St. Mary Lake - Glacier
If you’ve never driven a motorcycle on the Going-to-the-Sun road it’s clearly one of the top 10 national park experiences you should have.
We rolled out early on the “Sun Road,” as it’s known, and were treated to views that exceeded the Canadian Rockies. Largely because the cloud coverage made way for some spectacular open air views in the various pull outs. There is significantly less traffic (shuttle buses and tourists) when traversing the park East to West. We didn’t have to contend with crowds at any of the prime view pullouts.
H-D on the "Sun Road" - Glacier
From pockets of thick, forest lining the many lakes to Logan Pass to the mountain-goat-crowded alpine high country and then back down to West Glacier on the park’s western border… the road offers a visual assortment of outdoor views that anyone will enjoy. The “Sun Road,” which initially was called the “Transmountain Highway,” rolls through the Crown of the Continent and offers up some road entertainment. It’s narrow, precipitous in places, and in a constant state of repair due to the annual freeze-thaw cycle.
Glacier Mountain Flowers
It wasn’t always clear that the “Sun Road” would follow its current path. There were debates over the best routing of a cross-park road. Some wanted it to run all the way to Waterton Lakes in British Columbia, and others were arguing for it to go by Gunsight Pass. In the end the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (the precursor to today’s Federal Highway Administration) decided the current route made the most sense. Once that decision was made, National Park Service landscape architects worked with Bureau of Public Roads engineers to, as much as possible, blend the road into the mountain environment. The road is truly an engineering marvel and is a National Historic Landmark. It spans about 50 miles through the parks interior and winds around mountainsides and cliffs. Planners insisted that the bridges, retaining walls, and guardrails be made of native materials and to this day that mind-set prevails.
Logan Pass - Glacier National Park
We pulled off at the Logan Pass visitor center. This area is pinched tightly between Clements Mountain and the southern tip of the Garden Wall, and offers up terrific views that carries the Continental Divide through the park’s interior. Farther north are the bulk of the park’s glaciers and you soon realize that it would take a lifetime to really know everything that the park has to offer. Many of the park visitors motor up the pass aboard a Red Jammer, one of Glacier’s renowned fire engine-red, open-air touring buses that debuted in 1937. Supposedly they gained their nickname for the way drivers “jammed” their way through the gears.
The Red Jammer
We made our way down to West Glacier where it looks like time has stood still in this remote corner of Montana. The log buildings haven’t changed much since they were built in 1938. Any “inappropriate development” has been curtailed and the village has maintain its historic character. There was a lunch break in Kalispell and we had a great drive along Flathead Lake and rolling farmlands. The weather was comfortable as scattered clouds floated along the mountain range. We were making good time for a layover in Missoula.
Flathead Lake
Just after St. Ignatius we connected with Hwy 200 and about 20 miles prior to I-90 we hit major road construction. It was as if the contractor won every bid to re-surface the road, rebuild water culverts and widen bridges. It was massive and to be candid riding a weighted down motorcycle on very loose and deep gravel was intense. The “Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution” was an understatement!
We finally arrived in Missoula and met up with the other half of the posse from when we split paths in Canada. Dinner and refreshments at MacKenzie River Pizza Company was a great break as we compared riding route and construction stories.
The next morning all I could think of was — No forest fires here!
Road Construction
This is usually the season for hot, dust-dry and smokey air in Western Montana. Maybe an occasional thunder shower with little rain, but lots of fire-starting lightening. However, our Missoula departure was met with flash-flood pouring rain. We’re talking a wet-to-the-bone soaker! Even with a full-face helmet it was miserable as we experienced 167 miles of heavy rain on I-90. It didn’t stop until we exited in Coeur D’ Alene and was a half-hour into eating our lunch at a Denny’s! I experienced for the first time rain gear seepage and damp jeans. WTF?! Sure that amount of rain qualifies as a season-ending event to the wildfires, but it was so intense and broad across the state that even I was looking for a culprit… maybe that hydrocarbon use is REALLY to blame for the glacier shortening and sea level rise which in turn effected the rings around the sun and the atmospheric motorcycle riding conditions in Montana? A quick iPhone WeatherBug scan indicated that Spokane was at the edge of any possible rain and we decided it was time to head as directly as possible to sunnier sky’s. By the time we hit Ritzville then south on Hwy395 toward the tri-cities it was re-hydration time and the layers started to peel off. After several more wind surfing riding hours through the gorge we made it home.
Posse Pizza Dinner
A couple of closing thoughts on this great 8-day, ~2000 mile ride. The internet is for sharing. It’s where we go to reveal our thoughts and describe experiences. When going on a motorcycle road trip you encounter an array of fascinating landscapes, people and structures. This trip brought with it some weather challenges for which we were mostly prepared and we adjusted to them. There was also a lot of terrific riding, fun and now a historical travelogue. At the end of the day, when you get home, it’s about having a few moments away from the daily routine and being able to share those memories with friends and family. Thanks to the posse for a great time!
The 107 to 47 Journey — Part One HERE; Part Two HERE; Part Three HERE
Northwest Harley Blog 