. About 100 miles of rain had me thinking of a dry room and hot shower. And it was only $45 too - same as the damn tent site at KOA in Leavenworth! The lightening storms continued throughout the remainder of the day with an incredible display, and a tweety bird flew into my room. Don’t know if that’s some sort of omen. A Canuck Harley dude named Kurt pulled into the room next to me and we yapped about his Sturgis adventure. I chilled the rest of the day and again woke up with the chickens on Saturday morning. Getting coffee then heading east again on the purple-headed warrior. Hopefully my gear is dried out. Hope D&D are having a safe trip also.
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Postby Gary A » Sat Aug 09, 2008 9:04 am

Bummer about not getting into Canada. But I'm envying you anyway as Eastern Washington has a lot to offer in sight seeing. I haven't been up that way for years and want to get back. Keep, keeping us informed and ride safe.

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Postby BumbleBeemer » Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:25 pm

Is that Harley really pulling that trailer?
Holy cow.

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Good Report, Bud!

Postby Danno » Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:30 am

Hey Tawm, we're missing you (and your guitar) and wish you were helping us write our ride report! We haven't had much internet access though, as we've been in some pretty remote areas. It sounds like you are having fun, so keep it up! Danno
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Keep going!

Postby jorgemas » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:05 am

I posted in the other topic about the inadmissables. Welcome to the club. Truthfully, based on what they can deny you access into Canada for, I am surprised that most US citizens aren't stopped at the border and told to turn around. You will probably be heading towards my old stomping grounds in Spokane, depending on what route you choose to take towards the east. There is some very scenic country to the east of Spokane(panhandle of Idaho, and western Montana). Enjoy it all, and when you get back, we can have a good 'ol *female dog* session regarding the border situation.

Keep going!

Mike

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Postby Tawmass » Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:07 pm

* August 10, Sunday mid day, 1531 miles: Exiting Kettle Falls, it was warm already as the thermometer hovered in the mid 80s. I took a couple back-road options that looked curvy and scenic, but they either ended up going the wrong direction, or were misrepresented on the maps. It’s a guessing game bouncing between two maps and the GPS, but that’s one small facet of the adventure! Upon rolling into Colville, the local airport had a fun, air show diversion.
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I then turned north onto the Colville Forest and got back into the scenic mountains again and a few waterfalls. Hey, this forest even has OHV maps! I need to come up with my dualsport bike sometime and explore. This was a stellar piece of Washington. It descended into Tiger, then I turned north through Ione, where I met a guy and his kid on a clapped out Honda 150. I continued north through Metaline Falls, circled around and came down the less-traveled side of the Pend Oreille River through the Kalispell Indian Reservation. Check out the pic on the reservation: there is the school, with a graveyard next to it, and teepees in the distance. Oh, and to the left was a herd of buffalo.
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This road eventually ended at Newport on the Idaho border. It was getting later in the day, so I thought I’d continue east to Sandpoint. Arriving at Sandpoint I discovered they were having a big celebration with a bunch of bands, and Marshall Tucker Band was playing that night. Well, that piqued my interest and started checking hotels - but they were ALL booked! Oof. No wait, the La Quinta had the honeymoon suite for only $345/night. Thanks to the GPS, I finally found an RV park 15 miles away that had a tent site, so I took them up on it. So much for partying in Sandpoint. I arrived at the RV park at dusk and the owners weren’t there and had a sign for anyone to just find a spot and they’d take care of it later. After I set up my tent and had some dinner (with a great fortune-cookie prediction!), I realized that the RV park I had called was actually another 300 feet up the highway - doh! This place didn’t appear to have a shower, like the other one - dang, hate that. And there were four huge rabbits running around the place too. The mosquitoes were vicious, so I crawled into the protective netting of my tent and hit the hay.

HOLY CRAP - TRAINS!! They blared their horns each time and were only about 100 feet away! And they went hauling by too - all night about every two hours!

Come Sunday morning, I was awakened (again) by the choo choo, so packed my stuff and got the Hell out of Dodge by about 6:30am. The bunnies were still hopping everywhere and didn't turn into evil, sabre-toothed jackalopes, like the evil deer earlier in the trip. :) It was actually kind of cold at 60 degrees, so I put my jacket liner on. Oh, and yes, I went to the office, but the managers still were not there. Will call them today and square up. I continued east along Hwy 200 by the massive Pend Oreille Lake, when suddenly there was this big bar coming across my GPS. What the heck? Then the road changed and was much wider, then a sign appeared saying I was now in Mountain Time Zone. Holy smoke, I crossed Idaho into Montana and didn’t realize it - doh! I turned north onto Hwy 56 - wow, what a splendid treat for the eyes! Then I turned east onto Hwy 2 to Libby (where I‘m sitting at a coffee shop that has wireless internet). There’s a couple of snakey back roads that will take me into Whitefish and Kalispell area, just north of Flathead Lake. I think I’ll set a goal of ending the day there, then hit Glacier Park on Monday.

D&D: glad to hear your trip's going well. Be safe - take pix!
Mikey: you're right - that area of the state is stunning!
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Postby Tawmass » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:53 am

* August 11, morning, Kalispell, MT, 1,725 miles: after leaving Libby yesterday and a lengthy visit with Terra at her mocha shop, I had probably my best ride thus far. It turns out Terra’s husband is from Oakridge, OR and they also have a nice Finnish last name of Niemi (Patrick, Stefan and Devin - bet you knew him?). I went north from Libby on Hwy 567 towards Yaak (yes, Yaak), per the suggestion of some bicycle riders earlier. As the sign states, it was winding indeed. The pavement was rather rough though and I was glad I had the longer boingers of Barney. I bike of lesser suspenders would not have fared so well.

Gair: got your message and thanks heaps for the kind offer - you rock. I do not plan on using that offer though!

Clearly the Sturgis Rally is over. The endless throng of chrome and blaring pipes going the other direction has sailed by me for the last few days. What an odd lot (a high percentage of Harley riders). Motorbike purists always wave, but the large percentage of Harley types don’t unless they see you with ape hanger bars also. I never wave to Harley types unless they wave first - I don’t buy into the poser image attitude (sorry Rick S.). That image has cost real motorcyclists too many rights and scares non-motorcyclists. Some day I must own a nice Harley and I will ride around with quiet pipes, a full-face helmet and bright riding gear, with a sticker that says “Loud Pipes Suck!”.

Okay, off my rant. In Montana they post a white cross on the side of the highway whenever there has been a traffic fatality. They are everywhere and rather foreboding. I see those and reign in my enthusiasm for going fast. Speaking of fast, MT has a 70mph speed limit - everywhere. The roads are mostly all wide and fast and people haul! I’ll be rolling along, when suddenly there’s a car on my rear from out of nowhere. I let them by and they vanish quickly in the distance. Oh, I’m now in black/grizzly bear and moose country. I’ve been keeping an ever watchful eye for critters launching onto the road. I scared off a buck yesterday. Everyone has been so friendly off the beaten path. People just wave out of the blue when walking or driving by - a nice change from the metro. And what’s with all the metal shadow fixtures? You’ve seen them - the cowboy propped against a wall with his hat tipped down. They were everywhere in Eastern Washington and Idaho, and still a smattering of them in Montana.

I eventually pulled into Yaak - we’re talking small here. Check out the pic of the school. And do you suppose kids in Yaak really hate their school? I wonder if their mascot is a - yak? The road from Yaak to Lake Kancamusa was nothing short of epic and by far the best road yet! Though the rains chased me all day, and occasionally peppered my face shield, it was still a thrilling road. The ‘chicken strip’ on my Dunlops was pretty thin - even all loaded up! Speaking of lakes, since hitting Idaho, there are lakes everywhere! No, really! Absolutely breathtaking country. Upon stopping at Lake Kancamusa and checking my maps, I met the lovely Anna who stopped and asked if I needed directions. We had a long conversation about what were the best roads, so I took her suggestion of going south on the west side of the lake - it was a good call. I then motored on into Kalispell, snagged a hotel, a shower and some dinner. Am planning on hitting Glacier Park today, but want the clouds to clear, since last time I went through there (with Tony and Kevin about 15 years ago), it was raining like the proverbial cow peeing on a flat rock, so didn’t really see much.

Bike Talk: Have I said I love my Beemer? It’s so smooth, comfortable and simple. Even though those crazy Germans over engineered many parts and must have been on crack when they designed the handlebar switches, it’s such a great scooter. Since the boxer engine was based off an airplane motor (hence the BMW logo - a propeller), it has a relaxing drone as I puttsy down the highway. There are caveats though, like the pathetic excuse of a rear brake. Even though it’s a drum, it should still work better. Maybe I’ll install some aftermarket pads later and see if things improve. (And you’re right, JD, it’s an anti-lock brake!) The front brake rocks now since I installed the EBC rotor and Galfer pads! Everything is a one or two finger affair. Other wimpy things on Barney is the flexi-flyer frame, and the PITA gas tank flap. But I need to be realistic - it’s 16 years old, so considering that - it’s a sweetheart. An ugly looking sweetheart, but still a sweetheart nonetheless. Her ugly looks also double as a theft deterrent - nobody would want to steal her!

Things that work for a road bike trip: my Garmin 60cx GPS has made life so much easier! Example: I pulled into Kalispell last night, did a quick search for lodging, phoned about 10 different hotels, found the cheapest one, made a reservation, then auto routed right to it - nice. I wish I also had the topo maps with me though, but don’t.
---My sheepskin seat cover that I’ve had for 25 years continues to be invaluable for long rides - don’t leave home without one. It also doubles as a pillow.
---The dry bags I got on sale at Joe’s are perfect. You can stuff in all your items, they’re rugged, brightly colored and of course rain proof.
---My MP3 player with the Etymolic earbuds, per Dale‘s suggestion. It’s nice to be able to actually hear a radio show or your fav tunes while motoring down the tarmac, without having to crank it up dangerously loud.
---The Tourmaster three-season riding gear has been great, although the jacket could use even more venting. It’s pretty darned rain proof too!
---Strapping: I started out the trip using two motorcycle tie downs for securing the two dry bags, which worked well. I added insurance by purchasing two, large bungee chords. It’s easy, quick and everything stays put.
---Flip-Up Helmet: It makes things so much more easier and efficient! Since I’m taking a large assortment of photos, I just quickly stop, flip up the front, snap the pic, flip it back down and take off again. Plus you can quickly walk into a store if needed without always having to take it off and on.
---Camping Equipment: my new tent packs small, goes up and down in just a few minutes, and the new sleeping bag is cozy. Thanks JD for letting me borrow your Thermarest!
---Laptop Computer: a coworker, Eric, gave me the suggestion of the new EEE PC by Asus. It has worked out awesome, although the keyboard is pretty cramped for a fast, ham-fisted touch typist like me. I have to hit the backspace key a lot, but I’m getting used to it. So if there are typos, that’s probably the reason. It’s so small, it fits easily into my tank bag, runs Windows XP and the wireless works flawlessly. It supposedly has some anti-vibration features also. It’s still working strong, so seems to be a good design.
---Guitar: go ahead and laugh that I brought a guitar, but it’s good for the soul, as any guitarist will agree. My Washburn Rover guitar has been an excellent choice with its very small size, full-scale neck, hardshell case and decent sound. It blows my Martin Backpacker guitar away. It has spent the entire trip so far with an island-sized dry bag propped on top of it, plus spent a few hours in the rain. The guitar still is relatively in tune when I pull it out, plus it’s fairly cheap to replace should something happen to it.
---Lemon Pledge Furniture Polish: This stuff is the cure all for face shields, wind shields, mirrors, guages and even a quick shine on the tank. It makes face shields crystal clear and like new, since it fills up scratches, plus allows rain to run off quickly should you encounter a storm. Hey, and it makes everything smell lemon fresh! :D

Oh, finally got a hold of the RV park where I camped Saturday night and he said not to worry about payment. It pays to be honest (except at the border). Okay, loading up and heading to Glacier Park. The sun’s finally coming out and it looks beautiful up that way. No idea where I’ll be tonight. I have a bud who lives in Great Falls and I might head that direction, although the prospect of driving across the boring plains is not enticing.
Adios,
-Tom
PS: don't know why the GPS maps are missing the town names on the bottom half of the pic - must be a bug. I've added the Google Earth equivalent.
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Last edited by Tawmass on Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Tawmass » Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:20 am

* Star date - August 12, morning, Browning, Montana (Blackfoot Indian Reservation), 1,845 Miles: After a lethargic start leaving the prairie city of Kalispell yesterday, I motored up to West Glacier, topped off with petrol and entered Glacier National Park. While lining up at the park-entrance booth, I was shocked to see that the cost for Barney and I to enter would be $25 - same as cars. But as I pulled up, the nice ladies said, “$12 please.” I was pleasantly surprised that motorbikers get in for the same price as hikers and cyclists. As I said earlier, it had been years since I had been through Glacier Park with my surrogate Dad, Tony Larson (God rest his soul), and my best friend Kevin Dugan, and it was raining so bad at that time that I barely remember seeing very far off the pavement. This day though was great out, with just a smattering of clouds. I planned on taking as much time as I wanted going through and was really looking forward to some great photo opps. I was not disappointed. I hit most every roadside turnoff on the exceptionally beautiful Going-To-The-Sun Highway. I even met a couple on their Harley from Forest Grove, Oregon (Mark & Anna Hughes) - just five miles from my town of Hillsboro! It’s certainly a small world. On the way, there was major road construction on a perilous section, where it was only gravel/mud. You should’ve seen the bikers foot dragging their way through there! It would take them awhile to get the mud off afterwards. I briefly met this one elderly lady on a Vstrom who was all the way from North Carolina. We made attempts at conversation, but she pointed to her helmet saying she had ear plugs in. I don’t know why she didn’t just take the things out, since the speed limit was about 35mph, but we tried communicating a couple more times later, and she again pointed to her helmet. Maybe it was her way of getting out of talking with goofs like me.

Glacier Park is something to behold. It’s majestic peaks and vistas are awe inspiring. The road itself juts out on precipices that quickly induce vertigo. I must’ve taken 200 photos at the pullouts, plus while I was driving with one hand. The Going-To-The-Sun Highway is only about 55 miles long through the width of the park, but it took me almost three hours and reaches around 6,000 feet, in fact my average speed for the entire day was only 31mph. I was bummed that I didn’t see Yogi or Bullwinkle, but I did briefly see some mountain goats. There were even some people touring through the Park on quads! Upon descending to the east side, you could see the prairies continue into the horizon. Argh, I didn’t want to leave the mountains. The wind started howling too! I stopped at the east exit called St. Mary (Blackfoot Indian Reservation) and tried cell reception (none) and the wind about blew Barney onto her side! At Randy B’s suggestion, I inquired at the hotel there (might‘ve chose the wrong one), but $200 was outside my budget - sorry Randy. I then drove south through panoramic curvy and hilly prairies to the town of Browning. I got cell reception there, called up my bud, Russ Ehnes in Great Falls and made plans to meet on Tuesday late afternoon, then snagged the nearest hotel. The bikers were in force there and were partying big. I was befriended by a nice couple from Vancouver Island, BC, Derick & Debby Scott, who own a sizeable berry farm about 10 miles from Butchart Gardens - nice people. It’s kind of crazy here on the reservation. I drove to the local convenience store and a couple locals got into a big fist fight out front. Locals ride their horses right down main street, and some goof was riding his quad back and forth on main street all night long bouncing the rev limiter - and it was crazy loud too!

Today will be another lazy day, as I have all day to go only about 100 miles to Great Falls and have dinner with the Ehnes’. Plus Rusty wants to take me dirt riding - how can I resist?! I hope to give Barney a fresh synthetic, blood transplant while there. Weather is supposed to be in the low 80s - sweet. I could easily get accustomed to living like this!
Adieu,
-Tom
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You don't stop riding because you grow old, you grow old because you stop riding.

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