Mounting Mountaina...

[GatorTiger]

The view is stunning!! The following pics go fromleft to the right. Maybe someone with more time than me right now can stitch them together (just replace the M with an O (not zero!) in the link and you will get the original) to make a panorama

I downloaded a trial version of PTgui. Easy as cake!!!! Since it is a trial version it leaves many watermarks in the final panorama. So after cutting them out here is what the view looked like:







Along with the feel of the wind and all up there it gives me goosebumps all over again!!!  :lol:

[GatorTiger]

Well, it's a bit after breakfast  :? but I had to screw with the bike first. Like I mentioned before the speedometer keeps going to zero in mid-speed. I think I have it traked down to an electrical problem (short or something) and went in to see if any of the insulation was rubbed through, but couldn't find anything...   I added some electrical tape to some cables just in case and will see what happens... I will 'play' locally today...

[GatorTiger]

Galcier National Park! Only a 3 hour hop north of Helena! Peace of cake!  :smt068  :smt059



Anyway... Glaciers! Ice! Cold!  :idea: Liners!!!! So I packed them before I left at 7am. Blue Skies! Big ones!!  8) And a crisp temperature! Luvvelly! Off I go... On half a tank of gas... Enough for about 100 miles at least... But as the  needle dropped into the red and with me switching out tanks for the re-paint a few weeks back I was not comfy with that and wanted to gas up. And for some reason stations are few and far between as soon as you leave urban areas. I pulled into Blackfoot and found "Gas and Services" here:









The Inn is gas station, hotel, store, and garage all in one! Quaint!  :P The pump was so old it couldn't even handle today's gas prices. So they halved the amount per gallon on the pump itself and manually doubled it when you paid. Hi tech!  :smt023 I took the chance and put the liner in, since I was a BIT chilled in the summer-setup...



I got into Kalispell at around 11am to check out some outfitter stores for dry duffels, but couldn't find what I was looking for... :(  So I stopped at a local diner (non-chain!) to have something to eat. They were still serving breakfast!  :D So I had me a nice omelette! Yummy!!!  :smt023



Then it was off to the parks west entrance. The scenery up to Kalispell was kinda bland in a way, but aproaching Glacier Park changed that:





The true GatorTiger stands out quite nicely  8)





This shot reminds me of home (not Georgia - that other country in Europe - forgot the name right now...  :twisted: )





There is something about mountains and water at the same time! Spritiual I'd say





And despite having a GPS (only a compass - go navy!!!  :D ) I knew exactly where I was (unlike Ewan and Charley)





Getting closer...





I have arrived!!!!! Yeeehaa!!!





Now it came time to buy the ticket. I had already planned on getting the yearly pass. So I got in line. Murphy showed me which one...  :? I had the talkative ranger. Not only was she conversational with me when I got there, but also to the ones in front of me... And it was hot!!! Remember: I had the liner in! I was sweating faster than the glaciers were melting!! Man!!! :roll:



So I finally pull out of the gate into the park when this HUMONGOUS moose jumped out of the woods about 30 feet away from me and stared at me. I stopped and grabbed the camera, but before I even had it out of the pocket the moose did a 180 and vanished back in the woods again. Guess it got spooked by too much orange!!!  8)



Since no one is allowed to stop anywhere on the road except for in turn-outs I had to do the ole 'drive-by-shooting' again. Here are some of the results:













The views are absolutely breathtaking!!!! Can't capture them in a single photo!



But damage to the forest is also evident like this one from the last fires:





Rant on:

Unfortunately acid rain damage is also all over the place. And along with the fact that the glaciers are melting faster than ever before anyone that believes man is NOT responsible or at least contributing enormously in global heating is either ignoRANT or plain ole (--censored--)! Yes it is a natural cycle of the earth, but it's happening faster than EVER before! Strange that it coincides with the industrialization of many nations, isn't it?

Rant off...



Where was I? Oh yes, earth's beauty...  8)





One could get sensory overkill here





Next to the river you can see the road that I came on



to reach this extremely beautiful view:

:smt060



Did I mention recently that I love that bike??? Well, now I did...  :)



Not really glaciers, but some of the snow is still there (it was in the 70s when I came through!!) and comes down to the road:





Mountain wildlife:





That guy was strolling around as if it was TOTALLY unphased by all the tourists... I talked to a lady that was stopped and she said that a couple of hours earlier they had to stop for a bear in the middle of the street. It was just standing there, waiting for its two cubs to pass the road. Not something I necessarily would like to see being there on the bike!  :smt107



Pressing on... Logan Pass:







People were running around in shorts an T-shirt it was that warm. I took the opp and donned my liners, too... Ahhhh! Air!!!!!  8)



Jackson Glacier (or what's left of it...)





On the way out to the east exit





When I came back to the bike after taking this picture I saw a couple of guys standing around a HD doing something... I went over to ask if they need help, tools, or beer... Come to find out the one rider had a fall when the car in front of him suddenly stopped and he slipped on the gravel. His bike didn't suffer (except for very badly scratched crash bars), but his hands did. He had no helmet on and was wearing those open gloves (that only cover the palm and leave out the fingers). Guess what they were doing when I got there? Peeling the gravel out of the fingers were the gloves didn't cover them and taping them up!! I rather sweat because of ATGATT as opposed to search for gravel in my skin spank you very much!!!



Back to the report...



At the east gate you could get on one of these to tour the pass and take pics:





Cute!  - - - And Now I need red meat...  8)



Out of the park and off on the way back to Helena... Since this is dinosaur country the have some "taxidermed" in some villages





As soon as you get out of the park the plains start again. A difference like night and day... Yet there is always the view of the rockies behind that! What must have the settlers been thinking when they saw that wall after weeks of plains back then?? Wow!





This little guy got spooked by the orange beast also, but I got a bit of him still





There is deer EVERYWHERE here! A-mazing!!



But: there also views EVERYWHERE!!! B-mazing!!!  8) The further south one gets the "hillier" it becomes. I got me some stitching software (PTGui trial - still leaves watermarks so I had to cut the pic a bit) and did some panorama stuff:







I'm still bedating if I should shell out the $80 to get a licence... Of all the programs I tried it works the easiest and has the most possibilities...  :-s



Anyway... I got back to the hotel about 12 hours after I left. It was a wonderful, yet draining day... Sunday is now for local discoveries and R&R...



Maybe Bill does another ride this week!!!!!  :D



To be continueth...

[Tri2Fly]

Nice pictures.  Another place I have to get to.



Thanks,

RR

[GatorTiger]

Nice pictures.  Another place I have to get to.

Lot's of nice riding up here!!!!! More report with more panoramas coming up...  :D

[GatorTiger]

Well, before I begin, here are the maps of my previous rides (forgot them earlier)



Wednesday ride with Bill:





Yesterday's Glacier Park tour:





Now I'm up to date...  

[wonko the sane]

Next to the river you can see the road that I came on





Wha?...



Did I mention recently that I love that bike??? Well, now I did...  :)



Ahh...



Well alrighty then. :twisted:

[GatorTiger]

So today I wanted to take it easy. I slept in long and updated my trip report. Then I worked on the bike some to check out that pesky speedo cable... Looks like a new one needs to fitted



To balance the bad news on that I wanted to check out the Gates to the Mountains area north of town. Here is my total route to follow along:





As I turn off the interstate and headed towards the recreational area (#2) under the same name I'm greeted with this as I come over a little hilltop



WOW!  :shock:



Further down that hill I come across this:



Do they look nervous to you or is it just me??? Must be my orange beast and not me, though... :twisted:



Evidently Lewis named this place like that in his journals





One can get on a tour boat and get a guided tour of the whole lake. It has several stops. So if you wanted to can get off on an island (literally!! :roll: ) and take one of the next ones back... Sweet! One of my coworkers took the tour yesterday and said it was awesome!! I wonder if she took that island stop...



But I wanted to explore via two wheels! So back to the interstate, one exit north, off on "Recreational Road" (#3) and paralleling I-15 for a few miles. Mountainhugging!!! G-r-e-a-t!!!  :D



Just before I cross over a metal bridge I turn right on a little dirt road toward Holter Dam. It ends up in a little camping area (#5) at the base of the dam. Oh well... Not very exciting...



So back I go, cross the bridge to get to the other side and immediately turn right again. I go over the little hilltop (I feel deja-vu coming on!!) and am greeted with this:





Note the spot! I will take a pic in the other direction soon! The road stayed paved for a while, but soon turns into gravel and hugs both mountain and lake like this:



 :shock:

Guess what side of the road I stayed on... And here is the spot I was talking about:



You can see the road going up the hill on the left side of the pic. Where it vanishes over the top is the spot from where I took the last panorama...



And more lake:





As I was leaving the lake I look back



and forward





I enter the wild wild management area





A little further down I see a road sign:





The road seems to be getting rougher... And again the hilltop does it to me:





But this time it pulls something else on me, this:





It doesn't look that steep at first, but got progressively so... A car comes the opposite way with a couple inside. I guess they just got done enjoying the seclusion...  :smt057 They looked at me as if I was crazy! Maybe I was! The road got steeper and I was by myself. And to top it off I had left my cellphone at home! Sono stupido!! So I find a somewhat level spot and turn around (#7). When I see this I feel relieved:

[img]http://gatortiger.smugmug.com/photos/77764372-M.jpg[img]



On the way home I pass through a flock of those damn bugs. Don't know what they're called, but it sounded like a drumroll when they hit me. At least 10 or so hit my face shield...  :roll: What a mess!!! But other than that I made it back to Helena without trouble. And yes, I have to admit that I washed the cat when I came back. Don't want to have bugsh*t ruin my paint job!!  



This trip ain't over yet! Let's see what will pop up this week...



To be continueth...

[GatorTiger]

Well alrighty then. :twisted:

Some people have a sick mind!!!!  :boozer

























































I like you already!!!!  :smt023

[wasions]

My brother recently moved to Kalispell.  I guess the little fella deserves a visit.   8)

[wonko the sane]

This report keeps getting better and better.



Great job!

[BULLman]

This report keeps getting better and better.



Great job!

diito :!:  :!:  :!:

[jmoonx14]

Fantastic report. I will attempt to track my progress half as well on my upcoming Colorado trip. Too bad it won't be semi-live like this as it's a camp only but for a few spots. Most will have to wait til the return.



What a journey. Keep it comin'!

[GatorTiger]

Well, I just got home today... Good to be back! Had 3 days of veeeeeery hot riding!!! Temp hot!!! Well in the 100s on Friday and Saturday. 90s today... I think I downed 3 gallons of Gatorade and water each day...



Currently I'm working on some panorama pics. And since my wife also wants to have a piece of me I won't get much reporting done any more. But stand by! More to come...  8)



To be continueth...

[GatorTiger]

Well, all things have an end, only sausages have two...



So this trip has to come to and end... After all work related activities this week it was time for me to go home. Work was done early on Thursday, so I decided to leave early and get some miles in before I did the scenic part of the return trip.



I was told that I-15 south going to Butt-e was pretty pretty so I decided to go down that route (cough)... After a short while the weather ahead looked like this:





So I decided to take a left on MT-69 (what is going on with all those innuendos here?? Dang!!) and tried to outrun it. I only got a few RAIN-drops on me and started heading east on I-90. The weather was following me:





Here is a better shot of what the big skies wanted to drop on me:







But I made it and stayed ahead... Rain would have given me some coolness, though. It was hot (90s)... I rode until I was tired and stayed in Gillette, WY for the night. The scenic part was coming up on Friday.



To be continueth...