Montana motoring

Wednesday we set off from our Livingston motel having stayed an extra day to catch up with work and photos and blogs etc. I wiped my poor neglected R1 down and oiled the chain. At some point a number-plate bolt departed so I need to make sure I don't lose the plate. An oil change is well overdue but this baby just doesn't drink any oil it seems! And off we went with tanks full of petrol and coffee in sunshine. Our first 50 odd miles were on the I90 and man oh man do they motor! Pick-ups with trailers doing 90mph mixed with cars doing 50 mph and trucks doing 70mph made for entertaining focus and judicious use of the throttle! Once we left the 90 for the calm of Hwy 287 it was bliss. Garrett said he was feeling lethargic, which suited me as my back was aching again, so we doodled along enjoying the scenery. This State is gorgeous too and I spent almost the whole 316 miles dreaming of a cabin by the lake on 1/2 acre. I'd build it of course! We simply rode and rode and rode gawping at snow-capped mountains, beautiful blue lakes and rolling green hills and forests. Whilst stopped for petrol at the junction of Hwy 200/83 a man in a Jeep drove up where we were having a snack. He chuckled and offered us his Jeep, dog and tools for my bike. He decided to keep the missus it seems. The dog was a blue-eyed huskey and as soft and cuddly as any dog on earth. We had a laugh and set off up the gorgeous Hwy 83. I pulled ahead of Garrett and started doing ballet poses whilst riding. We had entered Swan Lake Montana. Our mood, our pace, the roads, the weather, the scenery, all were perfect. What a day! We arrived at Kalispell about 7:30pm and after running about a bit we turned back to a particularly clean little motel called Hilltop Inn. The manageress let us hold her pet Ferrets and we fell in love with them on the spot. Pizza fixed the empty bits as we planned our run for tomorrow through Glacier National Park. We were told by more than one traveller that Glacier is the best in the world so we are keen to see it.