Glacier Natl Park

I had a choice today, continue to ride the dirt for a while yet then detour to visit Glacier Natl Park, or stay on blacktop and ride the full highway through Glacier on the famous 'Driving to the Sun' highway.

A look at the gashes in my rear tire from the previous day of offroading (I'm using road tires), and just a feeling that I should cut down on the risks while I was ahead told me I should stick with blacktop from here on.

It was a good choice. Headed up the west side of the park, at a rest stop I was given a bottle of water by a nice couple (I guess I looked thirsty, which I was), and met two retired public servants now working around the rest area to 'keep themselves' busy. These two guys were the most knowledgeable about Canada and all the places I've been. We chatted up like three old buddies about the economy, and the things I had observed in my stay in the US: that people work hard all the time and rarely can afford to take holidays, that many americans do not have pensions, that they rather have the right to choose medicare and as a result, not have it at all that be prescribed medicare by their government, etc.

A couple of good guys.

Then pulls into my rest stop, a gentlemen on a Suzuki V-strom named Al. Al later described the v-strom as the poor-man's BMW GS (my bike). Al is a retired police officer from out west, but that's not the first thing I learned about him.

He was a very kind man who offered some tips on where I should drive next. He's also very knowledgeable and passionate about motor bikes.

I had been getting the feeling that I would like to see the Ocean again before the end of my trip and mentioned this to Al. That's where he was heading of course and described the perfect twisty set of backroads through the US to get there. I was hooked.

We decided to ride together for a while, and that lasted the whole day. We rode into the west side of the Park on a devilishly twisty highway where, following my new friend, my skills at riding and my bikes guts were tested many times. I went around corners leaning lower and going faster than any previous time. The guy in front of me could do it, why couldn't I! Turns out Al is a motorcycling instructor and ex-motorcycling cop. I was in good hands, and by the end of the day got lots of useful tips on riding.

It was very nice after so many weeks of riding solo to ride behind someone and follow along instead of leading all the time.

Rode through Glacier, and my pictures just will obviously not do justice to the majestic mountains, turquoise rivers, rolling hills, clear blue sky, and flat calm alpine lakes I saw...but I tried nevertheless :-)

The road construction was heavy, the traffic thick, and travelling speed slow, which makes for a very hot Marc. Stopped at a crystal clear stream to go for a swim, just like in the first half of my trip - birthday suit and all.

I went for a swim, but not before taking my first spill on the bike. I was pulling into a view spot, making a tight turn, and didn't see the patch of loose gravel on the pavement; marbles on ice. I must have also tapped the front brake to help my cause. I was flying along at 1km/hr, and then in slow, very slow movement, dismounted the bike in various slip and tumbly ways, I think I may even have done a front flip in the end as I tripped on my handlebars. I finally lay unhurt on the pavement with what felt like a throng of watching tourists. In case you were there but didn't see me, as I was falling, I clutched in the gears, and revved the motorbike from 1500 RPM to about 4500 RPM so that you could hear me falling. Oh and in case you were there and didn't hear the engine screaming, and the grinding aluminum, I also accidentally squeezed the hell out of my horn for what felt like 30 seconds while gently falling. If you still missed me, your an idiot.

Al has seen this before, helped me lift the bike and recounted a story of one of his spills, completely erasing any trace of humiliation or stress I might have had.

Finally rode into a great set of cabins along the road where Al offered to house me in a spare bed. Had a shower in a great sleep in a bed.

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