Montana and on to Canada

With a late departure from Craters of the Moon Nation Monument the next stop was at an RV Park in Mackay, Idaho.

It had seemed like (when passing through) that "-Utah has more horses than any other state."  It is not true, of course, but from my perspective, through the chosen route of travel, and on a motorcycle - that was my honest perception.

Now, in Idaho there seemed to be little difference (at first).  In Pocatello, local fairgrounds had been preparing for a horseshow, and horses were everywhere.

Nonetheless, as much as the Idahoan's still love their horses the four-wheeler seems to be "taking over" and are the current vogue and now - "they" are everywhere!  The RV Parks are filled with trailers loaded with four-wheelers, they run streets (and even the highways, in smaller towns), are parked at restaurants and (shudder) the bars.

Mackay is small town on highway 93 that seems to caters to four-wheeler's in a big way, and is a prime example of a town taken over by four-wheeler's.  The hillsides leading to 10,000 foot snowcapped peaks are apparently all the invitation that is needed.

Years ago when traveling through Idaho, I remember seeing scores of potato "barns;" but on this trip they seemed surprisingly lacking (was it due to new technology or was it just this area of Idaho?)

Mackay is only about 252 miles from Missoula, Montana, but with stops along way I knew that it was likely to be a two days motorcycle ride - and it was.  The day ended at Hamilton, Montana a mere 40 miles south of Missoula, but since it was a sizeable town with internet cafes and a visible RV park, Hamilton it would be!

Since leaving Utah, it had been a steady progression, a sort of "Greening of America;" and now, in Montana it was as if it had come to full strength.  Take away the mountains, and my thoughts even drifted to Michigan; but not for long, the only similarity is the color green!

Things were piling up, there had been no time breaks between stops, no time to blog, no time to address those nagging prevailing issues we all have and not even time for laundry; and so, it was two days later before gear was loaded on the motorcycle for Kalispell, Montana.

Kalispell was only 167 miles from Hamilton, but it was near the entry to Glacier National Park and therefore a perfect stopping point.

For some unknown reason (perhaps, it was because as a young man I had romanticized visions of going to smoke jumpers school and then working during summer breaks from college) Missoula held an attraction for me, and it was hard to just pass through without stopping; but there was no real reason to stop after only 40 miles, and so it was on to Kalispell.

Kalispell is, as an acquaintance turned friend, described, "is a great place to live and great place to retire;" strange words coming from an unemployed 42 year old man, but as an ex-patriot from Iowa he obviously was infatuated with Kalispell.

With my short time there and my limited exploration, it is hard to pass judgment, but for the sportsman, hunting and fishing abound and it is beautiful country.

My time there was extended as I still endeavored to bring things back together, and as the weather provided three days of on-again, off-again rain.  The mail from Michigan had finally caught up with me and, for the time being, those nagging personal issues had been taken care; and so, despite the weather, it was now time to go!"

And so, with some hesitation (the hope was for clear skies sunshine while riding through Glacier National Park) I loaded the motorcycle and departed from Kalispell to drive through Glacier National Park.

Actually, in spite of the forecast the overcast skies were rather pleasant despite the cool air.  It seemed good to be back on the road after having spent several days in Kalispell.

The road from West Glacier to Marysville (the east side entry to Glacier National Park) travels over Logan's Pass by way of "the Road to the Sun," and winds its way past Lake McDonald and the often times raging whitewater of the Flathead River before reaching the highway's summit at the Logan Pass Visitors Center.

The rain held off for most of the way, and provided some views, but it was hard not to wonder what clear skies and sunshine might have provided.  Sometimes the cloudy skies provide spectacular photos, but it seemed for the most part that such was not to be.

The rain increased as I approached Logan Pass; my finger tips seemed as though they were about to freeze as my gloves were now soaked with rain.  Until then, the rain had been only fleeting, and still it was only a drizzle; but at nearly 9000 feet of elevation, and with air cooled to (an estimated 40 degrees) it was a "bit" of a chilly motorcycle ride!

Even with the rain I could see that Logan's Pass was a spectacular view, but with the rain and cold I bore on without stopping, and arrived at St. Mary's (the eastern entry to Glacier) about 5:30 PM.

With no campgrounds in sight (it was too early to end the day anyway), and hoping to make it well into Canada before nightfall, I continued on.

Given my past record (and knowing that the gas stations are often hard to find in Canada) I made sure that the tank was filled before leaving for Canada.  There was a third reason; of course, the gases prices in Canada can hurt you!

Entering into Alberta from this point, was crossing into unknown territory and I was somewhat surprised by the distances between cities.  When I stopped for the night at Fort MacLeod (a distance of approximately 50 miles) only two cities had been passed.

Utah and Bryce Canyon

Each state seems more wondrous than the last, and yet I know that it is just a matter of the time frame; living in the present makes it so.

I have spent very little time in Utah and it has always been while just passing through or on a ski trip which gives one a very limited perspective.  In traveling through Utah now, it's as if I'm seeing the state for the first time, and I like what I see!

Although, even now, I know that my time here will be all too brief, but I'm happy to have the opportunity to relish as much as possible.

My image of Utah is of giant sandstone multi-shaped rock formations and that image seems ever present, but then too, there is another image that seems out of context.  This is an image that I was surprised to find; but as I traveled north out of Kanab there were beautiful peaceful looking valleys, winding streams, an elk farm and green grassy areas (although, still framed in the sandstone cliffs) that contrasted sharply with the otherwise harsh desert like terrain.  This tranquility, however, seemed short lived as I turned east towards Bryce National Park my original image was restored.

It was mid-afternoon as I rode into the aptly named Red Canyon, the gateway to Bryce Canyon.  Red Canyon is still outside of Bryce Canyon itself and is a drawing card all by itself with numerous outfitters, backpackers and horseback trail riding tours being offered to lure prospective tourists.

As I rode through Bryce Canyon I couldn't help thinking that it would be a great parwondrous,living in the present,Utah and Bryce Canyon,traveling,peaceful looking valleys,campgrounds,riding tours,riding the motorcyclek for backpacking.  There is so much to see from the overlooks, but I would have very liked to have experience the views from the bottom of the canyon.

From one end of the park to other is a mere 16 miles, but it is a spectacular park with great and unusual vistas.  Despite its relatively small size, following the winding road through the canyon and stopping to experience and photograph the great vistas, I found myself running short of time.  At the eleven mile point I turned around in order to exit park or find a campsite at one of the numerous campgrounds within the park.

It was approaching dusk as I turned into one of the north end campgrounds near the entry to the park.  There was still space available, but although I knew this would be my cheapest alternative I exited the campground and the park (I was hungry there wasn't any food available inside the park at this hour).                              

What I thought was perhaps my next best choice, Ruby's Inn Park & Campground and Motel, was built in 1919 to service tourist visiting Bryce Canyon and was first known as "Tourist Rest.  Despite its long history I would give it a "3" on a scale of one to ten.

From my experience, I found Ruby's Inn to be both expensive and ill equipped (only one of the two bathroom facilities have showers and there are no paved roads), which is appalling considering their prices.  My recommendation for anyone going there would be to find a spot within the national park (their still will not be any paved roads, but there are at least showers) and you will save money too boot.

I should add that my harsh assessment of Ruby's was further aggravated by the fact that the only food they had available was grocery store snacks.  The only reason I had stopped there in the first place was in order to get both food and a camp site; but by that time I was too paranoid about the very real possibility of hitting a deer or elk to risk riding the motorcycle even for the short ride back to the campground inside the park.

Making Amends in Lake Charles

For the first two weeks after leaving Michigan, I had the pleasure of staying with Bernie and Carrie while exploring New Orleans with their home serving as my outpost (many thanks, Bernie and Carrie).  Now, however, I'm on my own.

Life on the road is not a discomfort (most of the time) save the task of finding a campground; but, that too, should be less of a burden than I make it.  If more time were spent planning my direction and searching (via the internet) for campgrounds along the way, my burden would be substantially reduced.

My tent is much larger than needed, but it is what I had, is lightweight, packs compactly and is a breeze to erect - so why change?  Since most campgrounds have laundry facilities, that too is not big a problem.  Laundry time is blogging time.

Sleeping on the ground without an air mattress (too much trouble), as has been said before, is no discomfort at all; and rolling up and packing the sleeping bag is (almost) as easy as making one's bed.

The one comfort that is most regrettable is not having the ability to prepare my own meals.  That too, may be possible with a little more planning, but it's hard to imagine just how this can be done.  There is just not room for packing food and cooking utensils (however small).  

A week after leaving Mandeville and I've have thus far traveled through Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi, Natchitoches, Lafayette and finally to Lake Charles, Louisiana where the night was spent at the beautiful Sam Houston Jones State Park.

The question is - Am I going to fast or too slow?  The sense is that, most likely, the pace is to fast; but it's hard to convince myself to - Slow Down!

After leaving Mandeville (north of New Orleans) their is still the lingering feeling that after two weeks, justice has  still not been done to the New Orleans area.  It's too late now, the solution is to correct my errant ways and do better in the future.  The real problem is - what has been for me, an ongoing problem - keeping abreast of my blog.  Thus far, it seems to have been impossible to force myself to finish the blog before leaving the area.

It is the definition of insanity - repeating the same mistake and expecting a different result.  I keep leaving the area before the job is done and expect that it will not be a problem.

In the past there was justification for not staying in the area and finishing the blog before going on to the next stop.  However, since coming to Louisiana,  there has been ample opportunity to - Do it right; but have, thus far, I've failed to do so.

Today begins my quest to make amends; I vow to finish the Vicksburg, Natchitoches, Lafayette and Lake Charles blogs before leaving Lake Charles, and then take it one day at a time - the pressure is on.