2018(2) - Day 4

After a great night of sleep in one of the tiniest rooms I've ever stayed in, we all got cracking fairly quickly this morning. We had a good breakfast and then pointed our wheels south. We stayed on 93, on the west side of Flathead Lake, as we made our way to Missoula. Just south of Polson a rain shower had just passed through, leaving quite a bit of water on the road. The air was so fresh this morning and temperatures were very comfortable.

We stopped for lunch and an ice cream in Missoula, and then battled traffic for half an hour getting out of the city. There must be a lot of tourists in the area right now, I've never seen Missoula this busy before. It was nice to make the turn west on highway 12 to get away from most of the traffic. This is the third time I've traveled highway 12, and by far the fastest I've ever ridden it. I've never pushed any bike I owned as hard as I pushed the Goldwing today. The power and performance really show on a road like this as the bike feels glued to the road. There wasn't too much traffic on the road, so I took a lot of the 45mph corners at 70-80mph. I got up over 100mph a few times on the straight stretches and the bike never flinched. I probably shouldn't even post that stuff, but I lived to tell the story so I better tell the story.

After our last stop on the road we stuck together as a group and made our way west to Orofino, where we decided we had gone far enough for the day. It was hot outside today, getting up to 35, and it felt later than 7:30 when we stopped. We did gain an hour as we entered the Pacific time zone when we crossed into Idaho. I was tired and hungry, and one of those needs has been met. Now it's time for a shower and some sleep.

We're still not sure what the plan is for tomorrow, though there is a good chance we'll end up somewhere in southern BC. It should be another great day of riding regardless of what we end up doing, which is the whole point of the trip. It's been awesome so far, and should continue to be!

2018(2) - Day 3

We got off to a bit of an earlier start today, and after getting the bikes fuelled we headed south. We stayed on highway 2 through Cardston and to the USA border. The crossing was fairly smooth, though our two friends from PEI both needed to go inside and talk to the agents. Once that was done we rode the final half hour to St. Mary. After a break for lunch we started riding west on the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. 1 day less than a month had passed since we entered back into Canada, and it's so cool to be back here again. I fell in love with western Montana a few years ago, a love that grows deeper every time I come here. It would be easy to live down here, just have to convince the wife!

Two years ago Leona and I came over this road, but did it in the other direction. It was nice to see the different views, and they were amazing, but west to east is still the better way to go if you can handle being right beside some large drop offs. All of us were more comfortable together today and we spent a lot of time taking in the views, chatting, and having some laughs. I talked with a few CMA riders and it was cool to talk with a couple of other Christian riders. As we parted ways I said that I'd see them again someday, whether that is here on earth or up in heaven. As amazing as the scenery is here on earth, eternity in heaven will be untold times better!

There were a few little rain showers as we came down off the mountains but we kind of stayed ahead of the rain, only getting a little bit here and there. Temperatures were also climbing as we came down, getting up to 30 degrees as we entered Kalispell. We got skunked at the first hotel we tried, but the Motel 6 across the street had rooms. We checked in and then went for a nice dinner, and then spent a couple of hours chatting outside our rooms. Even at 11pm the temperatures are still very comfortable, and if it wasn't for being tired, I could have stayed out much longer.

There was a big family from Kentucky that took like 4 or 5 rooms around us, and I talked with one of the guys a little. It was cool to make that connection since we were just down there a little more than a month ago. They didn't appear Amish, but they were something similar as the women wore the head coverings and the men had the typical suspenders.

We don't know what the plan is for tomorrow, possibly riding down to Missoula and then head west through the Lolo pass. I've done that one a couple of times, it's 99 miles of nothing but winding road beside a river.

2018(2) - Day 2

We got off to a late start today, but once we got rolling it was a beautiful day for riding. We met up with Highway 22 southeast of Drayton Valley, and then stayed on that until Cochrane. There we jumped on 1A for a little bit, until we got to Highway 40. I’ve been over the Highwood Pass before, and it was nicer than I remembered. What a great road (highest paved pass in Canada), if you’ve never been I recommend it. The temperature dropped from 22 to 15 at the top, and we barely beat the rain out of the mountains. 

After completing that stretch of road we ended up in Longview, where we decided to head over to High River for the night. We got checked just after 8 in the evening, and wasted no time getting some dinner. All of us were quite hungry, as we hadn’t eaten since noon. 

Riding in a group is a whole different experience than I’m used to, and it’s a nice change. I probably wouldn’t want to do it all the time, but it’s great to chat with the guys at stops. Everything takes longer than I’m used to, but all in all it’s going to work very well. I was able to stay in the back for most of the day, but ended up being out in the lead later in the day. Now it’s time to say goodnight to the wife and catch some sleep. 

2018(2) - Day 1

It feels like we just got back from our big trip, but I'm back on the road again. The opportunity presented itself, and with the blessing from my amazing wife I couldn't say no. Today was a solo ride to Stony Plain, where my father-in-law and I will meet tonight. Tomorrow we meet with a co-worker of his and a friend of the co-worker, and the four of us will ride to parts unknown. There aren't any concrete plans, and I'm just tagging along, so whatever they decide is what we will do.

The ride today was good, though I battled a headache and upset stomach for most of the day. The stomach cleared up, but the headache remains. The sunshine at home didn't last long, the skies becoming overcast for the remainder of the ride. It was on the chilly side all day but not cold. The sun finally came out as I walked to the restaurant for dinner.

I'm not totally sure how long the ride will be, probably only a week or so, but there's a lot of great scenery that we can get through in a week. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity, and I'll cherish it. The summers are so short so being able to maximize the riding season is what it's all about. I had a hard time coming back home from the trip we did in June, the hardest it's ever been for me to come back. Sometimes it would be nice if there wasn't the constant urge to ride and see new country, but at the same time it has added so much to my life since I started taking long distance trips. Now if I could figure out how to do this for a living...


The bike, itching to get back on the road and do what it does best...make miles

Indicative of the weather today, not bad at all

Thankfully I look over the windscreen and not through it, a lot of bugs out there today

2018 - Trip Wrap-up

Today has been a busy day at home, getting all the trip info into the spreadsheet and then servicing and washing the bike. Going over the numbers for the trip was interesting, and there were a few surprises. I was expecting lower gas mileage on the Goldwing, though I'm not sure why. It turns out that our average was 48.2mpg over the 13,869km traveled. That is the exact same mileage we got on the Harley last year, and a shade better than I did alone on the Harley on my longest trip in 2014.

Costs on this trip were higher than previous trips I've taken on the bike, due mostly to the terrible exchange rate. Gas was on average $1.30/L in Canada and $1.01/L in the USA, for a total fuel cost of $881.19. Hotel rooms were a fair price before the exchange, and we only had 1 night that was a little gross.

The trip almost feels like a blur now that we are home, though there are some great memories that will last. My picture file contains over 1,000 pictures and videos, which will help to stimulate memories in the future. It was really great to share this trip with Leona, a trip I had started planning before we ever met. We really enjoyed our time together seeing new places and scenery, and also enjoyed the interactions we had with people throughout the trip.

We visited 17 states on the trip, 11 that were new to me and most that were new to Leona. I've traveled in 34 of the 50 states on the bikes now, getting closer to the goal of being in each state at least once. It's the first time since 2015 that I've been able to check off some new states. Thank you all for reading the blog, making it worth the time to write the posts. You guys viewed the blog over 7,000 times in the last month, over 25,000 lifetime views now.

Leona and I thank God for the safety that he granted us, and for the opportunity to see some more of His beautiful creation. Looking ahead to the next trip has already begun, though when and where is certainly not determined. There's always another corner...and I really want to see what's on the other side!

Updated map of States I've visited on a motorcycle, starting to look pretty good

2018 - Day 28 & 29

We departed Red Deer under sunny skies Friday morning, the cool temperatures creating the need to wear our jackets. It's been cool the last day or two, a bit of a relief from the heat we have experienced the last three weeks. It certainly feels like the vacation is over at this point, we are in familiar country and just making our way home.

We ran into a little weather north of Valleyview, though we certainly missed the brunt of the storm hiding in the clouds. It wasn't a light rain, but not a very heavy rain either, lasting about 15 or 20 minutes. Just a little before dinner we arrived in Grimshaw, where we spent the night. Leona's dad, sister, and her family eventually all showed up and we ate a delicious dinner. It was nice to relax and spend time with family, though once again the evening flew by.

The next morning we made our way to Manning, spending some time there with Tye & Wanda at their new place. Throughout the afternoon the clouds kept getting darker and eventually there was a decent rain shower. After the shower was over we decided it was a good time to make the final leg of the trip to our home.

For most of the 2 and a half hour ride home it looked like we would get very wet, but only caught a few drops the whole way. After stopping to say hi to my folks, we finally arrived at home just after 7pm. It was a great trip even though right now it feels like a blur. We could have spent so much more time down south, and hopefully we get the chance someday to go back. Now it's time to get back to our regular lives, pay some bills, and save for the next adventure!


After hours of riding through the middle of nowhere the last couple days, we now have to cross this river and ride another half hour or so to where we live in the middle of nowhere

2018 - Day 27

Today wasn't a big travel day but it was a successful day for the most part. We left Lethbridge much later than usual, only getting on the road just before 10am. The skies were gray most of the way into Calgary, and we did get a few drops of rain on the way but not a whole lot thankfully.

We got to Rocky Mountain Honda just before lunch and got checked in with service and parts. The boys at this shop are really awesome to deal with, they've actually treated me better than the Harley shops ever did. I would have had to do tires yet this summer but figured I'd wait, that is until they gave me 40% off on the tires. It was an easy decision to get them swapped and now I'll be good until next year. Service and Parts were both great today, I'd highly recommend this store if anyone is in the market for Honda products.

Once that was taken care of Leona and I walked over to the Tim Hortons for lunch. We had both been looking forward to an awesome coffee and we weren't disappointed, lunch was good. We ended up sitting in the dealership for almost two hours as they completed the work. Unfortunately they had one little glitch, so that part will have to get shipped up north where I can install it myself.

About 3:30 we were out of there, headed for Airdrie. We spent a little time with Bobby, Alana, Scarlett, and Bobby's brother Thomas. It was nice to see them again, have dinner, and get reacquainted with our little niece (who is cute as a button I might add). Our time with them went much too quickly, would have been nice to spend more of it with them.

The skies were quickly becoming dark so we got back on the road at 8pm. We had a hotel room booked in Red Deer, in hindsight I'm not sure why we didn't just stay in Airdrie. It worked out well though, only having about 15 minutes of rain to deal with on the one hour ride. Hopefully we get decent weather for the ride tomorrow, and for the final leg on Saturday.


Picture is blurry, but that's what we rode into leaving Airdrie. Thankfully it only lasted about 15 minutes