Day 5: July 14, 2010.
Why I Ride.
I'm sure you all get the same questions from family and friends who don't ride, maybe even from those who do. “That sure looks dangerous.” “No way you could get me on one of THOSE things.” “My (insert twit olympian relation or acquaintance here) took me for a ride when I was 'X' years old and scared the bejezzus outta me. Never again!” “Where would I put my 5 pairs of shoes I need each day?” “What do you do if it rains?” “Hell – it's all I can do to drive my car while I'm talking on my daily morning conference call for work, drinking my morning latte, reading the paper, and taking the kids to day care. No way I could actually ride a bike.”
If you're reading this, you ride. You know the questions.
Chances are, you also know the answer. Riding in town for a day ride with your buddies will elicit one set of answers. Riding cross-country for 3 weeks, with your wife riding pillion, may elicit a different response.
I came across a saying a while back that has stuck with me. It goes thusly:
“Taking a road trip in a car is like watching a movie. Taking a road trip on a motorcycle is like being IN a movie.”
This morning, after yesterday's scenic ride ending in 120 miles of brutal, punishing wind, we awoke to a sky still cloudy from the overnight rains that had mostly through, damp pavement, and a clip in the air due to the humidity and the still-present wind which, while still present, was more subdued.
Yesterday left us drained, so we chose to sleep in a little, relax a little, and get back into Road Trip Mode.
After a light breakfast and quick update to this ride report, we packed up our stuff and loaded up the bike.
We had an omen.
Close to our hotel in Great Falls, Montana, was the airport. As we were packing up, we heard what sounded like a herd of 747's taking off. It was a sound of some serious jet engines shaking and rattling and rolling.
While loading the bike, I heard an airplane sound that commercial jets don't make. Overhead flew a group of first 2, and then another of 3, military aircraft, F18's, I think. They flew over and came in for a landing at the airport over the crest. If you ask me, they were giving us our own personal fly-over, just as they do at NASCAR races.
Sweet. Today's gonna be a good day, to hell with the trials and tribulations of yesterday.
Enough with the blabbering on. Let's ride, shall we?
Now, there's one thing that Sooze and I have noticed out here. Casinos. They are EVERY where. Even at this little hole-in-the-wall, there's a casino!
A little ways up the road, I saw this and just started laughing. Check it out – this is a reindeer farm:
Right next to a camel farm! I couldn't make this up if I had to!!
Only in Montana.
The morning was still overcast and chilly. I put the face shields on our helmets to keep the winds off our faces. The temps were in the mid-to-low 50's starting out.
The scenery was as it was yesterday.
For my buddy J.D.
The winds came back for a while. Ugh. I was really hoping to get outta that crap, but it was still there. I tried my best to just gut it out, hoping that we'd eventually ride through it.
After a while, the scenery in the background started to change.
Hmm... That be looking like snow on dem dere peaks out there!
Yep, pretty sure that's snow.
Complete with clouds boiling over the peaks in the distance.