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- Thread starter Tourmeister
- Start date
if your near Craig colorado on the east end of town of highway 40 is a city park with over 25 years of wood carving statues , quite impressive , also scattered all over town are plenty more , that appears to be a rather popular hobby in this part of the country , I love to admire the talent but have no desire to try it . 75 miles west of there in Browns park where Utah , colorado and Wyoming meet is another swing bridge that crosses the green river north of Dinosaurs national park . That one you drive across . A ranchers tractor fell through it and closed it for several years so I didn’t get to cross it when I was out there . It was rebuilt but didn’t open untill after I left that country . Just so happened the tractor belonged to the county commissioner and weighed over twice what the bridge limit was . Loving your adventure .
Right now, Texas T is staring at his woodworking tools and drooling all over himself.
And I'm looking at maps and taking notes,,,,come on back healing!!!
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Day twenty four, Tuesday, September 5th.
With nowhere to be, we slept in. I think we got up around 11:30am. Food was a first priority, so we got dressed and decided to go walkies. The first thing we did was check out the local ACE Hardware. It was awesome. I don't know why, but we had a lot of fun just going up and down the aisles looking at all the cool stuff they had. At the end of the little shopping center was a small cafe. We bopped in to grab lunch. They made the chocolate milk from scratch and the waitresses put a LOT of syrup in there! The kids approved, and had several
The food was typical greasy spoon diner fare.
The wood carving guys told us they'd be doing some work in town if we wanted to come by and check it out. We were wandering all over the place trying to find them without success. We eventually ended up at a McDonald's to enjoy the AC and a cold drink. While sitting there we watched 7 HUGE fat turkeys wander across a street and into someone's yard. I asked a few locals if they knew where to find the carvers. They were clueless. We engaged in some google fu and I found an article about it that mentioned where it might be and we headed that way to see what we could find. We still ended up wandering all over the place, checking out cool houses, lots of old cars and trucks, saw some deer in yards, saw another flock of fat turkeys, and eventually found the carving guys... right as they were finishing up for the day and putting all the stuff away We headed over to where the carvers get to select their trees for the contest from a lot of tree sections that had been laid out. I believe they said it was first come, first served, regarding who gets what. Then, once they find the trees they like, they mark them so no one else will try to pick them. We also ended up in a little curio shop next to the trees. This place was quite interesting and the lady working there was exceptionally enthusiastic about showing us all kinds of cool stuff. Her family had been in the area for a very long time and she had a LOT of historical artifacts from the area. We eventually bugged out of there and decided to wander over to the Kootenai River. There was a nice city park on the bank of the river right where the highway bridge crossed over the river. We ended up down by the water sitting on rocks and soaking our feet. There was an eagle flying over the river looking for fish. It would pull up and literally hover in place, then fold its wings to start a dive. But every single time it started a dive, it would abort and pull back up into another hover. Daniel was trying to get a video of it catching a fish, but it never did make a full dive into the water. It just kept working its way down stream diving, hovering, diving, hovering... When I couldn't feel my feet any longer I dried them off and put my shoes back on. That always feels really good. We worked our way back toward the hotel, zigging and zagging through some neighborhoods, cutting across the rail road, tracks and eventually crossing the highway, arriving back at the hotel around 5:00pm or so. I think we ended up walking for over five hours. I was actually feeling pretty good despite the amount of walking we had been doing!
We had dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. While walking across the road, Daniel spotted a few rabbits back behind a real estate office. Then, the more we started looking, we started noticing rabbits all over the place! There were solid white ones, solid black ones, but no spotted or grey ones
There were a LOT of baby rabbits as well, all black or all white as well. As we walked back over toward the restaurant, we noticed even more. We asked a waitress about it and she said someone had them as pets at one time and they escaped. Now they were everywhere. After dinner I headed for the hot tub with Sarah for a good soaking. We ran into Rick and Dorothy again, a couple that are both 81. They were here the night before as well. They come to the hotel every night to do water exercises and their health insurance pays for it. They have lived here for 41 years. He has a business fixing and selling RVs. He is also a big HAM nut, but he only does Morse code, at the rate of 200 letters per minute! He's been doing it for over 60 years. We chatted until the hotel lady showed up to run us off so they could lock up the pool for the night. They were a really cool couple. We headed to the room for the evening. I banged out a few days of reports and uploaded more pics. It was a fun and relaxing day. Tomorrow we would be heading North on a road of unknown quality. According to some, it would be super easy. According to others, it would be rough and nasty. There was nothing to do but go see for ourselves...
Very pleased with the amount of chocolate syrup used to make her chocolate milk!
I'm confident no amount of extra syrup will get it any darker and still have milk in it.
Libby claims the moniker, "City of Eagles". They are everywhere in town.
Reminds me of P.S. 39 in Staten Island where I did 5th grade. They had windows in schools back then and they were a little less like prisons in terms of their architectural style. Schools today are bland and depressing. This one was closed, probably for good, so it can be replaced with some boring and uninspiring building
There is just no end to the number of cool old vehicles around here!
Cool buildings and homes abound as well
I asked what year it was, the answer was, "It's already sold!"
Not sure of the year on this, but it was in amazingly good condition!
"Ram tough!" Remember those commercials?
I wonder if they would have called it something like Longhorn or Bull Herder if it were sold in Texas...?
Parked outside the local VFW hall
Politically incorrect trademark alert!!
This guy gets around. We saw him all over town.
More turkeys. I think the locals got a a big kick out of watching us watching the turkeys
No clue. Inch or so in diameter. Did not taste them...
Outside the local body shop
We finally found the carving guys. They were already done for the day One let us look in his trailer.
This is the guy originally from Czechoslovakia but has lived in Washington for the last 16 years. Daniel REALLY liked his F 350! Tell him the old dude with his two kids on motorcycles sent you to him!
Tools of the trade, all different sizes and types of bars.
This is where they come to pick which pieces of wood they want to use. First come, first serve apparently.
Must be the more responsible brother of the dude making the withdrawal from the bank...
There was a really nice city park right on the river. We hung out there for a while because it was just such a nice place!
It was COLD! It made the veins on my feet bulge
But it felt good. The funky camera angle makes my feet and ankles look really swollen. They weren't.
The rabbit whisperer trying to work his magic...
Sculptures are everywhere in this town
Cool clouds on the West side of town
I stepped outside to get a shot without the glare of the window I was shooting through in the first few shots
With nowhere to be, we slept in. I think we got up around 11:30am. Food was a first priority, so we got dressed and decided to go walkies. The first thing we did was check out the local ACE Hardware. It was awesome. I don't know why, but we had a lot of fun just going up and down the aisles looking at all the cool stuff they had. At the end of the little shopping center was a small cafe. We bopped in to grab lunch. They made the chocolate milk from scratch and the waitresses put a LOT of syrup in there! The kids approved, and had several
The food was typical greasy spoon diner fare.The wood carving guys told us they'd be doing some work in town if we wanted to come by and check it out. We were wandering all over the place trying to find them without success. We eventually ended up at a McDonald's to enjoy the AC and a cold drink. While sitting there we watched 7 HUGE fat turkeys wander across a street and into someone's yard. I asked a few locals if they knew where to find the carvers. They were clueless. We engaged in some google fu and I found an article about it that mentioned where it might be and we headed that way to see what we could find. We still ended up wandering all over the place, checking out cool houses, lots of old cars and trucks, saw some deer in yards, saw another flock of fat turkeys, and eventually found the carving guys... right as they were finishing up for the day and putting all the stuff away
We headed over to where the carvers get to select their trees for the contest from a lot of tree sections that had been laid out. I believe they said it was first come, first served, regarding who gets what. Then, once they find the trees they like, they mark them so no one else will try to pick them. We also ended up in a little curio shop next to the trees. This place was quite interesting and the lady working there was exceptionally enthusiastic about showing us all kinds of cool stuff. Her family had been in the area for a very long time and she had a LOT of historical artifacts from the area. We eventually bugged out of there and decided to wander over to the Kootenai River. There was a nice city park on the bank of the river right where the highway bridge crossed over the river. We ended up down by the water sitting on rocks and soaking our feet. There was an eagle flying over the river looking for fish. It would pull up and literally hover in place, then fold its wings to start a dive. But every single time it started a dive, it would abort and pull back up into another hover. Daniel was trying to get a video of it catching a fish, but it never did make a full dive into the water. It just kept working its way down stream diving, hovering, diving, hovering... When I couldn't feel my feet any longer I dried them off and put my shoes back on. That always feels really good. We worked our way back toward the hotel, zigging and zagging through some neighborhoods, cutting across the rail road, tracks and eventually crossing the highway, arriving back at the hotel around 5:00pm or so. I think we ended up walking for over five hours. I was actually feeling pretty good despite the amount of walking we had been doing!We had dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. While walking across the road, Daniel spotted a few rabbits back behind a real estate office. Then, the more we started looking, we started noticing rabbits all over the place! There were solid white ones, solid black ones, but no spotted or grey ones
There were a LOT of baby rabbits as well, all black or all white as well. As we walked back over toward the restaurant, we noticed even more. We asked a waitress about it and she said someone had them as pets at one time and they escaped. Now they were everywhere. After dinner I headed for the hot tub with Sarah for a good soaking. We ran into Rick and Dorothy again, a couple that are both 81. They were here the night before as well. They come to the hotel every night to do water exercises and their health insurance pays for it. They have lived here for 41 years. He has a business fixing and selling RVs. He is also a big HAM nut, but he only does Morse code, at the rate of 200 letters per minute! He's been doing it for over 60 years. We chatted until the hotel lady showed up to run us off so they could lock up the pool for the night. They were a really cool couple. We headed to the room for the evening. I banged out a few days of reports and uploaded more pics. It was a fun and relaxing day. Tomorrow we would be heading North on a road of unknown quality. According to some, it would be super easy. According to others, it would be rough and nasty. There was nothing to do but go see for ourselves...Very pleased with the amount of chocolate syrup used to make her chocolate milk!
I'm confident no amount of extra syrup will get it any darker and still have milk in it.
Libby claims the moniker, "City of Eagles". They are everywhere in town.
Reminds me of P.S. 39 in Staten Island where I did 5th grade. They had windows in schools back then and they were a little less like prisons in terms of their architectural style. Schools today are bland and depressing. This one was closed, probably for good, so it can be replaced with some boring and uninspiring building
There is just no end to the number of cool old vehicles around here!
Cool buildings and homes abound as well
I asked what year it was, the answer was, "It's already sold!"
Not sure of the year on this, but it was in amazingly good condition!
"Ram tough!" Remember those commercials?
I wonder if they would have called it something like Longhorn or Bull Herder if it were sold in Texas...?
Parked outside the local VFW hall
Politically incorrect trademark alert!!
This guy gets around. We saw him all over town.
More turkeys. I think the locals got a a big kick out of watching us watching the turkeys
No clue. Inch or so in diameter. Did not taste them...
Outside the local body shop
We finally found the carving guys. They were already done for the day
One let us look in his trailer.This is the guy originally from Czechoslovakia but has lived in Washington for the last 16 years. Daniel REALLY liked his F 350! Tell him the old dude with his two kids on motorcycles sent you to him!
Tools of the trade, all different sizes and types of bars.
This is where they come to pick which pieces of wood they want to use. First come, first serve apparently.
Must be the more responsible brother of the dude making the withdrawal from the bank...
There was a really nice city park right on the river. We hung out there for a while because it was just such a nice place!
It was COLD! It made the veins on my feet bulge
But it felt good. The funky camera angle makes my feet and ankles look really swollen. They weren't.The rabbit whisperer trying to work his magic...
Sculptures are everywhere in this town
Cool clouds on the West side of town
I stepped outside to get a shot without the glare of the window I was shooting through in the first few shots
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Libby, Montana... Town of asbestos and vermiculite mining.
RedPill
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The fruit on the tree look like crabapples to me. But I haven't seen them in many years.
By the way, your kids are beautiful. So glad you got to do this trip.
By the way, your kids are beautiful. So glad you got to do this trip.
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Day twenty five, Wednesday, September 6th
Libby, MT., to Eureka, MT.
We actually managed to get up at a decent time and get on the bikes. It was another cold morning! We headed North out of Libby on Hwy 37 and just over the river hopped on Hwy 567 heading North towards Yaak. The deer were everywhere!! Wwe had to keep our speed reasonable and our eyes sharp! The road was awesome. It was a narrow paved two lane road with the trees coming right up to the edge of the road, so no room for mistakes. It twisted through the woods following the South Fork Yaak River. Sarah got out front early when Daniel and I stopped for pictures and to shed a few layers as it warmed up a bit. She was waiting for us near the Yaak Tavern. We continued North on the Yaak River Road and it only got better in terms of fun riding and great scenery, especially once the road turned to the East, roughly paralleling the U.S.-Canadian border which was only a few miles away. There was a short section where frost heaves made the road surface rise and fall pretty quickly and they could be a serious surprise if we weren't paying attention! Other than that, the pavement was excellent! There were some surprises though, like a tree in the road midway around a blind corner!! Riding conservatively enabled us to react in time to avoid it. Just past the last set of switchbacks on the East end we stopped at a forest service restroom and there was a cool creek and small camping area. While there we met a nice couple, Pat and Myron, from Whitefish, MT., riding a super clean and nice Honda Valkyrie. After visiting with them a while we crossed the Koocanusa Reservoir and headed for Eureka. We cut across Pinkham Creek and Othorp Lake roads. These were super nice paved roads with beautiful homes everywhere. In Eureka we grabbed gas and lunch, reserved a hotel room on the North end of town. When I pulled up in front of the hotel I started getting skeptical concerns from the kids about whether or not we were really going to stay in this place. They were not impressed with the outside of it. I spotted an open door where a lady was cleaning one of the rooms and asked her if it would be okay for me to take a peek inside. She was fine with that. The rooms were not fancy and the bathroom fixtures looked old, but it was all clean. I assured the kids it would be fine as I had stayed in far worse places on many adventures. Besides, it was only $100 per night!
With our room secured, we dumped our heavy gear and headed back across the reservoir to run a loop down to the dam and then back up MT 37. The West side road shows as FS-228 on my maps, but there was a scenic byway sign. I originally thought it would be dirt, but it was excellent pavement!! We saw one other bike and no other vehicles the entire time we were on this road. It was so nice that once we reached the dam on the South end, we decided to backtrack this road instead of doing Hwy 37 which would have traffic on it. Sarah headed North first and we never saw her again until we got back to the East side of the bridge where she was waiting at a rest stop area. Daniel and I “enjoyed” the road on the way back. I lead and he was always right behind me, smooth through the corners on good lines. I’ve been trying to teach him to run about 8 tenths instead of all out and how to have fun while doing it. He’s really starting to get it. Once we rejoined Sarah we ran Hwy 37 back to our hotel. Not only was the road on the far side of the dam paved instead of dirt, but the pavement quality was FAR superior to that of the main highway, Hwy 37! I guess maybe it doesn't get all the heavy truck traffic that 37 probably gets. Once back in town we got dinner at the Front Porch Cafe. It was very good food and even better ice cream and shakes! After dinner we rode up to the border crossing and went into Canada. That was “exciting”. Watch the day twenty five review video for that drama. Then it was back to the hotel so I could figure out what to do for tomorrow in regards to our plans for entering Glacier NP without a vehicle reservation permit, meaning we could not get in the park until after 3:00pm when it opened for general access.
Refreshed and ready for action!
ALWAYS ready for action!
Miles and miles of narrow twisty paved road through woods like this!
She's always cold...
Going up and getting cooler at this point, so time for warmer gloves
A rare straight section
Woods rats everywhere!!
Much needed bathroom on East end of the road
Small creek beyond the bathroom after the end of the parking lot
If you didn't have to pee when you got here, you would after a minute of standing here...
Up above the bridge over the reservoir
Mmmm... trusses!
One of two hotels in Eureka. This is a busy town, so I am not sure why there aren't more hotels here
This was $110 per night, warm and clean, decent shower.
After lunch run down the West side of the reservoir
There is a cool over look above the dam, even had restrooms with flushing toilets
There is a huge parking lot on the left side of this shot. I can't imagine it ever gets busy enough to fill up, but who knows!?
Not sure what that thing in the foreground is? Swimming area? Fish hatchery? Monster lab?
This is pretty much what the entire road was like in terms of pavement quality and fun factor
Signs at the East end of the bridge where we found Sarah waiting for us
Daniel chilling at the rest stop
Excellent service and food
And ice cream!
The view from the Canadian side of the border looking North while waiting for permission to return to the U.S. and get my pistol back
There are always power lines The sun was heading down and the color on the mountains was getting nice.
Early day back to the hotel after escaping from Canada without too much drama. Time to plan our attack on Glacier NP for tomorrow...
Libby, MT., to Eureka, MT.
We actually managed to get up at a decent time and get on the bikes. It was another cold morning! We headed North out of Libby on Hwy 37 and just over the river hopped on Hwy 567 heading North towards Yaak. The deer were everywhere!! Wwe had to keep our speed reasonable and our eyes sharp! The road was awesome. It was a narrow paved two lane road with the trees coming right up to the edge of the road, so no room for mistakes. It twisted through the woods following the South Fork Yaak River. Sarah got out front early when Daniel and I stopped for pictures and to shed a few layers as it warmed up a bit. She was waiting for us near the Yaak Tavern. We continued North on the Yaak River Road and it only got better in terms of fun riding and great scenery, especially once the road turned to the East, roughly paralleling the U.S.-Canadian border which was only a few miles away. There was a short section where frost heaves made the road surface rise and fall pretty quickly and they could be a serious surprise if we weren't paying attention! Other than that, the pavement was excellent! There were some surprises though, like a tree in the road midway around a blind corner!! Riding conservatively enabled us to react in time to avoid it. Just past the last set of switchbacks on the East end we stopped at a forest service restroom and there was a cool creek and small camping area. While there we met a nice couple, Pat and Myron, from Whitefish, MT., riding a super clean and nice Honda Valkyrie. After visiting with them a while we crossed the Koocanusa Reservoir and headed for Eureka. We cut across Pinkham Creek and Othorp Lake roads. These were super nice paved roads with beautiful homes everywhere. In Eureka we grabbed gas and lunch, reserved a hotel room on the North end of town. When I pulled up in front of the hotel I started getting skeptical concerns from the kids about whether or not we were really going to stay in this place. They were not impressed with the outside of it. I spotted an open door where a lady was cleaning one of the rooms and asked her if it would be okay for me to take a peek inside. She was fine with that. The rooms were not fancy and the bathroom fixtures looked old, but it was all clean. I assured the kids it would be fine as I had stayed in far worse places on many adventures. Besides, it was only $100 per night!
With our room secured, we dumped our heavy gear and headed back across the reservoir to run a loop down to the dam and then back up MT 37. The West side road shows as FS-228 on my maps, but there was a scenic byway sign. I originally thought it would be dirt, but it was excellent pavement!! We saw one other bike and no other vehicles the entire time we were on this road. It was so nice that once we reached the dam on the South end, we decided to backtrack this road instead of doing Hwy 37 which would have traffic on it. Sarah headed North first and we never saw her again until we got back to the East side of the bridge where she was waiting at a rest stop area. Daniel and I “enjoyed” the road on the way back. I lead and he was always right behind me, smooth through the corners on good lines. I’ve been trying to teach him to run about 8 tenths instead of all out and how to have fun while doing it. He’s really starting to get it. Once we rejoined Sarah we ran Hwy 37 back to our hotel. Not only was the road on the far side of the dam paved instead of dirt, but the pavement quality was FAR superior to that of the main highway, Hwy 37! I guess maybe it doesn't get all the heavy truck traffic that 37 probably gets. Once back in town we got dinner at the Front Porch Cafe. It was very good food and even better ice cream and shakes! After dinner we rode up to the border crossing and went into Canada. That was “exciting”. Watch the day twenty five review video for that drama. Then it was back to the hotel so I could figure out what to do for tomorrow in regards to our plans for entering Glacier NP without a vehicle reservation permit, meaning we could not get in the park until after 3:00pm when it opened for general access.
Refreshed and ready for action!
ALWAYS ready for action!
Miles and miles of narrow twisty paved road through woods like this!
She's always cold...
Going up and getting cooler at this point, so time for warmer gloves
A rare straight section
Woods rats everywhere!!
Much needed bathroom on East end of the road
Small creek beyond the bathroom after the end of the parking lot
If you didn't have to pee when you got here, you would after a minute of standing here...
Up above the bridge over the reservoir
Mmmm... trusses!
One of two hotels in Eureka. This is a busy town, so I am not sure why there aren't more hotels here
This was $110 per night, warm and clean, decent shower.After lunch run down the West side of the reservoir
There is a cool over look above the dam, even had restrooms with flushing toilets
There is a huge parking lot on the left side of this shot. I can't imagine it ever gets busy enough to fill up, but who knows!?
Not sure what that thing in the foreground is? Swimming area? Fish hatchery? Monster lab?
This is pretty much what the entire road was like in terms of pavement quality and fun factor
Signs at the East end of the bridge where we found Sarah waiting for us
Daniel chilling at the rest stop
Excellent service and food
And ice cream!
The view from the Canadian side of the border looking North while waiting for permission to return to the U.S. and get my pistol back
There are always power lines
The sun was heading down and the color on the mountains was getting nice.Early day back to the hotel after escaping from Canada without too much drama. Time to plan our attack on Glacier NP for tomorrow...
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great pics.
I've been watching "Mountain Men" on History and one of them Tom and his wife are in the Yaak Valley of Montana. Pretty interesting show.
I've been watching "Mountain Men" on History and one of them Tom and his wife are in the Yaak Valley of Montana. Pretty interesting show.
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- Friday
Day twenty six, Thursday, September 7th
Eureka, MT., to Kalispell, MT.
We left Eureka and headed South on US 93. As has been the norm lately, it was cold, but pretty. At Dickey Lake we turned onto Trego Rd., and headed into the Kootenai NF. I had no idea if the roads would be paved or not. My original plan of going East into the NW corner of Glacier NP had been abandoned because of concerns about vehicle reservation permits. So I had no time to research this route. We headed SW on Fortine Rd. This was another narrow paved road lined with trees. It roughly followed a railroad line through the mountains. It turned South and became Wolf Creek Rd., becoming even more narrow and twistier with quick elevation changes. Most of the pavement was good, but there were some broken sections with big potholes, frost heaves, and just rutting of the tire tracks from heavy vehicles and a lack of good substrate preparation. We saw only a handful of other people on this road. Even with the broken and rough surface it was still quite fun. It finally dead ended into the Fisher River and we turned South on Fisher River Rd., for a short way before turning onto McKillop Rd., and running that to US 2. The last few miles were perfect pavement with really cool views of the river valley below!
We headed East on US 2. There were a series of lakes on the South side of US 2. Daniel was always wanting to do more dirt and mentioned a dirt road paralleling the North side of US 2, ACM Rd. So we hopped on that to see what it might be like. Sarah did not like it! The first mile or so was freshly spread chunky gravel that made the bikes wiggle and squirm like crazy! But, she stayed calm, at least on the outside, and got through it without any problems. It soon smoothed out nicely into a surface she did like. The road then crossed US 2 and ran along the South side of the lakes. This was a nice hard packed road with smaller loose gravel, which she didn't mind. Daniel took point and vanished! There were numerous nice homes and private lakeside piers. There was also a very nice looking Christian camp. Just past the last lake we found Daniel waiting on the roadside. The ACM road turned away from US 2 and followed the Thompson River, but we wanted to get back on US 2. We headed up Lang Creek Cutoff Rd., and quickly reached the highway. The rest of US 2 into Kalispell had a good deal of traffic and wasn’t all that fun, but the scenery was nice. We reached Kalispell early in the afternoon and found that hotels there were rather pricey and there was limited availability even though it was already past the Labor Day weekend. Sitting in a parking lot on the bike I managed to find a room at a nearby Quality Inn for around $350!! Ouch!! It was a nice room, but still… The kids wanted lunch and found a Chikfila on the North side of town. I suggested we drop our heavy luggage, grab lunch, and then run up North Fork Rd to the Polebridge Mercantile on the West side of Glacier NP. It would be late enough that a vehicle reservation permit would not be needed. They like this plan.
After lunch, we headed toward Columbia Falls and picked up the start of North Fork Road. The first bit was really nice pavement. Then it turned to a very wide road with horrible washboard and loose gravel. This made braking into corners “interesting” as the bike wanted to bounce to the outside of the corner rather than turn! Being smooth paid off! We all stopped at an overlook above the North Fork Flathead River and walked around a bit. It was a very steep and long drop down to the river from where we were, so we had to be careful of our footing when getting close to the edge. The water was crystal clear and we could see the rocks on the bottom. As we continued past Camas Creek Rd., the road became dirt and the potholes were nuts!! Our suspension was taking a real beating. Thank goodness we'd left the heavy stuff back at the hotel! At one point there was a section of perfect pavement that lasted for a few miles in an area where there were some high dollar private properties, but then it went right back to the dirt and giant potholes. What made it tolerable was that the views along this road were spectacular!
We finally reached the Polebridge Mercantile and stopped. There was a full bakery inside and we could smell the cinnamon all the way out in the parking lot!! Not being hungry, I did not have one of the much acclaimed Huckleberry Bear Claws and just got a Root Beer. I also bought a new hat to replace the one I have that was looking pretty worn out. We hung out on the front porch and visited with other travelers. This was a busy place! There was even a full service bar and grill next door. Around 5:00pm we started back towards town. It was a fun ride back despite the road conditions. Even Sarah was enjoying it now that she was gaining more confidence in her skills. Back at the hotel we started thinking about dinner. Searching Google revealed that MANY restaurants here close around 7:00pm because of a lack of willing workers Even the IHOP closed at 10:00pm! We finally settled on a place called DeSoto Grill and ordered an Uber ride. It was an interesting place, apparently a blacksmith shop at one time, so the outside doesn’t make you think restaurant when you see it. It was not exactly in a part of town where you might think there would be a restaurant. Still, the food was very good and not drastically overpriced like so many places up here. Afterward, we were waiting outside for an Uber to come take us back to the hotel. I told the kids to keep their heads on a swivel and pay close attention to anyone that might becoming our way. Something about the area just had me feeling a little on edge... The Uber finally came after about a 10 minute wait and we were soon back at the hotel. I started my normal process of trying to upload pics and videos while thinking about what route to run tomorrow. Both Sarah and Daniel agreed that it was another fantastic day of riding! Tomorrow would hopefully be a run through Glacier National Park on the Going To The Sun Highway. I had been in contact with Keith "Leeroy" Jordan via texts. He and his wife were up in St. Mary on the East side of the park. He suggested not messing with the permit and just go through the park after 3:00pm, but that would still leave most of the day tomorrow and we had to be out of the hotel by 11:00am. We decided we'd just sleep late, ride back to the North side of town to have lunch at the same Chikfila we ate at earlier today, and then maybe see about finding Sarah some warmer base layers and Shoe Goo for Daniel's boots. His soles were coming apart...
More miles and miles of twisty wooded roads
Mckillop Road just North of US 2
Not Sarah's favorite type of road because of the long steep drop off on the right with virtually no shoulder, but at least it was paved!
Lang Creek Cutoff Rd., just South of US 2 in the Thompson River valley, you can see the washboard here on the right, but it wasn't bad.
Heading up North Fork Road along the North Fork of the Flathead River. A LOT of dead burned trees, but also a LOT of new growth!
Long way down if you slip...
If you've ever driven in Souther California, you know...
Nice public restrooms with rental cabins in the background
Fall colors have started, like someone just flipped a switch
These next three images should stitch to form a panorama image. If I do them in the phone with the Pano option, the files are way to large to upload to the forum as attachments. I usually try to shoot video instead because you can see more detail of stuff in the distance instead of it being squashed flat and wide for a single pano shot.
Here is a pano shot from the phone for comparison
Some of the milder washboards. There were a few corners where the bike just did not want to turn no matter how much I leaned or got on the gas. It just wanted to bounce to the outside of the corner!
The haze above the river in the distance was dust floating across the river from vehicles that had just zoomed past me!
Also called the Desoto Grill, which you ca see on the hanging sign. It confused the Uber driver for a minute or so. It is in a strange part of town. Waiting for the Uber to come get us after dinner was strange. We kept a watchful eye on anyone that got near us...
If we are not on the bikes or out walking, this pretty much sums up every day if there is Wi-Fi or cell service...
Another fantastic day of riding! Now about Glacier NP and Going to the Sun Highway...
Eureka, MT., to Kalispell, MT.
We left Eureka and headed South on US 93. As has been the norm lately, it was cold, but pretty. At Dickey Lake we turned onto Trego Rd., and headed into the Kootenai NF. I had no idea if the roads would be paved or not. My original plan of going East into the NW corner of Glacier NP had been abandoned because of concerns about vehicle reservation permits. So I had no time to research this route. We headed SW on Fortine Rd. This was another narrow paved road lined with trees. It roughly followed a railroad line through the mountains. It turned South and became Wolf Creek Rd., becoming even more narrow and twistier with quick elevation changes. Most of the pavement was good, but there were some broken sections with big potholes, frost heaves, and just rutting of the tire tracks from heavy vehicles and a lack of good substrate preparation. We saw only a handful of other people on this road. Even with the broken and rough surface it was still quite fun. It finally dead ended into the Fisher River and we turned South on Fisher River Rd., for a short way before turning onto McKillop Rd., and running that to US 2. The last few miles were perfect pavement with really cool views of the river valley below!
We headed East on US 2. There were a series of lakes on the South side of US 2. Daniel was always wanting to do more dirt and mentioned a dirt road paralleling the North side of US 2, ACM Rd. So we hopped on that to see what it might be like. Sarah did not like it! The first mile or so was freshly spread chunky gravel that made the bikes wiggle and squirm like crazy! But, she stayed calm, at least on the outside, and got through it without any problems. It soon smoothed out nicely into a surface she did like. The road then crossed US 2 and ran along the South side of the lakes. This was a nice hard packed road with smaller loose gravel, which she didn't mind. Daniel took point and vanished! There were numerous nice homes and private lakeside piers. There was also a very nice looking Christian camp. Just past the last lake we found Daniel waiting on the roadside. The ACM road turned away from US 2 and followed the Thompson River, but we wanted to get back on US 2. We headed up Lang Creek Cutoff Rd., and quickly reached the highway. The rest of US 2 into Kalispell had a good deal of traffic and wasn’t all that fun, but the scenery was nice. We reached Kalispell early in the afternoon and found that hotels there were rather pricey and there was limited availability even though it was already past the Labor Day weekend. Sitting in a parking lot on the bike I managed to find a room at a nearby Quality Inn for around $350!! Ouch!! It was a nice room, but still… The kids wanted lunch and found a Chikfila on the North side of town. I suggested we drop our heavy luggage, grab lunch, and then run up North Fork Rd to the Polebridge Mercantile on the West side of Glacier NP. It would be late enough that a vehicle reservation permit would not be needed. They like this plan.
After lunch, we headed toward Columbia Falls and picked up the start of North Fork Road. The first bit was really nice pavement. Then it turned to a very wide road with horrible washboard and loose gravel. This made braking into corners “interesting” as the bike wanted to bounce to the outside of the corner rather than turn! Being smooth paid off! We all stopped at an overlook above the North Fork Flathead River and walked around a bit. It was a very steep and long drop down to the river from where we were, so we had to be careful of our footing when getting close to the edge. The water was crystal clear and we could see the rocks on the bottom. As we continued past Camas Creek Rd., the road became dirt and the potholes were nuts!! Our suspension was taking a real beating. Thank goodness we'd left the heavy stuff back at the hotel! At one point there was a section of perfect pavement that lasted for a few miles in an area where there were some high dollar private properties, but then it went right back to the dirt and giant potholes. What made it tolerable was that the views along this road were spectacular!
We finally reached the Polebridge Mercantile and stopped. There was a full bakery inside and we could smell the cinnamon all the way out in the parking lot!! Not being hungry, I did not have one of the much acclaimed Huckleberry Bear Claws and just got a Root Beer. I also bought a new hat to replace the one I have that was looking pretty worn out. We hung out on the front porch and visited with other travelers. This was a busy place! There was even a full service bar and grill next door. Around 5:00pm we started back towards town. It was a fun ride back despite the road conditions. Even Sarah was enjoying it now that she was gaining more confidence in her skills. Back at the hotel we started thinking about dinner. Searching Google revealed that MANY restaurants here close around 7:00pm because of a lack of willing workers Even the IHOP closed at 10:00pm! We finally settled on a place called DeSoto Grill and ordered an Uber ride. It was an interesting place, apparently a blacksmith shop at one time, so the outside doesn’t make you think restaurant when you see it. It was not exactly in a part of town where you might think there would be a restaurant. Still, the food was very good and not drastically overpriced like so many places up here. Afterward, we were waiting outside for an Uber to come take us back to the hotel. I told the kids to keep their heads on a swivel and pay close attention to anyone that might becoming our way. Something about the area just had me feeling a little on edge... The Uber finally came after about a 10 minute wait and we were soon back at the hotel. I started my normal process of trying to upload pics and videos while thinking about what route to run tomorrow. Both Sarah and Daniel agreed that it was another fantastic day of riding! Tomorrow would hopefully be a run through Glacier National Park on the Going To The Sun Highway. I had been in contact with Keith "Leeroy" Jordan via texts. He and his wife were up in St. Mary on the East side of the park. He suggested not messing with the permit and just go through the park after 3:00pm, but that would still leave most of the day tomorrow and we had to be out of the hotel by 11:00am. We decided we'd just sleep late, ride back to the North side of town to have lunch at the same Chikfila we ate at earlier today, and then maybe see about finding Sarah some warmer base layers and Shoe Goo for Daniel's boots. His soles were coming apart...
More miles and miles of twisty wooded roads
Mckillop Road just North of US 2
Not Sarah's favorite type of road because of the long steep drop off on the right with virtually no shoulder, but at least it was paved!
Lang Creek Cutoff Rd., just South of US 2 in the Thompson River valley, you can see the washboard here on the right, but it wasn't bad.
Heading up North Fork Road along the North Fork of the Flathead River. A LOT of dead burned trees, but also a LOT of new growth!
Long way down if you slip...
If you've ever driven in Souther California, you know...
Nice public restrooms with rental cabins in the background
Fall colors have started, like someone just flipped a switch
These next three images should stitch to form a panorama image. If I do them in the phone with the Pano option, the files are way to large to upload to the forum as attachments. I usually try to shoot video instead because you can see more detail of stuff in the distance instead of it being squashed flat and wide for a single pano shot.
Here is a pano shot from the phone for comparison
Some of the milder washboards. There were a few corners where the bike just did not want to turn no matter how much I leaned or got on the gas. It just wanted to bounce to the outside of the corner!
The haze above the river in the distance was dust floating across the river from vehicles that had just zoomed past me!
Also called the Desoto Grill, which you ca see on the hanging sign. It confused the Uber driver for a minute or so. It is in a strange part of town. Waiting for the Uber to come get us after dinner was strange. We kept a watchful eye on anyone that got near us...
If we are not on the bikes or out walking, this pretty much sums up every day if there is Wi-Fi or cell service...
Another fantastic day of riding! Now about Glacier NP and Going to the Sun Highway...
Last edited:
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We are currently on day 30 or 31... We're taking a break in Butte, MT. I doubt it I will be able to get caught up any time soon, but i am trying while the cell service and Wi-Fi is decent. Heading out to do some walking around the historic downtown area and grab dinner now. Might try to sneak in one more day if I can. Day 27 is Glacier NP and Going to the Sun Highway. Epic.
We're taking a break in Butte, MT. I doubt it I will be able to get caught up any time soon, but i am trying while the cell service and Wi-Fi is decent. Heading out to do some walking around the historic downtown area and grab dinner now. Might try to sneak in one more day if I can. Day 27 is Glacier NP and Going to the Sun Highway. Epic.Thank you, keep it coming please! Best therapy ever!!!
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,257
- Reaction score
- 8,284
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
Day Twenty Seven, Friday, September 8th
Just watch the review vid for descriptions. I was running too short on time this day to add typed narratives.
[I did come back and edit this to add photo comments and some narrative further down]
The lower portion of Daniel's exhaust had come loose. These guys got us fixed up and back on the road in 20 minutes for under $50!! They were in Southern Kalispell.
Gloomy and rainy the direction we are going to be heading... Just waiting on the kids to find what they need inside the store behind me.
There were a TON of people crammed all around the entrance waiting to get in all at once at 3:00pm because they had no day permit
It was probably 15 minutes or so before we got in because we had been able to get ahead of most people by being on the bikes.
I didn't get any pics of the 8 or 9 miles of dirt road that was under construction because the traffic was heavy and there were no safe places to pull over. Also, it was quite muddy if we ventured out of the wheel tracks from the cars and trucks.
Saw this dude while stopped at the Lake Mcdonald Lodge Loop in front of Jammer Joe's (which was closed already).
Like so many places, it was already closed for the season even though the place was PACKED!
Mcdonald Falls
Can't really see them here, but there were 4-5 guys in wet suits down in the rocks on the far side of the river. I'm not sure what they were doing.
Parking area for the falls
Mt. Brown I think? Just over 8600 feet at the peak up there in the clouds. Could be one of the other nearby peaks though
Just north of Avalanche Campground I think. There were lots of raised boardwalks going out into the trees. I had communicator issues here and had to hook up an external battery to keep it going. This stop would be the last time we saw Sarah until we reached the far East side of the park!
We weren't ever really rained on and the low hanging clouds made everything look ominous and dramatic. The sun would occasionally peek through the clouds to add to the dramatic views.
A break in the gloom!
Starting to climb up higher
Just after a short tunnel
Keith's advice to wait until after 3:00pm was good. The lighting for the pics was great!
You can see the waterfall here, left side below the glacier. I think that was Bird Woman Falls.
Kind of a crazy looking mountain... Heaven's Peak or Glacier Wall maybe?
I think the falls you hear are the Haystack Creek Falls and the falls way off in the distance are Bird Woman Falls
Near Haystack Creek
Haystack Creek Falls?
That little sliver in the high valley under the snow is Bird Woman Falls
Almost to the top, just before Logan Pass
I saw a bear here, across the valley, right below the right end of the tree line below the left side of the peak in the middle. There was a creek running down right there and the bear ran through the creek to get up the hill. There were loads of people on the side of the road pointing cameras at it Good thing it ran away...
Even with her fear of heights, Sarah rode all this by herself as we still had not caught up to her yet.
They are hard to see, but there are people up there! Look straight up above my seat, those little dark dots are people. Apparently, there was a hiking trail up there from the Logan Pass parking area.
Heading East down from the top just after Logan Pass
Another tunnel
His commentary in this place was non-stop. He REALLY liked it!
We finally found Sarah coming back through the park to look for us. She had been waiting at the bottom of the mountains for around 20 minutes. She didn't stop for any of the overlooks and we stopped at almost all of them! We were all relieved to be back together. We rode the rest of the way out the East side of the park. We actually passed two different groups of people doing wedding photography. The first group was near a waterfall coming right out of a rock face and they were parked in the road and standing in the road to take their pictures even though there was a lot of traffic! We got around them and then saw another group that at least had the courtesy to not block the road. As we dropped out of the mountains the road started following the North side of St. Mary Lake, which was very pretty. I had already taken so many pictures though and didn't really feel like stopping now that we were all back together. So we just rolled into St. Mary hoping to find a place to stay... I called Keith and he mentioned a few cabins and possibly the KOA. I checked the KOA and their cabins were basically boxes with no bathrooms for a lot of money! I ended up going into the St. Mary Lodge and asked if they had anything. She said they had ONE cabin left, a handicap accessible cabin, for something like $350/night 
"I'll take it!" The campgrounds were all full again and there just weren't many places to stay here. I checked to see how long the lodge restaurant would be opened, made sure where to find the cabin, and then suggested to the kids that we run up the highway to see Many Glaciers since we still had a few hours of light and would not need a permit for that. They liked that idea so we didn't even waste time unloading the bikes. We just headed straight up the highway to Baab, where the Many Glacier road started.
Lake Sherburne, quite low. The haze in the distance is road dust. When the sun hit it, seeing the road right in front of us was very difficult. The road was loose gravel and rough washboards.
Daniel and I pulled over to check out a cool waterfall
Had to do a little climbing/hiking to get to them
Once again, a long way down if we made a misstep
Swiftcurrent Creek Falls
Have to climb back up that to get to the bike...
We found the famous Swiftcurrent Lake and Many Glacier Lodge, but Sarah had ridden past it. So Daniel and I kept going. Just beyond the lake there is a camping area. As we got close to that, Sarah came back on the communicator and told us she was somewhere in the campground. We we drove up through there, found her, and then went back to the lake and lodge to check that out. The came ground was CRAMMED full of people. Reservations have to be made way way in advance. I can't imagine wanting to camp in such a crowded place. The sites were right on top of each other! No thanks.
Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier Lodge
Some nice folks shot this for us at the bridge over the start of Swiftcurrent Creek
Other side of the bridge looking out over the lake
The sun started going down quick. We got back on the dirt road and made for the highway. It also started getting cold as soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains. As we were bouncing along, Sarah casually mentioned that she found this road to be easier than the road where we turned around at the Kolob Reservoir way back on Day five or six I think? That was a nice smooth road with a little bit of gravel. But, it was also the day after she had just fallen on Sky Line Drive in the mud and whacked her already injured shoulder. Now she had almost three weeks of riding behind her on far more technical roads and her confidence had come back. She was amazed at the difference in how she felt between then and now. I told her I wasn't the least bit surprised. Hitting the ground hard, even once, can really rattle a rider's confidence. Hit it twice in a few days, especially right at the start of a massive trip where you are planning to ride a lot more dirt in the future and that is enough to shake anyone's confidence! So I was really proud of her for sticking with it, fighting through the fears and doubts, focusing on what she KNEW worked, and getting her confidence back. Daniel was gone in a cloud of dust in the distance...
We made it back to the highway and stopped for a minute to zip up vents and collars. It was now quite chilly! We blasted back down the highway to St. Mary as the daylight was fading. Rather than go to our cabin, we went straight to the lodge. I wanted to make SURE we got there before they closed because there were no other dining options. We got there in time and they seated us in the far back corner... We were still in full gear and looked like spacemen, and we were a bit on the dusty/dirty side. When the waitress brought us the menu, we kind of looked at it, looked at each other, looked at it again, and I knew that there wasn't anything on there that any of us would eat or want to pay for!! When she came back Daniel asked her if he could just get a burger because there wasn't one on the menu. "Oh sure! I'll get the burger menu for you!" She came back with a menu that was far more "normal" for the kind of food we would generally eat or be able to afford. She laughed and mentioned that "Corporate" likes us to hand out the other menus first. Sure, I bet they do with those prices! We were actually able to get really good food at reasonable prices given our location. We even got ice cream!
After dinner we found our cabin just around the corner behind the lodge. It was very nice. The bathroom was HUGE with rails everywhere. The cabin heater worked very well and we had the place nice and toasty in no time at all. It was after 9:00pm by the time we got the bikes unloaded and settled in for the night. I sat out side to star gaze for a bit, but it started getting cloudy and drizzly, not to mention COLD. So I wandered back inside and we called it a night. Keith had texted and mentioned coming by in the morning to visit. I reminded him we were not morning people, so don't come to early or we would not answer the door
It was a great day! The scenery was beyond description. The photos are a pale representation of the reality of Glacier NP. You REALLY just have to visit and see it for yourself to truly grasp the nature and scale of it all. It was totally worth the effort to get this far North to see it. The whole permit thing really had me stressing for a while before we got here. This was to be one of the highlights of the whole trip and I did NOT want to miss it! I was beyond my expectations and this day did not disappoint!
Just watch the review vid for descriptions. I was running too short on time this day to add typed narratives.
[I did come back and edit this to add photo comments and some narrative further down]
The lower portion of Daniel's exhaust had come loose. These guys got us fixed up and back on the road in 20 minutes for under $50!!
They were in Southern Kalispell.Gloomy and rainy the direction we are going to be heading... Just waiting on the kids to find what they need inside the store behind me.
There were a TON of people crammed all around the entrance waiting to get in all at once at 3:00pm because they had no day permit
It was probably 15 minutes or so before we got in because we had been able to get ahead of most people by being on the bikes.
I didn't get any pics of the 8 or 9 miles of dirt road that was under construction because the traffic was heavy and there were no safe places to pull over. Also, it was quite muddy if we ventured out of the wheel tracks from the cars and trucks.
Saw this dude while stopped at the Lake Mcdonald Lodge Loop in front of Jammer Joe's (which was closed already
).Like so many places, it was already closed for the season even though the place was PACKED!
Mcdonald Falls
Can't really see them here, but there were 4-5 guys in wet suits down in the rocks on the far side of the river. I'm not sure what they were doing.
Parking area for the falls
Mt. Brown I think? Just over 8600 feet at the peak up there in the clouds. Could be one of the other nearby peaks though
Just north of Avalanche Campground I think. There were lots of raised boardwalks going out into the trees. I had communicator issues here and had to hook up an external battery to keep it going. This stop would be the last time we saw Sarah until we reached the far East side of the park!
We weren't ever really rained on and the low hanging clouds made everything look ominous and dramatic. The sun would occasionally peek through the clouds to add to the dramatic views.
A break in the gloom!
Starting to climb up higher
Just after a short tunnel
Keith's advice to wait until after 3:00pm was good. The lighting for the pics was great!
You can see the waterfall here, left side below the glacier. I think that was Bird Woman Falls.
Kind of a crazy looking mountain... Heaven's Peak or Glacier Wall maybe?
I think the falls you hear are the Haystack Creek Falls and the falls way off in the distance are Bird Woman Falls
Near Haystack Creek
Haystack Creek Falls?
That little sliver in the high valley under the snow is Bird Woman Falls
Almost to the top, just before Logan Pass
I saw a bear here, across the valley, right below the right end of the tree line below the left side of the peak in the middle. There was a creek running down right there and the bear ran through the creek to get up the hill. There were loads of people on the side of the road pointing cameras at it
Good thing it ran away...Even with her fear of heights, Sarah rode all this by herself as we still had not caught up to her yet.
They are hard to see, but there are people up there! Look straight up above my seat, those little dark dots are people. Apparently, there was a hiking trail up there from the Logan Pass parking area.
Heading East down from the top just after Logan Pass
Another tunnel
His commentary in this place was non-stop. He REALLY liked it!
We finally found Sarah coming back through the park to look for us. She had been waiting at the bottom of the mountains for around 20 minutes. She didn't stop for any of the overlooks and we stopped at almost all of them! We were all relieved to be back together. We rode the rest of the way out the East side of the park. We actually passed two different groups of people doing wedding photography. The first group was near a waterfall coming right out of a rock face and they were parked in the road and standing in the road to take their pictures even though there was a lot of traffic!
We got around them and then saw another group that at least had the courtesy to not block the road. As we dropped out of the mountains the road started following the North side of St. Mary Lake, which was very pretty. I had already taken so many pictures though and didn't really feel like stopping now that we were all back together. So we just rolled into St. Mary hoping to find a place to stay... I called Keith and he mentioned a few cabins and possibly the KOA. I checked the KOA and their cabins were basically boxes with no bathrooms for a lot of money! I ended up going into the St. Mary Lodge and asked if they had anything. She said they had ONE cabin left, a handicap accessible cabin, for something like $350/night "I'll take it!" The campgrounds were all full again and there just weren't many places to stay here. I checked to see how long the lodge restaurant would be opened, made sure where to find the cabin, and then suggested to the kids that we run up the highway to see Many Glaciers since we still had a few hours of light and would not need a permit for that. They liked that idea so we didn't even waste time unloading the bikes. We just headed straight up the highway to Baab, where the Many Glacier road started.Lake Sherburne, quite low. The haze in the distance is road dust. When the sun hit it, seeing the road right in front of us was very difficult. The road was loose gravel and rough washboards.
Daniel and I pulled over to check out a cool waterfall
Had to do a little climbing/hiking to get to them
Once again, a long way down if we made a misstep
Swiftcurrent Creek Falls
Have to climb back up that to get to the bike...
We found the famous Swiftcurrent Lake and Many Glacier Lodge, but Sarah had ridden past it. So Daniel and I kept going. Just beyond the lake there is a camping area. As we got close to that, Sarah came back on the communicator and told us she was somewhere in the campground. We we drove up through there, found her, and then went back to the lake and lodge to check that out. The came ground was CRAMMED full of people. Reservations have to be made way way in advance. I can't imagine wanting to camp in such a crowded place. The sites were right on top of each other! No thanks.
Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier Lodge
Some nice folks shot this for us at the bridge over the start of Swiftcurrent Creek
Other side of the bridge looking out over the lake
The sun started going down quick. We got back on the dirt road and made for the highway. It also started getting cold as soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains. As we were bouncing along, Sarah casually mentioned that she found this road to be easier than the road where we turned around at the Kolob Reservoir way back on Day five or six I think? That was a nice smooth road with a little bit of gravel. But, it was also the day after she had just fallen on Sky Line Drive in the mud and whacked her already injured shoulder. Now she had almost three weeks of riding behind her on far more technical roads and her confidence had come back. She was amazed at the difference in how she felt between then and now. I told her I wasn't the least bit surprised. Hitting the ground hard, even once, can really rattle a rider's confidence. Hit it twice in a few days, especially right at the start of a massive trip where you are planning to ride a lot more dirt in the future and that is enough to shake anyone's confidence! So I was really proud of her for sticking with it, fighting through the fears and doubts, focusing on what she KNEW worked, and getting her confidence back. Daniel was gone in a cloud of dust in the distance...
We made it back to the highway and stopped for a minute to zip up vents and collars. It was now quite chilly! We blasted back down the highway to St. Mary as the daylight was fading. Rather than go to our cabin, we went straight to the lodge. I wanted to make SURE we got there before they closed because there were no other dining options. We got there in time and they seated us in the far back corner... We were still in full gear and looked like spacemen, and we were a bit on the dusty/dirty side. When the waitress brought us the menu, we kind of looked at it, looked at each other, looked at it again, and I knew that there wasn't anything on there that any of us would eat or want to pay for!! When she came back Daniel asked her if he could just get a burger because there wasn't one on the menu. "Oh sure! I'll get the burger menu for you!" She came back with a menu that was far more "normal" for the kind of food we would generally eat or be able to afford. She laughed and mentioned that "Corporate" likes us to hand out the other menus first. Sure, I bet they do with those prices! We were actually able to get really good food at reasonable prices given our location. We even got ice cream!
After dinner we found our cabin just around the corner behind the lodge. It was very nice. The bathroom was HUGE with rails everywhere. The cabin heater worked very well and we had the place nice and toasty in no time at all. It was after 9:00pm by the time we got the bikes unloaded and settled in for the night. I sat out side to star gaze for a bit, but it started getting cloudy and drizzly, not to mention COLD. So I wandered back inside and we called it a night. Keith had texted and mentioned coming by in the morning to visit. I reminded him we were not morning people, so don't come to early or we would not answer the door
It was a great day! The scenery was beyond description. The photos are a pale representation of the reality of Glacier NP. You REALLY just have to visit and see it for yourself to truly grasp the nature and scale of it all. It was totally worth the effort to get this far North to see it. The whole permit thing really had me stressing for a while before we got here. This was to be one of the highlights of the whole trip and I did NOT want to miss it! I was beyond my expectations and this day did not disappoint!
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You really didn’t have to slouch down so much in the picts with your kids .
RedPill
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Glacier Park, where grizzlies go to snack on campers. Beautiful pics!
AllByteNoBark
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You are 100% correct, while the photos are awesome, there is no way to really show how beautiful and grand it all is. You just have to see it. My wife had seen the photos I too in 2004 from the Alaska trip my son and I took. Her first time there was last year when we made a big loop and hit several of the national parks. She commented that the photos were great but seeing it in person was totally different.
Enjoy the time with the kids and keep building memories!
Enjoy the time with the kids and keep building memories!
I'm exhausted from catching up with the reports!!
I'm exhausted from catching up with the reports!!
Between this thread and the one with Pilot Parker over on ADVRider I feel like I am living vicariously on a bike out west more so than here in my own reality these past few weeks lol.
And the nominees for Best Dad Ever are.......well there's only one..... Tourmeister! 
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Day twenty eight, Saturday, September 9th
St. Mary, MT., to Holland Lake, Mt.
We woke up to heavy fog and cold temps. We got a visit from Keith “leeroy” Jordan, a long time member of Two Wheeled Texans. He and his wife were staying at the local KOA. She's been cooped up with Covid, so he keeps his distance in the parking lot and we catch up while packing the bikes. He retired and is living the RV life now, leaving Texas when it gets hot and coming back when it gets less hot or maybe cold. It was in the high 30s to low 40s this morning! Being old we have a hard time remembering the last time we actually got to ride together, but I was thinking sometime around 2005-06 in Arkansas!? We both started getting real busy with work and raising a family not long after that. As we were visiting the fog slowly thinned and some blue sky started peeking through. I was eventually able to see the mountains and river back behind the cabins. It really was a nice place. After a nice visit we said our goodbyes, filled up the bikes at the local gas station, and headed South on US 89. Keith said we would enjoy this ride.
We’d come as far North as I'd planned and it was now time to get moving back South to hopefully warmer weather. This section of 89 was really fun, fast, and scenic! We cut off onto MT 49 and it got tight, twisty, and high. Sarah got out front again when Daniel and I stopped for pictures and then she was gone. She really likes to turn off the communicators and ride alone. Of course it makes me nervous, but I like that she is developing her confidence. This road had a lot of really tight corners and fun elevation changes. We soon caught up to her and I decided to just follow her for a while. I noticed she was looking relaxed and smooth in the corners, not visibly freaked about the steep drop offs along the road. We soon rolled into East Glacier Park and hopped on US 2 to make the run along the South side of the park back over to West Glacier. This was another fun road, but it had a good bit of traffic. It started out heading Southwest, running along several different creeks until it met the Middle Fork Flathead River and then turned Northwest, following the river through the mountains to West Glacier.
We stopped in West Glacier at a gas station just across from the park entrance and had lunch. It was quite good and reasonably priced. Every person working in the store and restaurant was from somewhere in Europe. They were all college aged and had come over through a special work program. Some of them had already come over several times and this would be their last time before graduating from school. I wonder if there is a similar program that lets American kids do something similar in places around Europe or other locations? After lunch we continued to Columbia Falls and turned South on MT 206, running this down to MT 35 and then continuing to Bigfork on Flathead Lake. This was yet another place with tons of really nice homes around the lake. I really had no idea that Montana was such a popular place for REALLY large and expensive homes!? After missing our turn and having to do a short backtrack, we ran MT 209 over to MT 83. MT 83 started out kind of twisty, running along the Eastern shore of Swan Lake, but South of the lake it became mostly straight and just followed the river South through the Flathead NF. This was a nice cruising road to just relax and take in the scenery.
It did start getting a bit warmer as well and I was wanting to shed a few layers. Somewhere along the way we stopped for gas, snacks, and a bathroom break at a really nice place, but the bathrooms were closed and they had porta johns outside. Inside they had a nice grill in the back. More importantly, they had ice cream! They also had a really nice back porch area with tables and chairs and a nice view looking out toward the Swan River. While eating our ice cream we visited with a couple from Missoula and I asked about camping in the area. They mentioned Holland Lake as being a nice place and not far away. We decided we would check that out and if it was nice, we'd setup there and call it a day. We said our goodbyes and headed that direction. We found it without any problem, but they were full! The regular park host was gone on a trip and the temp host let us set up in the area around the regular host’s RV. He told us we could use the fire ring, picnic table, and even a nice screened in swinging bench. We had plenty of room to park the bikes and set up all three tents. This was a huge relief because we really didn't want to keep riding.
We had arrived around 5:00pm and the kids wanted to kayak and paddle board. They were available for rent from the park host. We left around 5:30pm and returned about 8:00pm as the sun was setting. I left my phone on shore, so no pics of the incredible scenery. We found the waterfall that fed into the Eastern end of the lake. Daniel wanted to go ashore and hike back up the creek to the actual falls, but that would take a long time and the sun was getting low. The water in the lake was perfectly clear and calm, almost like a mirror. The wind had mostly died down, so we didn't have to fight that to paddle back to the camp. Regardless, it still took a while to get there. Once we got back, we tried to get dinner at a lodge right next to the campground, but they were no longer seating, at least for non-lodge residing customers. It was a bit after 8:00pm and we had passed a place on the highway just North of the campground. The host said they were good, but they closed at 9:00pm. So we quickly geared up and made a mad dash back up the highway, past a huge deer standing in the ditch right next to the road, to The Hungry Bear Bar and Grill, arriving 15 minutes before closing. They had just seated a huge party and their kitchen was essentially overwhelmed... they were no longer seating…
While we were standing there in the entry trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner, the owner of the restaurant happened to come out and he saw us standing there in full riding gear. Intrigued, he came over and asked a few questions. I mentioned that we were camping, the lodge refused us, and there was no where else to get food. We did have some camp food but just didn't want to use it. I guess the owner felt sorry for us. He told me that if we could wait about 45 minutes, he would make us a pizza, but it would have to be to go. In the meantime we waited in the bar seating area with another large group that had arrived before us. At 9:45pm, we’ll past their closing time, he brought it out to us. When I asked the waitress for napkins to take outside so we could eat it in the parking lot, she told us to just sit at a table and eat it while they finished up with their closing stuff! The other people were still eating, so it wasn't like we were the ones keeping everyone at work. It was VERY cold outside. The pizza was awesome! I left an extra big tip and then we cruised back to camp. Before turning in, we laid on the shore of the lake, bundled up in our riding gear, star gazing for an hour or so. There was no moon or any clouds. The night sky was crisp and clear. We saw tons of satellites and shooting stars! The number of stars visible was incomprehensible compared to home. Eventually the cold won out and we retreated to our sleeping bags and hand warmers.
Pricey! But warm and cozy!
A bit gloomy, but already I could see that it was thinning and there was blue skies above
Looking kind of Southeast on US 89, the direction we would be traveling.
Nearby cabin. River running in the background behind the shed.
Nice deck on our cabin for hanging out and star gazing. A grill over there on the open end would be sweet! There was a kitchen area inside though.
Still can't see the mountains directly behind the trees
C'mon! Burn it off!!
The amount of time they spend staring at their phones 12" from their face is disturbing...
YES!!!
They will let anyone into this place! @leeroy
US 89 running South from St. Marys
LOTS and LOTS of dead trees! It is nice to see that new trees are growing.
It would appear that the snow gets relatively deep here in the winter!
Near the North end of MT 49
Sarah has vanished around the last corner
Somewhere along US 2 on the south side of the park. I just thought the rocks were cool... because
Gas station across from train station at West entrance. It also had a restaurant with really good food!
At gas station on MT 83, 1971 I think and only 71K miles!
Random flower pics from back porch at gas station on MT 83 where we found out about the Holland Lake campground
This is a really nice place and has a very good grill in the back with ice cream as well
My camp spot across the entry drive from the camp host's RV site.
Sarah setup right there in front of the RV. Daniel was over near my tent.
Quiet and peaceful!
Cool archway outside the lodge restaurant, "Just act like siblings..."
St. Mary, MT., to Holland Lake, Mt.
We woke up to heavy fog and cold temps. We got a visit from Keith “leeroy” Jordan, a long time member of Two Wheeled Texans. He and his wife were staying at the local KOA. She's been cooped up with Covid, so he keeps his distance in the parking lot and we catch up while packing the bikes. He retired and is living the RV life now, leaving Texas when it gets hot and coming back when it gets less hot or maybe cold. It was in the high 30s to low 40s this morning! Being old we have a hard time remembering the last time we actually got to ride together, but I was thinking sometime around 2005-06 in Arkansas!? We both started getting real busy with work and raising a family not long after that. As we were visiting the fog slowly thinned and some blue sky started peeking through. I was eventually able to see the mountains and river back behind the cabins. It really was a nice place. After a nice visit we said our goodbyes, filled up the bikes at the local gas station, and headed South on US 89. Keith said we would enjoy this ride.
We’d come as far North as I'd planned and it was now time to get moving back South to hopefully warmer weather. This section of 89 was really fun, fast, and scenic! We cut off onto MT 49 and it got tight, twisty, and high. Sarah got out front again when Daniel and I stopped for pictures and then she was gone. She really likes to turn off the communicators and ride alone. Of course it makes me nervous, but I like that she is developing her confidence. This road had a lot of really tight corners and fun elevation changes. We soon caught up to her and I decided to just follow her for a while. I noticed she was looking relaxed and smooth in the corners, not visibly freaked about the steep drop offs along the road. We soon rolled into East Glacier Park and hopped on US 2 to make the run along the South side of the park back over to West Glacier. This was another fun road, but it had a good bit of traffic. It started out heading Southwest, running along several different creeks until it met the Middle Fork Flathead River and then turned Northwest, following the river through the mountains to West Glacier.
We stopped in West Glacier at a gas station just across from the park entrance and had lunch. It was quite good and reasonably priced. Every person working in the store and restaurant was from somewhere in Europe. They were all college aged and had come over through a special work program. Some of them had already come over several times and this would be their last time before graduating from school. I wonder if there is a similar program that lets American kids do something similar in places around Europe or other locations? After lunch we continued to Columbia Falls and turned South on MT 206, running this down to MT 35 and then continuing to Bigfork on Flathead Lake. This was yet another place with tons of really nice homes around the lake. I really had no idea that Montana was such a popular place for REALLY large and expensive homes!? After missing our turn and having to do a short backtrack, we ran MT 209 over to MT 83. MT 83 started out kind of twisty, running along the Eastern shore of Swan Lake, but South of the lake it became mostly straight and just followed the river South through the Flathead NF. This was a nice cruising road to just relax and take in the scenery.
It did start getting a bit warmer as well and I was wanting to shed a few layers. Somewhere along the way we stopped for gas, snacks, and a bathroom break at a really nice place, but the bathrooms were closed and they had porta johns outside. Inside they had a nice grill in the back. More importantly, they had ice cream! They also had a really nice back porch area with tables and chairs and a nice view looking out toward the Swan River. While eating our ice cream we visited with a couple from Missoula and I asked about camping in the area. They mentioned Holland Lake as being a nice place and not far away. We decided we would check that out and if it was nice, we'd setup there and call it a day. We said our goodbyes and headed that direction. We found it without any problem, but they were full! The regular park host was gone on a trip and the temp host let us set up in the area around the regular host’s RV. He told us we could use the fire ring, picnic table, and even a nice screened in swinging bench. We had plenty of room to park the bikes and set up all three tents. This was a huge relief because we really didn't want to keep riding.
We had arrived around 5:00pm and the kids wanted to kayak and paddle board. They were available for rent from the park host. We left around 5:30pm and returned about 8:00pm as the sun was setting. I left my phone on shore, so no pics of the incredible scenery. We found the waterfall that fed into the Eastern end of the lake. Daniel wanted to go ashore and hike back up the creek to the actual falls, but that would take a long time and the sun was getting low. The water in the lake was perfectly clear and calm, almost like a mirror. The wind had mostly died down, so we didn't have to fight that to paddle back to the camp. Regardless, it still took a while to get there. Once we got back, we tried to get dinner at a lodge right next to the campground, but they were no longer seating, at least for non-lodge residing customers. It was a bit after 8:00pm and we had passed a place on the highway just North of the campground. The host said they were good, but they closed at 9:00pm. So we quickly geared up and made a mad dash back up the highway, past a huge deer standing in the ditch right next to the road, to The Hungry Bear Bar and Grill, arriving 15 minutes before closing. They had just seated a huge party and their kitchen was essentially overwhelmed... they were no longer seating…
While we were standing there in the entry trying to figure out what we were going to do for dinner, the owner of the restaurant happened to come out and he saw us standing there in full riding gear. Intrigued, he came over and asked a few questions. I mentioned that we were camping, the lodge refused us, and there was no where else to get food. We did have some camp food but just didn't want to use it. I guess the owner felt sorry for us. He told me that if we could wait about 45 minutes, he would make us a pizza, but it would have to be to go. In the meantime we waited in the bar seating area with another large group that had arrived before us. At 9:45pm, we’ll past their closing time, he brought it out to us. When I asked the waitress for napkins to take outside so we could eat it in the parking lot, she told us to just sit at a table and eat it while they finished up with their closing stuff! The other people were still eating, so it wasn't like we were the ones keeping everyone at work. It was VERY cold outside. The pizza was awesome! I left an extra big tip and then we cruised back to camp. Before turning in, we laid on the shore of the lake, bundled up in our riding gear, star gazing for an hour or so. There was no moon or any clouds. The night sky was crisp and clear. We saw tons of satellites and shooting stars! The number of stars visible was incomprehensible compared to home. Eventually the cold won out and we retreated to our sleeping bags and hand warmers.
Pricey! But warm and cozy!
A bit gloomy, but already I could see that it was thinning and there was blue skies above
Looking kind of Southeast on US 89, the direction we would be traveling.
Nearby cabin. River running in the background behind the shed.
Nice deck on our cabin for hanging out and star gazing. A grill over there on the open end would be sweet! There was a kitchen area inside though.
Still can't see the mountains directly behind the trees
C'mon! Burn it off!!
The amount of time they spend staring at their phones 12" from their face is disturbing...
YES!!!
They will let anyone into this place! @leeroy
US 89 running South from St. Marys
LOTS and LOTS of dead trees! It is nice to see that new trees are growing.
It would appear that the snow gets relatively deep here in the winter!
Near the North end of MT 49
Sarah has vanished around the last corner
Somewhere along US 2 on the south side of the park. I just thought the rocks were cool... because
Gas station across from train station at West entrance. It also had a restaurant with really good food!
At gas station on MT 83, 1971 I think and only 71K miles!
Random flower pics from back porch at gas station on MT 83 where we found out about the Holland Lake campground
This is a really nice place and has a very good grill in the back with ice cream as well
My camp spot across the entry drive from the camp host's RV site.
Sarah setup right there in front of the RV. Daniel was over near my tent.
Quiet and peaceful!
Cool archway outside the lodge restaurant, "Just act like siblings..."
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Day twenty nine, Sunday September 10th
Holland Lake, MT., to Butte, MT. ?
It was a cold night and another cold morning! We weren’t in a real hurry to get out of our sleeping bags! However, Daniel was usually the first one up and moving and this morning was no different. The crows and chipmunks were also NOISY very early in the morning. So we did eventually get moving and start breaking down camp. My lower back was KILLING me!! Trying to stand up after bending over really hurt and I was moving slow. Daniel finished first and decided to explore the area while the slow pokes finished packing. Even though the air was cold, when we exerted ourselves and were in direct sunlight, it did get quite warm. I glanced at Sarah and noticed she didn’t look right. She said she felt dizzy and “off”. I am not big on getting on the bikes when someone doesn’t feel right. I asked if she thought she'd feel better if she ate actual food instead of just chugging an energy drink on an empty stomach and she said that would probably help. It was already late in the morning so I was thinking we might have to cut the ride short today. Daniel volunteered to ride back up to the gas station where we stopped yesterday and bring back something for lunch. They had a full grill. So he went for a burger and a Ham & Cheese sandwich for Sarah. I was really hoping that eating something would make her feel better.
While Daniel was gone I tried to work on coming up with a new plan... again. This was getting to be a regular routine. The only serious plan I could count on working each day was to plan on making a new plan every day Sarah finished getting her bike packed and then we waited for Daniel to return. It really seemed to be taking him a bit longer than I would have expected. He had already been gone for over an hour and the gas station wasn't that far away, maybe 10 miles or so. About the time I was thinking I might need to get on my bike and go looking for him, he returned. Apparently a big order came into the grill right before he got there, so it took a while to get the food. After he got back, it was already 1:30pm and I suggested we just stay here another night. They both loved that idea!
I checked with the host and he said that was fine. We even got to pick from any unoccupied site we wanted. So we picked one right next to the host RV that had a nice parking area, a central table and fire pit, and enough space for three tents spread out. We ate lunch and then moved camp to the new spot. Our lunch was quite good! Daniel saved some of his lunch for a snack later and left it sitting on the picnic table in a box. Sarah soon felt better and we tried to go swimming in the lake. The water was COLD! I got up to my neck and decided that was enough and retreated to the shore to sit in the toasty sunshine! The kids decided to go paddle boarding and we’re gone for several hours. I visited with random people that got too close to me It was a super nice day! The kids finally returned because I told them to get back in time for us to be able to get to the lodge restaurant before they closed at 8:00pm. We hiked over, getting excited about having a nice meal, and when we got there a sign out front said they were closed that particular day So... we ate camp food for dinner, using my Jetboil to heat the water. We did some more star gazing and then called it a day.
My tent and Daniel's before we broke camp
The camp host's RV
Sarah's tent
Time to make a new plan!
Clear skies and clear water!
The waterfall is in that far left V of the mountains and much further away than it looked when I first got in the Kayak yesterday evening...
After reading the FEE info, I realized that Daniel should have to pay less because he was only 17, the temp host agreed and made good on it.
There are many dead trees in the lake that look like they have been there a very long time.
Daniel likes the new campsite
We had a great fire later in the evening
The refraction of the water makes his legs look short and stumpy
The bottom translucent part of the green pants is the reflection of the shorts on the surface of the water
Not eager to go much deeper because it was cold! Looking kind of stump legged as well
Those rocks were SLICK! This made wading out slowly and carefully a real challenge, especially for a tenderfoot like me!
The camp host rents out the kayaks and paddle boards by the hour
The last I saw of them for an hour or more
I decided to do the cat thing and chase the sun around the lake to stay toasty and dry out
The water was super clear!
No nice meal tonight...
What is this?
Trying a new camp food, Chilli Mac... Not real impressed but she was starving. I tried it, heart burn and reflux in a bag...
The Fettuccine Alfredo was really good! He didn't share much...
Trying to get her to smile for @leeroy
Almost...
Yeah, boring old bacon and eggs. I dropped them right after draining the water and spilled almost half of them on the ground!
It was a great rest day and we had a really good time.
Holland Lake, MT., to Butte, MT. ?
It was a cold night and another cold morning! We weren’t in a real hurry to get out of our sleeping bags! However, Daniel was usually the first one up and moving and this morning was no different. The crows and chipmunks were also NOISY very early in the morning. So we did eventually get moving and start breaking down camp. My lower back was KILLING me!! Trying to stand up after bending over really hurt and I was moving slow. Daniel finished first and decided to explore the area while the slow pokes finished packing. Even though the air was cold, when we exerted ourselves and were in direct sunlight, it did get quite warm. I glanced at Sarah and noticed she didn’t look right. She said she felt dizzy and “off”. I am not big on getting on the bikes when someone doesn’t feel right. I asked if she thought she'd feel better if she ate actual food instead of just chugging an energy drink on an empty stomach and she said that would probably help. It was already late in the morning so I was thinking we might have to cut the ride short today. Daniel volunteered to ride back up to the gas station where we stopped yesterday and bring back something for lunch. They had a full grill. So he went for a burger and a Ham & Cheese sandwich for Sarah. I was really hoping that eating something would make her feel better.
While Daniel was gone I tried to work on coming up with a new plan... again. This was getting to be a regular routine. The only serious plan I could count on working each day was to plan on making a new plan every day
Sarah finished getting her bike packed and then we waited for Daniel to return. It really seemed to be taking him a bit longer than I would have expected. He had already been gone for over an hour and the gas station wasn't that far away, maybe 10 miles or so. About the time I was thinking I might need to get on my bike and go looking for him, he returned. Apparently a big order came into the grill right before he got there, so it took a while to get the food. After he got back, it was already 1:30pm and I suggested we just stay here another night. They both loved that idea!I checked with the host and he said that was fine. We even got to pick from any unoccupied site we wanted. So we picked one right next to the host RV that had a nice parking area, a central table and fire pit, and enough space for three tents spread out. We ate lunch and then moved camp to the new spot. Our lunch was quite good! Daniel saved some of his lunch for a snack later and left it sitting on the picnic table in a box. Sarah soon felt better and we tried to go swimming in the lake. The water was COLD! I got up to my neck and decided that was enough and retreated to the shore to sit in the toasty sunshine! The kids decided to go paddle boarding and we’re gone for several hours. I visited with random people that got too close to me
It was a super nice day! The kids finally returned because I told them to get back in time for us to be able to get to the lodge restaurant before they closed at 8:00pm. We hiked over, getting excited about having a nice meal, and when we got there a sign out front said they were closed that particular day So... we ate camp food for dinner, using my Jetboil to heat the water. We did some more star gazing and then called it a day.My tent and Daniel's before we broke camp
The camp host's RV
Sarah's tent
Time to make a new plan!
Clear skies and clear water!
The waterfall is in that far left V of the mountains and much further away than it looked when I first got in the Kayak yesterday evening...
After reading the FEE info, I realized that Daniel should have to pay less because he was only 17, the temp host agreed and made good on it.
There are many dead trees in the lake that look like they have been there a very long time.
Daniel likes the new campsite
We had a great fire later in the evening
The refraction of the water makes his legs look short and stumpy
The bottom translucent part of the green pants is the reflection of the shorts on the surface of the water
Not eager to go much deeper because it was cold! Looking kind of stump legged as well
Those rocks were SLICK! This made wading out slowly and carefully a real challenge, especially for a tenderfoot like me!
The camp host rents out the kayaks and paddle boards by the hour
The last I saw of them for an hour or more
I decided to do the cat thing and chase the sun around the lake to stay toasty and dry out
The water was super clear!
No nice meal tonight...What is this?
Trying a new camp food, Chilli Mac... Not real impressed but she was starving. I tried it, heart burn and reflux in a bag...
The Fettuccine Alfredo was really good! He didn't share much...
Trying to get her to smile for @leeroy
Almost...
Yeah, boring old bacon and eggs. I dropped them right after draining the water and spilled almost half of them on the ground!
It was a great rest day and we had a really good time.
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Wild that Chili Mac wasn’t deemed favorable. That was always one of the best MRE entrees back in the army but I’ve never had the MH version so I’ll take your word for it.
Great updates, what an amazing camp spot! Any mileage updates on the bikes?
Great updates, what an amazing camp spot! Any mileage updates on the bikes?