Sunday, July 28, 2013

Montana sure does live up to the American stereotype. I mean, you hear jokes and see things on the news or in movies, but I expected Montana to be fairly similar to what I was used to. It wasn’t. There was liquor, casinos, and churches everywhere…sometimes two or three churches or casinos on a single block…sometimes right next to each other. Baptist churches seemed to be the most common…and there were these weird signs everywhere with religious sayings on them. People here sure do love to gamble and pray. And drink, apparently. I half expected to receive a complimentary handgun after crossing the border.

The people were all quite nice though…at least the ones I met. Of course, they’re all in the tourism service industry.

So I came to Montana for one reason: to ride a highway called the Going to the Sun Road. It traverses Glacier National Park…which is another Rocky Mountain Park just south of the Waterton Lakes Park. My friend Shane had recommended it, and I had no idea what to expect but I figured I’d satisfy my curiosity by riding it.

There are no words to describe how amazing this road is. It’s not a highway either…no trucks or campers allowed…just bikes and cars. The road is cut into the side of the Going to the Sun Mountain and climbs up to a stellar 6,646 feet (over 1100 feet higher than Vermillion Pass I rode over yesterday). The road gets right up to the tree line, and the only thing stopping you from plummeting down a mountain is a two foot high brick wall.

Travel is very slow. It was only 45 miles and it took me a few hours to get across. There were cars and bikes and people everywhere…stopping was difficult because there small amount of parking chances were already filled with cars…I did manage to stop the bike on a few occasions and take some pictures. I was really taken a back by the experience. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a crazy high mountain road to take. The views are absolutely stunning.

It was after 1pm when I finished the road. I was back onto the east side ofthe Rockies and decided to have some lunch before headed north back into Canada. I had to get to Creston and figured it was the quickest way. I was probably right but that didn’t make me feel any better.

If I could go back I time I’d simply have turned right back around and gone over the Going to the Sun Road again. I’d have liked to have extended my American visit longer, alas I have to accept my choices. After heading north I reached the Canadian border in about 45 minutes, but not after seeing a bear cross the road in front of me!

The ride north to the Crowsnest Highway was actually ok. I was in the foothills again and could see the Rockies to my left the entire time. They weren’t as big as they are further north, but still offered some beautiful scenery. The Crowsnest Highway, however, was another story. Normally this would be fun but after riding the Going to the Sun Highway this was like an after dinner mint that just lingers in your mouth for 4 hours.

When I reached the highway it was about 3pm and I didn’t reach Cranbrook until about 7. Crossing the Crowsnest Pass (only 4455 feet) represented the third time in about 24 hours that I’ve crossed through the Rocky Mountains and over the Continental Divide. After reaching Cranbrook I was back in the Rocky Mountain Trench, and now would be ducking south of the Purcells to head into the Kootenays.

The last leg of a day of riding is always the longest. I was longing for a bed to sleep in and a warm meal. The last few hours seemed to drag and the skies were threatening rain. I’d have preferred sunshine but after two hot days a cooler temperature was welcome.

I reached Creston at 8:00 and found my motel easily. I’ve stayed in Creston overnight on two occasions previously- the Easy Rider Tour 2007 and the Magical Mystery Tour 2008. There’s only one reason why I choose to stay here: First, there’s a pub called Jimmy’s that serves ice cold Kokanee beer brewed right in Creston. Second, and most important, it means that in the morning I get to ride my #1 favourite highway anywhere: the Creston- Kootenay Bay highway and the ferry ride at the end of it.

I had a few pints at Jimmy’s with some dinner and thought of how great it was going to be to ride tomorrow’s highway. I was so excited it took me awhile to fall asleep.