East Glacier Park, MT

This is my second night at East Glacier Park and I may stay another. Unbeknownst to many travelers, there are two parts to this town. Last night I stayed on the other side of the tracks at a motel called the Circle R. It was the last place in town with rooms (I thought). After checking in I went for a walk. If you follow MT49 under the tracks past the big lodge there are several old style motels and "Travel Cabins" as well as a hostel. This is the "other side of the tracks" I took a room at the hostel for tonight and it is much nicer than last nights! I will stay here another night. If the hostel can't accommodate me, I'll try one of the 50's motor hotels.

Today I took a little walk. The path to Scenic point is 5 km (3.1 mi) each way. It starts at about 5000 feet and tops out at about 7500. It's steep! There aren't enough carbs in one pancake for that! The hostel is also a bakery. I suggest the lemon cookies. Especially if you are near bonk.

Scenic Point is a mountain. Not as high as its brothers but it still counts as one.

I didn't know I am old enough for a National Parks lifetime pass.

I had a bison brautworst for dinner. Luna's is a restaurant on the wrong side of the tracks that is known for it's Huckleberry pie. Deservedly so. Moose Drool is actually good beer. Hey! I needed carbs.

I took a lot of pictures but my bandwidth here is limited so I'll upload them later to Picasa.

There are a lot of hikers and slightly odd people at this hostel. They are interesting to talk to. I may have time-warped back to the sixties!

Chinook, MT

I spent quit a bit of time in the library in Glasgow. When I finally went looking for a room, I found all the motels flaunting "No Vacancy" signs! Curses! So I remounted and went on down the road. At Hinsdale and Malta there were No Vacancies. I began to notice the places were filled with fishermen. Then I saw that US 2 follows the Milk river. This looked ominous! I kept on 'till Chinook where I found a very nice room. The attached restaurant had very good locally raised steak. I had my first red meat in weeks. I can recommend the Chinook Motor Inn.

My laundry is done and I'm ready for tomorrow.

Big Sky Country

This morning I started in Sidney and am now in Glasgow. According to Google maps this trip should have crossed continents and oceans and taken many hours by plane. I got here before noon. The only MacDonalds is pre 1980 and still doesn't have WiFi. I'm in the library. I asked the librarian, "If Scottish residents of Glasgow are called Glaswegians, what are those in Montana called?" She replied, "Cowboys?"

This bicyclist was on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Heading east. I didn't get a chance to ask how far she was going.

This is a bar outside Glasgow, near the airport, at the end of the runway. Kinda makes you wonder. I didn't stop there. Might be dangerous.
This coffee shop was on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. It was next to the ubiquitous casino.

Good coffee even if the barrista was a bit curt.

This may be one of the oldest buildings I saw in Montana. It is adobe over logs. It was built in 1910! Nothing out here is very old! It was the Grassy Butte Post Office. Sounds like what you get when you slide down the hill. I found an appropriately named hotel for endurance bicyclists, the Ragged Butte Inn. I didn't get a picture.Until you've seen the Big Sky Country, it is only words. The sky here B I G! S'true!

Hettinger, North Dakota

Yesterday I made a shorter ride as I had gone farther than intended the day before. I stopped in Hettinger, North Dakota. This is a town on the edge. There are many well kept houses with manicured lawns. There are also boarded up businesses on the main drag. There are two or three coffee shops boarded up. I think Martha Stewart gave up on Hettinger. There is an acceptable steak house and a bunch of bars. The county hospital and a coal gasification plant here. There are farm related businesses. But I saw few young people.

Here are some Volvos that are parked in front of an abandoned house along the highway. I have no notion what this is all about.

This is just a view of the terrain and the endless straight highway. Not the lack of traffic. This was most of the day. I love the solitude. I don't enjoy DoD nominal.

Here is a very large bull. He is anatomically correct.

This is an abandoned house along the highway. There were a few of these. Lots of this pasture land has gone fallow. It is very green. This house just asked to be photographed.

South Dakota and the GPS

I'm sitting in a motel room in Aberdeen, SD waiting for a storm to go by.

Yesterday I discovered something interesting about the Navigon GPS. I was going to stop in Ortonville, Minnesota. I asked for a room at the desk of the "nicest motel in town". The clerk looked and sounded like the Quikee Mart guy on the Simpsons. This is never good. In the past that means the place is dirty and structurally unsound. I was relieved that he was booked up. I didn't check any other motels.

I got back on the bike and set off for Aberdeen, South Dakota. That is when I discovered the GPS idiosyncrasy. I knew that when you exceed the posted speed buy about 5MPH a breathy woman's voice says, "Beware". She's British, I'm sure. I now learned that when you are riding at DoD nominal*, she says, "Slow down, Twit! You'll go to prison! If you get a ticket, you're not getting any tonight!" Any what? I pulled the earbud out and didn't hear the rest. Jeese! It was like being married again!

* DoD nominal is 10% faster than insanity or as fast as the bike will go (124 MPH).

It didn't take me long to make Aberdeen. There I found a nice motel where the desk clerk sounded local.

Today I have a much shorter ride to do. The storm I am waiting out will not hinder me.

New shoes for Inga

Yesterday was another absolutely beautiful day. The temperature was ideal for riding and there was no wind. I passed a field of "Windmills" and they were all stationary. There were hundreds of them.

I may have picked the perfect time to put new tires on my motorcycle. I am in Minneapolis and heavy rains are expected here. The bike service should take about two hours and by then the rain should be finished. I only got rained on in Ohio!

The stock market is still falling. In the past, whenever I leave the country, the Dow goes up. I'm about find out if that includes Canada. I will be crossing the border on about July 6.

Minneapolis is a very bicycle friendly city. I arrived at the motorcycle shop at 0900. This is Friday. There has been a pretty steady flow of bicyclists. Of course the shop is next to a bike path, and Caribou Coffee. Well situated!

Since stopping at McGurk's in St Louis, I've been singing "The Irish Rover" in my head. "...She spun nine times around and the poor old dog was drowned. I'm the last of the Irish Rover." I'd prefer to be singing Peggy Gordon or something else, not "...there was John D. McGurk, who was scared stiff of work..."

This is the true Midwest of this country. It has a little bit of topography, but the roads are just too straight for my taste. My old tires have enormous "Chicken Strips" (The part of the tire from the edge of the tread to the worn part) I hope I find some curves for this new pair. After I've worn off the glossy parting compound, of course.

If anyone thinks motorcycling is inexpensive transportation, they've not owned a BMW. "It's only money, Mr. Fuller."

Time to go check on Inga.

GPS-1 Google Maps-0

There is a sharp difference in Google maps of "Avoid Interstates" and Navigon GPS' "Avoid Motorways. I'll go with Navigon. More interesting roads.

In Iowa, mid-grade fuel is less costly than regular because ethanol is not taxed. Ethanol is an oxygenator and it does clean your injectors (allegedly). The reduced fuel economy is noticeable. I'm going to stick to regular.

Talk about timing! Yesterday I pulled under the awning of a 66 station with the tank on reserve and the rains came with a vengeance! I filled her up and waited fifteen minutes for the rains to pass.

The rivers are high and so is the corn and soybeans.

I love my job!

McGurk's Pub

I've discovered that John D. McGurk is a character in the song "The Irish Rover". Alas!

St Louis, MO

I hadn't intended to post twice in a day, but tow things intervened. First I must apologize to all for the double entry of the picture of the pub. I'm new to blogging and didn't preview the post first. Second, I have a room at the Drury Hotel. It is a very nice hotel. Historic and very posh. The fact that there is a police substation in the lobby tells volumes about the neighborhood, though. The garage where Inga is parked is very secure looking.

The National Road

I got a late start again today because it was raining. But for a brief shower in eastern Illinois it was a beautious day.

I did my best to follow the National road west from Terre Haute. The road was originally authorized by Thomas Jefferson in 1806. It was only to go to the Ohio River. It didn't make it to Vandalia Illinois until 1828 and that is as far as it went. Pavement was another hundred years coming. Here is an original section.


The chief lobbying group for paving this and other roads was the League of American Wheelmen! I wonder if motorists even cared about pavement. Part of the delay in improving the National Road was the fact that shortly after it was completed it was rendered redundant by railroads.

I looked for milestones and original bridges (S bridges) through Indiana and Illinois but found only one straight bridge completed in 1838. The fact that it was built by Army engineers confirms my belief that the highway was built for military purposes more than to enable commerce.

This next picture is an excellent example of a catenary arch. This is something I suggested someone look for in the architecture of the Eglesia Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I'm going to visit my namesake tonight and sample some Killkenny.
I'm going to visit my namesake tonight and sample some Killkenny.

My family

Here are some of the ducklings I can see from my deck. They are a hoot to watch. I've never seen anything swim so fast!

At long last I am in Terre Haute IN. I got a late start and took slow roads. It is best to start early and stop early when going west. Going east it is inverted. Motorcycles don't have sun visors.

The good news is: my rain gear works.

The bad news: It was severely tested. Twasn't supposed to rain today!


My steed.

First entry

Hello!

I'm about to start a trip to Alaska. I've begun this blog to chronicle my experiences. Lachanbui means Yellow Duck. I'll actually be riding a blue BMW motorcycle.

Since I'm retired, I kinda wander around the world. As I don't have a schedule to meet, I have a very loose itinerary. I have never been to Antarctica or South America, but every other continent I can claim. I prefer Europe. I've not been to Australia either, and I may have to go there.