Choteau MT
Despite
getting to bed late last night and eating a very late burger I still slept well
and awoke at a decent hour to partake in the EconoLodge continental breakfast.
While
loading Sophia I met a husband and wife that were suited up to continue their ride
on their BMW’s (at least I think they were BMW’s…I gotta learn what these bikes
look like!). They were Hal and Jeannette
Bishop…and of course, I failed to note where they were from, arrrggghhh!
And
then a few minutes later a Canadian couple stopped by to admire (secretly
laugh) the rack Sophia has J.
They were Kevin Cooper and Katherine Sabine from Alberta Canada.
Heading
out of Billings on I-90 the road presented some strong headwinds…sure made
the ride interesting. I pushed the speed
to 85 mph for the leg to exit 256 to catch the MT-69. Yes it would have been a little shorter
probably if I had taken the exit for US-287….but that seemed so lacking in
variation J.
Not
much to say about I-90…just running a slab.
But the winds and some of the views did make it interesting. MT69 was a nice road, two laned, and easy to
ride through the Montana ranches and hills. This road saved some distance as it was like
taking the hypotenuse instead of the legs of the triangle. It brought me out on I-15 heading towards
Helena and my ultimate destination of Wolf Creek. Which is where I tanked up then went one more
exit to catch the US-287 north towards St. Mary. St. Mary is the entry point to the Glacier National
Park in which the Road to the Sun is located.
This is my next ride from the Best 15 Rides in the USA. Another alternative would have been to stay
on the I-15 all the way to Shelby, considerably north of Great Falls, then head
west on US-2 into Browning, my goal for the day’s ride. But it turned out best that I didn’t take
this route.
The
287 was a good road to take. Some wind
was encountered along with a few rough spots….but overall a good road. Around 6:30pm or so I arrived in Choteau and
was concerned over being able to reach Browning, some 75 miles further, before
nightfall. Deciding to tank up I pulled
into a local food Mart/Gas Station and after refueling went into the store for
a soft drink. I noticed 4 Harley riders
sitting over to the side of the building and they looked like they were
traveling. Needing some intel, I asked
them which direction were they heading….turned out they were heading south as
they had just come from the Park through Browning. Ahh, perfect! I asked them about Browning and the availability
of motels. They highly suggested that I
get a motel in Choteau and start early in the morning to ride the Sun
Road. Seems that Browning has limited motel
facilities. With that, I went two blocks
away and got a room at the Alta Vista mom and pop, park your bike at the door motel
and got a room. Dinner was a well-dressed
sandwich with chips and a coke….(my diet is going more south as I head north!).
While unloading
Sophia two more bikers from AZ rolled in to the motel.
JB was on an Ultra Classic and his friend Yoda was riding one of these
highly aerodynamic models made by Victory Motorcycles. They are both vets, belong to a Vet MC out of
NM and are heading to the west coast to ride the PCH south out of
Monterrey. Along their way out there
they wanted to bag the Road to the Sun.
Returning to the room later with my sandwich I saw them walking
along the road to the café so we chatted briefly and they told me of a
breakfast spot for us in the AM.
About
an hour later I’m sitting in my hotel room’s easy chair working on the blogs and chatting
on the phone with my brother, when there is a heavy hand thumping on my door! Some guy is standing out there looking
totally bent out of shape! Hmmm, I opened
the door and this guy starts yelling at me, “You gotta move your bikes outa my
parking spot…I’ve been working hard all day and I get here to my room and your
bikes are in my spot!!”
I
couldn’t believe this nuthead. So I
calmly explained to him that those weren’t my bikes…Mine in in front of my room
under the window. “Well where are your
friends? I’ve been banging on their door
and they’re not here. You MF’s just get in from Sturgis? I’ve seen you guys all
over the place!”
“Whoa! That’s enough big guy…and why are you
yelling? Like I said, these aren’t my
bikes, they aren’t my friends, and you can walk down to the café and discuss it
with them.” Fortunately, end of
conversation because I wasn’t sure how much more of his infantile tirade I was
going to tolerate. That was my
excitement for the evening.
A
quick check of the weather channel didn’t tell me much. Decided to call it a night and took a shower.
Yeah,
and as usual, I took my blade and hatchet out of my duffel bag, unsheathed them,
set them nearby and then went to sleep…sometimes there are worse things than
bear and snake out here in the wild.
C ya mañana,Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761
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