We had a lovely stay at BIGFORK and after a good breakfast at Pocketstone Cafe we were on our way to Glacier National Park.
We were told that this Park is a 'must-do' and to ride the 'Going To The Sun Road' is one not to be missed. And they were right. It was magnificent. Our eyes boggled when we saw the tour buses. Original 1930's buses with upgraded suspension and brakes - a must on the steep incline on the mountains.
Eventually we made it to Logan Pass (the summit) after a l-o-n-g climb. The day was perfect. Warm, no wind, clear skies and the mountain meadows full of colourful wild flowers.
From the Pass we looked east towards our descending route. There were very few cars on this side of the pass and it made for an excellent ride with stunning views.
Some of the wild flowers were exquisite...
We had a little butterfly come and rest on our bags...
And then we found ourselves in a bear-jam! It took a while to figure out why the backlog of cars parked on the side of the road. And then we saw it - our first black bear. Being on the bike we could wiggle in to prime position.
Before long we arrived at the small township of St. Mary's which services the tourists and ski industry. We looked about, enjoyed a rest, a hot drink and something to eat.
St. Mary's was an expensive place so we decided to move on to the next little town. That was booked out so we had to keep going and hope that the next town provided a place to stay. Meanwhile the clouds were building to the side. We wondered if we could out-run the rain?
We soon found ourselves at the Port of Carway, the border crossing into Alberta, Canada. No problems here, in fact, the only thing the officer had to say was "Nice bike".
We were hoping to outrun the rain storm but it didn't matter if we didn't, it was stunning to watch, the light perfect.
We did manage to miss the storm. We got a few spits of rain on us and then we were out of it and on our way to Cardston. We deemed ourselves lucky.
We found a place to stay, got ourselves a meal and thought it strange that the drinks menu consisted of milk, coffee, soda pop. Hmmm, where's the wine and beer? We learnt that the whole county was alcohol free which was an arrangement going back over 100 years. The alcohol issue is voted on annually and they continue to chose an alcohol free county.
During the night I heard a thunderstorm. This time we were tucked up and Ellie was under the verandah of the motel. All was good.
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