Day 31 - No wild beasts but a metal one

The picture of the moon (5th picture) and the picture of the huge rock / mountain / cliff (1st picture) were taken directly from my sleeping bag in my tent late last night and early this morning. Sweet place to camp, right? And it did get cold - but those thermals did their job! And I had a great time for meditation near my camp site in the park in Montana. Very sweet! I found a place to shower and to get some breakfast only a short walk from the camp site which was perfect. A great start to the day after which I broke camp and headed towards Yellowstone National Park via Big Timber MT. My friend Dave Noll lives there and I am looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. I made it to Great Falls today so tomorrow should be a breeze. I am now out of the mountains again and back on the flat lands. I saw a big fire in the distance which actually blacked out the sky. I also saw another %#*€@ bison but fortunately this one was metal so he couldn't charge me. Welcome? You bet!! But sorry, my heart is elsewhere. Slow day on the road? Maybe. But a slow day in Montana is still a really good day!

ODO - 7215

Day 30 - Glacier National Park the relaxed approach

My first morning in Montana and all I want to do is sleep in. I rise around 9 am, shower and head out with a cup of coffee in my hand. Odd but I've noticed how hostels always seem to make good strong coffee - must be the Europeans. I head out for the west entrance to Glacier NP and just as I feared there is a line of RVs and trucks pulling huge camping trailers waiting to get in. Its a zoo today. And so as I am waiting my turn to enter I realize I had better let go of my opinion of the traffic situation and just accept what is, or else I am going to be miserable all day. And so I do. If you've ever been to this park then I'm sure you've driven the "Going to the Sun" road - a two lane road that is both an engineering marvel and an amazing drive to experience. The traffic challenged my serenity several times including once when I considered turning around and skipping the whole mess but in the end I made it through and was so glad I did. Beautiful. I then drove to Many Glaciers Lodge for a beer on the deck and then dinner. I then rode down the road to a campground for another night in my tent. It's bizarre to even be saying this on July 29th but I am glad I brought my thermals as it is getting down close to freezing tonight. But hey, it's Montana, and there's nothing wrong with Montana!

Day 29 - Montana and I have completed a goal in my life

When I meditate I visualize a safe and peaceful place. For me it is a modest, aged and small western ranch with a rickety front porch and a few failing front steps. I am sitting in my rocking chair watching over a long wide field of tall grasses with trail tracks that lead off west. A river runs in the distance, behind it a jagged and snow capped mountain range. Horses graze between a few precious tall trees to my left. The only sound I hear is a breeze carrying an occasional creak from the porch and the only smells I can smell is of the earth from the rain this morning. This is my safe place and it is in Montana. It is odd finally being here - even though this is my first time here I have always loved it. I am so happy to be here, and tomorrow I will enjoy meditating here, in Montana, for real, at home, at last. Wow! Have I already said it feels so good to be here? On the way down from Canada this morning I saw some friends fishing in a row boat on a beautiful river (they waved at me which makes them my friends). They looked happy on that boat happy and I don't think they cared one bit if they caught anything or not. I was smiling when I took the picture below. At the border crossing I thought I would be sad to leave Canada - she was so damn good to me - but I wasn't. I find myself beginning to be ready to go home. It felt very good to hear the Border Control Agent say "Welcome home" to me which surprised me. It is good to be home indeed. I drove to Kallispell, MT next to Glacier National Park (tomorrow's adventure) and found every single hotel completely full. I had a slight chance of getting a room at the local Hilton Garden Inn but the guest shows up at 10:15 pm (10:30 pm they were going to release it to me). Thankfully the bartender knew of a hostel in the mountains and she got me a room there! Thank you Sara! It was a scary night drive through thick woods and bad roads (think Stephen King) but a bright moon overhead shone overhead. I love the moon - it has always been good to me and tonight she kept me safe once again. It is a terrible room (see picture of sprinkler head installation) but it was wonderful because it was clean and secure, not a bed bug in sight (and I checked carefully). And so now I go to sleep in Montana for the first time in my life. I am happy to be here.

Day 28 - My last day in Canada

I love signs that warn me to stay in my car if I see wild animals. I especially like it when I am the only one standing in a crowd of stopped cars looking at a grizzly bear. It is times like those I especially wish Don Leonard with me (for those that don't know Don, he has a hurt foot so I could out run him!). :-) I've also realized today that I can sense rain. After a month outside on a motorcycle I can feel rain through the clouds, the wind, the smell of the soil, the temperature shifts, the change in humidity and the changing sounds (birds, rivers, etc). I am actually pretty good at it. Cool beans!!! And I also find myself much more comfortable riding in rain to the point I now enjoy it. I slow down to a safe speed and let the rains come. It feels so refreshing - almost as good as dancing in the rain. Almost, but not quite.  Anyway, I spent the morning at a laundry mat washing clothes. At first I felt guilty - I am in such a beautiful place, how can I be sitting in a laundry mat? But I remembered I am not here to sightsee, I am here to enjoy myself. And the truth is I'd rather exchange war stories from the road with my fellow travelers than explore another mountain. That said I did spend the afternoon on my bike riding and hiking. This place is beautiful! Oh Canada - I will speak of you fondly. Besides one miserable bison, you have been good to me. I will return soon.


ODO - 6402

Day 27 - The Canadian Rockies are stunning

It is about a leisurely 4 hour drive from Jasper to Banff, all within this huge National Park, almost all on 2 lane roads and almost all completely amazingly beautiful Canada. Having grown up in Europe I have always thought nothing could top the Alps but these mountains are close. Giant rock formations jutting straight up into the air with nary an ounce of soil so nothing can grow. Glaciers and ice sheets and gondolas and snow melting to bring crystal clear blue green rivers down the sides of the mountains and turn into powerful waterfalls and beautiful lakes. And they are everywhere!! No way pictures could ever capture this place. Amazing. I also like the international feel here too. Tourists like me from Europe, Africa, Asia, all over the USA and Canada. And the locals seem to actually appreciate the fact that we are here visiting! It feels like one big travelers convention or something. And Bikers - we are everywhere! Even nerdy BMW riders who are comparing sprocket sizes, gear ratios and idling RPM speeds are friendly enough. It's fun to talk with strangers, watch people having a good time and enjoying my own company. I am really enjoying the lack of an agenda and the ability to go or skip anything I want. I am finding I am more interested in riding my bike, even after 3+ weeks and over 6,000 miles than I am most anything else. I LOVE seeing this beautiful land; doing this on a motorcycle was exactly the right move. I was rained on again today and while I was squinting and hiding behind the windshield I was laughing - I love it! Damn I am enjoying this trip.

ODO - 6179

Day 25 - On the road again

Fort St John is nice enough but I don't like cities on this trip. I got out of there and hit the road around 8 am. There was a lot of construction (incl. loose gravel) so it was slow going but I got in a little over 300 miles and made it to Prince George. That was good but not great. However, there is a Harley Davidson dealer in Prince George so I can get my bike serviced tomorrow. I have close to 6,000 miles on her now and the 5,000 mile servicing is due. Lord knows I don't want my bike going out in the heat of the moment - I've had enough of that in this trip.
I passed a tractor riding along very slowly along the shoulder of the road yesterday. While the car behind me was passing him 5 seconds after me, the tractor driver suddenly turned his steering wheel sharply to the left. The car jerked to the left trying to avoid the tractor but went across the street, into the field next to the road and then flipped and rolled several times until it came to a stop In the field. I watched all of this in my rear view mirror. He was just 5 seconds behind me. Had I been going a bit slower .... Scared me and reminded me not to take anything for granted! I am sure the tractor driver had no idea what he was doing - he was a farmer and is not used to traffic. I drove very carefully the rest of the day. Trust no one on the road!

Day 26 - Jasper Alberta and back in the mountains

Ahhhhh....... Back in snow capped mountains again and back in a National Park again. Feels wonderful and looks beautiful - time to breakout the superlatives again! This morning I got my bike serviced (yeah!!) and then hit the road just before noon. Oh does Sally run smooth now - I didn't realize how loose she was running! Anyway, I hit the road, avoided the loose gravel, rode through the rain (the steam of the water hitting the hot road was thick!) and rolled into this beautiful place. And it is georgeous!! I hope to get more pictures tomorrow but ... Wow! British Columbia is just beautiful - no ifs, ands or buts. I know it has only been 3 or 4 days since I left Alaska but I have really missed the mountains. I will dig deeper into it tomorrow - glaciers, streams, snow, bison, bears, ... All the things I love about Canada. Oh and oddly enough, I ran into the German couple I met in Prince Rupert at the house with the singing hostess. It is such a small world! And I must say - I do love Sally.

ODO - 6142

Day 24 - Fort Saint John is a great escape

Last night around midnight I went to the Liard Hot Springs under the midnight sun. I got there and found about a dozen crazy folks with the same idea. I got in and it was heavenly! After a long 500+ mile ride, doing laundry until 11:00 pm and fighting vicious mosquitos (there were thousands - it was terrible!) to set up my tent, a soak in a natural really hot hot spring felt so damn good. Ahhhhhhhhhh...... Even the slight sulphur smell actually added to the enjoyment - it felt medicinal. I soaked for a long time then swam to the source spring but it was too hot to stay. So I dried off, fought the mosquitos again to gain entry to my tent and then fell asleep like a baby. When I woke up I still felt great. Fighting off the mosquitos for one last round (thank God for DEET), I hit the road around 8:30 am hoping to get in at least 400 miles. After clearing the angry bison (OMG that scared the stew out of me!) I made it about 430 miles to Fort Saint John BC. I sure do appreciate the comforts of a bigger town with restaurant, car washes, cell service and Internet. I had a good dinner and caught up on a few things then showered and I'll be in bed soon enough. One more thing is like to add. Yesterday and today were always going to be travel days to get from amazing Alaska to beautiful Jasper and Banff. While I knew I would be putting in some serious miles I didn't appreciate the fact that a) I would have quality time to think and b) just how nice and friendly the people in the backlands would be. Having 8 consecutive hours for 3 or 4 days in a row to just think about life and future, etc has been a real blessing. I am looking forward to another 8 hours tomorrow. And the locals... I guess living in the wilderness with the winters and the bison and God's green earth makes you appreciate things in a way us city folks do not. I don't know what it is but I have not felt so welcomed by such complete strangers ever before. Maybe it just that this is the closest I've been to native American (or First Nation as they call it here) culture before but I really appreciate the welcome, the generosity of spirit and the connection to the environment that the locals have. It has been a very welcome surprise.

ODO - 5558