As promised its photo time. I should have brought a slave with me. Preferably one with a decent mobile phone and some tech skills. This blog would look a hell of a lot better. However, you get me, so suck it up. This next photo is not in Montana. I took it in the appropriately named town of Concrete, Washington.
Just makes you wish you were here, doesn't it?
The lady who runs this coffee shop in the servo opposite Concrete's premier tourist attraction was a real hoot. She should be running for President. She had all the answers and really cracked me up. Yes, I had to ask. The town is called Concrete because they used to produce cement here, and store it in the silos. Ho hum, do I really have to explain the difference between cement and concrete? I mean, get it right!!
Fast forward to Montana again. I like Montana. I reckon its fan-bloody-tastic. My lodgings in Libby were pretty good, especially being right on the Kootenay River, but the freight trains did disturb me a bit. I mean, I had earplugs so combined with my rapidly progressing deafness, I didn't hear a whole lot of the noise. But the vibrations were a nuisance, the furniture kept moving. And I had the place to myself. However, I nicked off early next morning and headed for Kalispell. Well, it was too pricey for me there, so I instead scored another Air BnB place at Bigfork. And it was terrific. An orchard right on Flathead Lake run by a very nice couple, and I could not have wished for more hospitable folk. All the cherries you could eat, and I ate a lot. And there were another couple of guests there as well, Bobby and Kim, who had driven up from Georgia, quite a drive. We all got along like a house on fire, and enjoyed a great night watching the Fourth of July fireworks from the shore of the lake. Must confess, I'd never heard of Flathead Lake, but its impressive at 35 miles long. It would give the lower lakes on the Murray a run for their money,size wise, I reckon. But the mountains in the background clinch the deal for me.
This was my first glimpse of it, approaching from due west on Hwy 28. And it got better.
The following day, I had unfinished business namely Glacier National Park. This was snowed in on my 2012 trip, and I was keen to finally ride the famous Going to The Sun Road. As it turned out, it was as spectacular as I had anticipated, but it was pretty busy. The traffic kept moving though, with only a couple of holdups, but it was bloody cold at the top of the pass. As I was wearing summer riding gear, including flow through mesh pants, I didn't hang around. I definitely could have done with a bit of sun. I completed a loop through the park, then around its southern boundary and back to Bigfork, about 350 km. Not bad for a rest day! Fabulous scenery all the way, and lotsa nice twisties. The GS swallowed the lot. Its just a Gruntmeister, and there's not much it can't do. (When it starts).
As glaciers go, these were all very fine and good, but a little underwhelming. You could certainly see where they had been, no doubt about that, but I have to say what I saw here pales in comparison with the mighty Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia, and a couple of whoppers I saw in Alaska. (See earlier installments). I was probably a few million years too late. But it is what it is. (Profound or what? Even footballers say that now.) Anyway, its not all about the scenery. This park is also a vast wildlife refuge, and it takes in a sizeable chunk of Alberta, Canada and together they form Waterton- Glacier Peace Park. I think this makes it very valuable indeed. I'm starting to sound like David Attenborough.
Western Montana seems to be all vast vistas of mountains, lakes and trees. Spectacular doesn't do it justice, the word grandeur comes to mind. Central Montana, where I am right now, seems to be more about rolling hills and grasslands. Less spectacular, but good farming country which reminds me very much of the mid north of SA, say Crystal Brook through to Orroroo. Not that its a contest, but we all like to have some kind of benchmark to make assessment meaningful.
Well it had to happen! When I woke up this morning it was raining. And it showed no sign of letting up. Out came all the wet weather gear. I hate wet starts. The road was a bit slippery, my visor kept fogging up, a couple of deer ran across the road in front of me, scaring the hell out of me, and it was bloody cold, especially round the head. The joys of motorcycling. This is the bit that makes the good bits so much better, right?
Just makes you wish you were here, doesn't it?
The lady who runs this coffee shop in the servo opposite Concrete's premier tourist attraction was a real hoot. She should be running for President. She had all the answers and really cracked me up. Yes, I had to ask. The town is called Concrete because they used to produce cement here, and store it in the silos. Ho hum, do I really have to explain the difference between cement and concrete? I mean, get it right!!
Fast forward to Montana again. I like Montana. I reckon its fan-bloody-tastic. My lodgings in Libby were pretty good, especially being right on the Kootenay River, but the freight trains did disturb me a bit. I mean, I had earplugs so combined with my rapidly progressing deafness, I didn't hear a whole lot of the noise. But the vibrations were a nuisance, the furniture kept moving. And I had the place to myself. However, I nicked off early next morning and headed for Kalispell. Well, it was too pricey for me there, so I instead scored another Air BnB place at Bigfork. And it was terrific. An orchard right on Flathead Lake run by a very nice couple, and I could not have wished for more hospitable folk. All the cherries you could eat, and I ate a lot. And there were another couple of guests there as well, Bobby and Kim, who had driven up from Georgia, quite a drive. We all got along like a house on fire, and enjoyed a great night watching the Fourth of July fireworks from the shore of the lake. Must confess, I'd never heard of Flathead Lake, but its impressive at 35 miles long. It would give the lower lakes on the Murray a run for their money,size wise, I reckon. But the mountains in the background clinch the deal for me.
This was my first glimpse of it, approaching from due west on Hwy 28. And it got better.
The following day, I had unfinished business namely Glacier National Park. This was snowed in on my 2012 trip, and I was keen to finally ride the famous Going to The Sun Road. As it turned out, it was as spectacular as I had anticipated, but it was pretty busy. The traffic kept moving though, with only a couple of holdups, but it was bloody cold at the top of the pass. As I was wearing summer riding gear, including flow through mesh pants, I didn't hang around. I definitely could have done with a bit of sun. I completed a loop through the park, then around its southern boundary and back to Bigfork, about 350 km. Not bad for a rest day! Fabulous scenery all the way, and lotsa nice twisties. The GS swallowed the lot. Its just a Gruntmeister, and there's not much it can't do. (When it starts).
As glaciers go, these were all very fine and good, but a little underwhelming. You could certainly see where they had been, no doubt about that, but I have to say what I saw here pales in comparison with the mighty Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia, and a couple of whoppers I saw in Alaska. (See earlier installments). I was probably a few million years too late. But it is what it is. (Profound or what? Even footballers say that now.) Anyway, its not all about the scenery. This park is also a vast wildlife refuge, and it takes in a sizeable chunk of Alberta, Canada and together they form Waterton- Glacier Peace Park. I think this makes it very valuable indeed. I'm starting to sound like David Attenborough.
Western Montana seems to be all vast vistas of mountains, lakes and trees. Spectacular doesn't do it justice, the word grandeur comes to mind. Central Montana, where I am right now, seems to be more about rolling hills and grasslands. Less spectacular, but good farming country which reminds me very much of the mid north of SA, say Crystal Brook through to Orroroo. Not that its a contest, but we all like to have some kind of benchmark to make assessment meaningful.
Well it had to happen! When I woke up this morning it was raining. And it showed no sign of letting up. Out came all the wet weather gear. I hate wet starts. The road was a bit slippery, my visor kept fogging up, a couple of deer ran across the road in front of me, scaring the hell out of me, and it was bloody cold, especially round the head. The joys of motorcycling. This is the bit that makes the good bits so much better, right?
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