Glacier National Park
The next morning we had a great breakfast at the campground by the local cook. This ended up a really great place to camp because they had pretty much everything we needed. Then we broke camp, packed up, and headed to the park. Because it had been so hot the previous day, we dressed down a bit. I packed my overpants and that’s where they stayed the whole trip. It was just too warm. This is something I'll need to think about on the next trip - packing the right type of clothing. We got to the park and ambled our way in behind a long line of cars, trucks, and RVs. We paid for our pass, which was good for all day and the next I think.
Going To The Sun
So up we start on the Going To The Sun road. Now the original plan was to ride up the road as far as Logan Pass, then turn around and head back. The reason why was that Kevin had told us that he wasn't too keen on roads with big drop offs, so we figured he'd ride with us a ways, turn around when he wanted and we'd meet back at the Lake McDonald Lodge. Given that plan, we rode past a lot of stuff that we would have ordinarily stopped to see. This ended up being a mistake as you'll see later.
I had been up here a month earlier with my family and was driving, so I didn't really get to appreciate just how beautiful it is. On a bike, you can see everything and really enjoy the mountain air. The road spans 50 miles through the park interior and was originally built 75 years ago. Because of its age, they've been rebuilding the road section by section which will continue on for another five years. I'd say it's worth it having been on it. The new sections are clean and smooth and the barriers are modern underneath an old-fashioned stone exterior. So they've kept its charm but made it more stable and safe. There were a couple of delays where the traffic is restricted to one lane at a time, but in an area like this, that's not really a problem. Get off the bike and look at the vista that surrounds you.
Tom Clark
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at Intellitect, living in Spokane, Washington. I also do a little development work on the side. And I love riding motorcycles all over the country with my friends.
