arrival 6:30p, 13654
Day Four started with a nice breakfast and hospitality from the Innkeeper at the All Seasons Inn in White Sulphur Springs, MT. We lolly gagged a bit because 54 degrees is just too cold to start a ride when you only have summer gear with you. Once we were on the road we only made it 30 minutes before we had to stop and warm up. We stopped in Neihart, MT. The place we originally planned to camp. I am so glad we didn't! There were serious thunderstorms the previous night with a half of inch of rain and it was about 40 degrees. Learned that from the proprietors of the General "inconvenience" Store where we stopped to defrost. They were lovely folks. They even turned on a heater for me to de-ice my fingers! Also, got to play with their dog Tip for a few minutes. A great start to the day.
Back on the road we continued to Great Falls, MT for a refuel stop. A short 158 miles later we were in St. Mary's, MT. Along the way, between Browning and St. Mary's we saw horse and cattle free range roaming along the road. It's was a bit nerve wracking to come around a curve to see a giant cow standing in the road. It was neat to look off to the side of the road and see an entire herd of cattle just hanging out in the trees. Reason numbers 123-146 why we do not ride the motorcycle at night!
In St. Mary's we entered Glacier National Park on Going to the Sun Road. Just as anticipated it was stunning. St. Mary's Lake is gorgeous. Unfortunately, all the scenic pull outs were closed for construction and we couldn't stop for any pictures. I did snap 100's on the camera from the back of the motorcycle. Once we are back home I'll upload all the links. We continued through the park and through Logan's Pass at 6647 feet elevation. Surprisingly lower in elevation than expected. This marks the Continental Divide. After the pass it was a downhill ride to the valley, McDonald Lake and parallel to a mountain creek. The water was rushing and amazingly clear. When we exited the park we stopped for ice cream and a a little rest.
The final leg of yesterday's trip brought us to Flathead Lake and a rustic (fully restored) 1935 cabin. Getting here was a trick. Really it was only the last bit from the road up the hill to the cabin that was a challenge. Ryan had to navigate the motorcycle two up, fully loaded, narrow uphill sharp right turn, from another narrow uphill road with a ditch drop off to the left on loose gravel. GO! It turned out fine and was well worth it. The sunset views are nothing short of spectacular. We are nestled in a cherry orchard with incredible views of the lake.
Today is overcast and chilly, but we are sitting on the porch of the cabin reading, blogging and relaxing. Later we plan to walk over to Yellow Bay State Park for swimming and laying on the beach. This promises to be a fantastic relaxed day to recover for the ride home.
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