Day Four - July 10th
The days just keep getting more interesting. I actually was so tired last night that I forget a bunch of things from yesterday, first I was working on this sight until 130am and forgot that the girl working the counter at the Cottonwood Inn, her name was Karlee. She was a young thing and as everyone knows I have a Carly of my own, I told her that all Carlys are cute, I think she was blushing. No Carley is cuter than mine though.
Things that bring back great memories, yesterday we stopped for a little afternoon schnack at a place called the Old Town something or other in Wolf Point Montana. When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was the red phones at all the tables. The phones worked and they were used to order your food right to the kitchen. Please see Tom getting his order on for some mashed potatoes. I was so moved by these red courtesy phones, that I started asking the girls if they really worked and they assured me they did. I find this VERY amusing because in Bloomington where my family grew up, there was a place called Kip's that had these phones. I called my brother right from the table and told him about the phones. He said that when he and his girlfriend used to order at Kip's they argue about who is going to place the order. His girlfriend says she will pay and but that my brother has to place the order because she hates talking on the phone, they can hear their own voice in the kitchen as they are ordering from the table.
Something we noticed about traveling out west. They sure move alot of large things out here. The highways west of Minnesota were packed with semis carrying absolutely massive pieces of equipment. They were so many "over-sized" loads I lost count. Semis with double and triple trailers. The rail system is also alive and well here. The tracks ran parralel with the highways and by-ways in many spots and on several occasions we watched trains that were three to five miles long - unbelievable!
We also know who is feeding America. We must have ridden through millions and millions of acres of wheat fields. Everywhere you look they are cutting and bailing hay and straw. These are the big huge round bundles that must be six feet tall.
Maybe it was just me, but I think we saw and smelled more dead skunks than one person should encounter. We also lost count of the little white crosses we saw in the ditch line. All the crosses were exactly the same and they represented traffic fatalities. It made us think about our own safety and mortality on the roads where the speed limit is 75 mph.
Also these are REAL cowboys out here. We had stopped for a bite to eat when we met Billy Morgan. He used to cowboy in Cody Wyoming, but was interviewing for a job on a farm just down a road from where we met him. When I asked what being a cowboy meant out here,he said that meant out riding the range castrating cows, ear tagging, giving shots and the like. Note to self....pretending to be a cowboy is much more glamorous. He also mentioned that he lost a friend to a Rodeo accident in Jackson Hole about three weeks ago.
Things that bring back great memories, yesterday we stopped for a little afternoon schnack at a place called the Old Town something or other in Wolf Point Montana. When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was the red phones at all the tables. The phones worked and they were used to order your food right to the kitchen. Please see Tom getting his order on for some mashed potatoes. I was so moved by these red courtesy phones, that I started asking the girls if they really worked and they assured me they did. I find this VERY amusing because in Bloomington where my family grew up, there was a place called Kip's that had these phones. I called my brother right from the table and told him about the phones. He said that when he and his girlfriend used to order at Kip's they argue about who is going to place the order. His girlfriend says she will pay and but that my brother has to place the order because she hates talking on the phone, they can hear their own voice in the kitchen as they are ordering from the table.
Something we noticed about traveling out west. They sure move alot of large things out here. The highways west of Minnesota were packed with semis carrying absolutely massive pieces of equipment. They were so many "over-sized" loads I lost count. Semis with double and triple trailers. The rail system is also alive and well here. The tracks ran parralel with the highways and by-ways in many spots and on several occasions we watched trains that were three to five miles long - unbelievable!
We also know who is feeding America. We must have ridden through millions and millions of acres of wheat fields. Everywhere you look they are cutting and bailing hay and straw. These are the big huge round bundles that must be six feet tall.
Maybe it was just me, but I think we saw and smelled more dead skunks than one person should encounter. We also lost count of the little white crosses we saw in the ditch line. All the crosses were exactly the same and they represented traffic fatalities. It made us think about our own safety and mortality on the roads where the speed limit is 75 mph.
Also these are REAL cowboys out here. We had stopped for a bite to eat when we met Billy Morgan. He used to cowboy in Cody Wyoming, but was interviewing for a job on a farm just down a road from where we met him. When I asked what being a cowboy meant out here,he said that meant out riding the range castrating cows, ear tagging, giving shots and the like. Note to self....pretending to be a cowboy is much more glamorous. He also mentioned that he lost a friend to a Rodeo accident in Jackson Hole about three weeks ago.
Fellow Lovers of the Road
As we were packing the bikes in preparation of our daily ritual, we met these great folks. This is Jim and Barb and they are from Frankenstein or Frankenmuth Michigan. We talked with Jim while Barb readied herself. Jim was on his way home from Glacier National Park and we was also pulling a trailer which he mentioned he bought in Champaign Illinois. I am starting to think a trailer is a good idea...who would have thought we would pack so much on a bike that we would need to tote an apartment on wheels. I love to over pack and am certain I will be trailer owner someday.
Did You Know..
Did you know that Highway 2 in Montana is one of the most sought after bicycling roads in the United States. We must have counted 150-200 people riding bicycles across this desolate stretch of road, there were so many we thought there was a race. These bikers were out riding hundreds of miles. Toting their camping gear, spare parts and what ever else they could carry. This guy takes the cake though. We had stopped for breakfast at the Raider Gas Station, some po dunk looking place, when Hiro Igarashi (pronounced Hero and that he is) approached us and asked to take a picture of the head. We chatted him up and guess what...Hiro has been on his bicycle since April 1st of this year. He departed from San Francisco, then headed for San Diego, then rode the whole southern part of the US all the way to the Florida Keyes, then to New York, Niagra Falls across Pennsylvania, Detroit into Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and we met him here in Montana. We were stunned, we talked about him all day long.
This trip he has logged 9000 plus miles, used 9 tires and said his favorite part was Chicago and Milwaukee. I felt compelled to ask his age, he was 47. I can't ride my bike to the neighbors without getting winded. When I asked him the worst part he said Louisiana. He said the bugs were huge, the alligators were scary and the people were mean. I think you should send him a note and and let him know you saw him here first! He can be found somewhere on Hwy 2 or at ehigarashi@gmail.com
This trip he has logged 9000 plus miles, used 9 tires and said his favorite part was Chicago and Milwaukee. I felt compelled to ask his age, he was 47. I can't ride my bike to the neighbors without getting winded. When I asked him the worst part he said Louisiana. He said the bugs were huge, the alligators were scary and the people were mean. I think you should send him a note and and let him know you saw him here first! He can be found somewhere on Hwy 2 or at ehigarashi@gmail.com
Running Scared
We were getting close to the Canada border and we had been talking to friends and knew we did not want to risk getting into trouble for something silly so we decided to get rid of things we thought might get us into trouble. I unloaded the few cold beers that we always have handy for the sweltering heat and placed them on the ground near the gas pump. I had written a note that said.."Please take these ice cold beers as a random act of kindness as we don't want unnecessary attention at the border". We went inside and enjoyed the air condition, washed up and upon our return I noticed a car load of "young" people who were sniffing out the beer. My conscious got the better of me when I noticed this very nice and appreciative gal pumping gas. Her name was Bridgette and in her car was her very cute dog Sadie. They were on their way to the Marias River for the afternoon. I presented her with the ceremonial bud lites in a can and the official note accompanying the offer. Away she went. Enjoy the river Bridgette.
Tommy said that he should probably get rid of the brand new can of eight dollar mace that he had purchased prior to our departure. I looked over just in time to see him take it out of his pocket and spray it into the air right in front of his face as if he were sniffing fine cologne. He began to sneeze and cough immediately, I could not help to laugh out loud, I said what are you doing and he said....I dont know. Enjoy the mace PBT! We had a few laughs about that one over dinner.
Tommy said that he should probably get rid of the brand new can of eight dollar mace that he had purchased prior to our departure. I looked over just in time to see him take it out of his pocket and spray it into the air right in front of his face as if he were sniffing fine cologne. He began to sneeze and cough immediately, I could not help to laugh out loud, I said what are you doing and he said....I dont know. Enjoy the mace PBT! We had a few laughs about that one over dinner.
Are We There Yet
Well we eventually made our way into Canada at about 5pm mountain time. We entered at the 24 hour Canadian Border Crossing at Sweet Grass Montana. It looked like a military installation and the process was very uneventful and took about 45 seconds once we got to the window. They asked us what we were doing there and I said I was there to illegally traffic Canadians back to the US in my luggage and Tommy said he was there to launder American money. We were allowed to pass. Thank God we got the crabbiest agent possible at the only open gate. We asked for a stamp in our passports and he loving replied, we dont have stamps, you are free to go. Must have been shift change at the border.
Fort Macleod - Alberta Canada
We arrived in Fort Macleod, about 80 miles south of Calgary and had the BEST food of the trip and the BEST service that I can recall ever. This is Amanda our server at Luigis where we enjoyed one of our favorite parts of the day. Amanda was full of great information. She gave us the scenic way to travel tomorrow and we are going to take her advice and head towards Crows Nest Pass to Route 22. From there another couple, Kim and his wife, who own a horse ranch near the restaurant, gave us more great tips on side roads and scenic routes.
I was curious about the winters there and she said because of the chi nooks ( I had to ask too) that they will actually have a brown Christmas and you can see the grass. Chinooks are the warm winds that come throughout the winter and heat up the area. She also said that in the winter that Crows Nest Pass is the one of the most dangerous places for snowmobile accidents. As luck would have it, the same chi nooks make for great avalanche weather. Avalanches in this area have killed 16 snowmobile-rs in the last 2 years. One avalanche in 2008 killed 8 people, all from the same town. Amanda thanks for a great meal and great info.
I was curious about the winters there and she said because of the chi nooks ( I had to ask too) that they will actually have a brown Christmas and you can see the grass. Chinooks are the warm winds that come throughout the winter and heat up the area. She also said that in the winter that Crows Nest Pass is the one of the most dangerous places for snowmobile accidents. As luck would have it, the same chi nooks make for great avalanche weather. Avalanches in this area have killed 16 snowmobile-rs in the last 2 years. One avalanche in 2008 killed 8 people, all from the same town. Amanda thanks for a great meal and great info.
At the Base of the Rockies
We landed at the DJ motel in Fort Macleod and to give you a picture of the kind of place, the room keys are on the old time diamond shaped plastic key chains with a traditional key....yes! The room is very clean and the price was right and there are two king sized beds in here and the air condition is chilling us quite nicely. We can see the mountains from our room and we are jacked about tomorrow. We are about 1600 miles into this and the next few days in the Canadian Rockies will be gorgeous. Below are a few random photos with captions, click on the pictures to read the captions.