Days 48 & 49 – July 18th & 19th

Thursday, the 18th

We woke up this morning in this adorable apartment in the picturesque town of East Glacier ready to rock and roll. Until we got the skinny on the weather, that is: cloudy, rainy, low 50’s and windy – 30 mile sustained with gusts to 50 mph. After a couple cups of coffee, we decided discretion is the better part of valor and laid low. When we took a stroll to get some lunch, we saw a bunch of bikes crawl by whose drivers looked drowned and unhappy. All except one: Lisa.

We met Lisa Henne, from central Pennsylvania, while eating in the little café attached to the general store. She is a mom to seven kids (mostly grown), grandmom, wife, surgical tech to a dermatological surgery practice, and motorcycle rider. She is riding alone because her husband couldn’t join her this outing. Something about a new foal. She has been on the road a couple of weeks and will continue her ride through much of August, hoping to touch as many states as possible. And she camps – all her gear is loaded on her 750 cc Honda. We shared stories and tips for a good long time while she dried out and warmed up after a cold rain storm. Fortunately she didn’t have far to travel today. Her attitude toward life and work and vacation very much put us in mind of our Tina in Cortland. She impressed us so much with her ambitions and positive attitude and she’s now one of our heroes. We’re hoping she has a great, safe rest of her trip.

East Glacier is a neat little town at the intersection of US Rt 2 and Montana Rt 49. There’s an Amtrak station there that brings folks close to Glacier National Park and vacation. (From the inception of the National Park System, railroads have played a big part in bringing people to enjoy the parks.) Two Medicine Lake, part of Glacier, is just a few miles up Rt 49 and so gorgeous. (Have we mentioned that we feel so blessed to have our National Park System?) 😀 The folks here are friendly and helpful in that way of small towns across the country: people will smile and say hello on the street, and are happy to share some conversation and helpful suggestions. Beats a good morning snarl, for sure.

Our hosts. Barbara and Christine, are relocated easterners who truly love their adoptive Montana home. They earnestly suggest that we might like it, too. Their only recommendation is that we make sure to try out a winter in Montana (minus 50* for weeks at a time, about 20 feet of snow, closed roads, so forth.) before buying. Sounds like heaven, to be sure. Makes me wonder how many bodies are found in melting snow banks after months of close confinement. Hmmmm. That plus distance from family gives us pause. But there is some appeal here.

Friday, the 19th

Today is our last day in the Rockies. We’ve been in the mountains for more than a month and are very sorry to leave. From Colorado Springs on June 7th to Jasper, BC to East Glacier, MT, we have been entranced. It’s been a dream come true. But it’s time to move on.

Although the wind was still substantial today, we made a quick jaunt to see Two Medicine Lake and a fun loop along the eastern edge of the mountains. Our destination today was Helena, MT, thus making our way into the Great Plains and the first stage on our road home.

We covered over 220 miles today and there was a lot of buffeting (wind) along the way. We’re ready for an adult beverage, some supper and a night’s rest. Tomorrow we head out to Billings, MT, and hope the wind is a bit less. Now that we’re heading east, home is looking pretty good. Except the heat. We had a high of 66 today.

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Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

Good-bye Rockies.