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July 23, 2014
Day 5 - Great Falls, MT to Kalispell, MT (Wed 7/23/14)
Above: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana.
Additional Photos in the Extended Entry.
7/23/14
Update: I am alive and well and resting peacefully just outside the west gate of Glacier National Park in Kalispell, Montana with my riding friends Mark(aka Daryl), Nick, Jim, and Eddie.
Starting Odometer: 16,086
Ending Odometer 16,357
Miles Driven Today 271.0
Miles Driven This Trip: 1,705.7
This map shows basically where we went today.
Some video from today:
http://youtu.be/Ybjkugp55Yo
http://youtu.be/n4YNV57QXos
http://youtu.be/01TK63eDvno
http://youtu.be/jULK7AoKRsg
http://youtu.be/fUcwNGMgtN8
Max Speed today: 105 mph
Times stopped by police today: 0
Tickets Received today: 0
Injuries: No additional injuries today.
Incidents/Accidents: Jim managed to lay his bike down today. We were heading north on 49 outside of Glacier. I had stopped to shoot photos of a grizzly bear, and I missed it. But apparently, they all pulled over at a turn out. And the shoulder was dirt and dropped somewhat. Jim tried to stop with his back tire on the pavement and his front tire off the pavement and his foot wouldn't reach the ground, so he fell over. He was also apparently moving when this happened, though probably very slowly. Everyone helped him up. I arrived just as they were standing up his bike. He seems to be no worse for the wear.
Animals spotted: Grizzling bear, free range horses and cows inside of Glacier park.
The East Entrance to Glacier
So, we stop at the east entrance to glacier. I swear these guys stop all the freaking time. For nothing. But, the thing they taught me was to get away early. I set an alarm, got up, and we were ready to leave by 9:00 a.m. However, because it was pouring down rain at 9:00 a.m., we left at 10:00 a.m. which was fine by me. Normally, I'd still be asleep at 10:00 a.m.
Instead, we were rolling at 10:00 a.m. . So, you get to stop more.
Now, we're stopping. We just gassed up something crazy like 60 miles ago. I can't imagine why we're stopping. I go in and get ice cream. Everyone gets a drink, goes to the bathroom. Whatever. I just sit in the shade on the bench, waiting for permission to keep riding.
The word comes back. No rooms available at the west entrance to Glacier. Instead, they have one reservation, with 2 beds. For 5 people (counting me). Ugh.. Not good.
"I'll probably go out the North entrance anyway...find a room up there..."
"Are you still riding with us...for part of the way?" Mark clarifies.
"Uh...yeah...as far as I can..."
They all call "All Clear!" and hop on their bikes and disappear.
I hop on my bike, turn the key, and nothing. Just some clicks. Sucks.
So, it won't start now. My assumption is that the problem is the battery. But I'm not sure. I panic. Stranded, at a gas station, surrounded by people. Sounds silly, but this is where I am.
I panic. I sit in the shade. Maybe....maybe I turned my lights off and wait a minute, it will start. But it won't start. I really don't want to deal with this situation. I really don't like to deal with this reality. But this is my new reality. I have a bike that won't start. My friends all just left, and I have no clue what to do. Like...should I call Triple-A? Should I call KTM? Why won't it start? Why am I here, in the middle of nowhere, with a bike that won't start. Maybe I could ask a stranger for a "jump", if only I knew where the battery was on this thing. It's a KTM, which means that the battery will be buried deep inside the bike where it's inaccessible.
I pull the seat. Nope. Not under there. Get out the manual...scan for battery charging...OK...Remove the Under-ride Guard. Easy enough. So, at least I know where the battery is now. Now, if only I had jumper cables. Or a battery charger. What a nightmare.
What I want to do is quit the ride and go home. People would understand. The bike has been too difficult. In my mind, all of the little problems I've had with the bike lately combine into this maelstrom of confusion. The bike isn't fit for the trip. It's cursed. This is somehow tied into that problem I've had before were it dies when I put it into gear. Now, the entire electrical system has completely melted down and, if I called KTM, they'd admit that there was some terrible defect that everyone knows about but no one mentions and if I could bring it to the KTM dealer in Seattle thew could fix it for me but it would take 4 days before they could get to it.
But this is all madness, really. Honestly, the best explanation is that I left my headlight on for 30 minutes while we all sat in the shade eating ice cream and now the battery is dead and it won't start. That's probably all that happened.
What I really need to do is to interact with these people around me and ask them to help me push-start the bike. It's too heavy for me to push-start on my own, and it's hot and sunny in the middle of the day. But if the only problem is that my battery ran down, then a push start is exactly what I need to get going. No KTM dealer. No tow trucks. No battery charger. Just a push start.
Just then, a bunch of Harley Riders walk by and I lay it out for them...
"Hey, Harley Riders...I don't supposed you'd be willing to give a fellow biker a push start, would you?"
They all laugh and I climb on my bike and they push me across the parking lot....I pop the clutch in first and the bike roars to life. Now, the trick is not to let it die. Roll up to the ice-cream-eating-bench and let it sit there idling while I pack up all my gear..."Please don't die...please don't die...please don't die..."
Thank the Harley Riders profusely, and pack up my gear, and now heading into Glacier. I have a reservation about 50 miles north of the East Entrance to Glacier. But, I want to see Glacier National Park.
Granted, my bike is, in all probability, not reliable enough to drive across the street, much less across the continent. But I want to see Glacier National Park. I've wanted to see it for 10-15 years. And by God I'm going to see it. I don't care if the bike collapses beneath my weight. I'm going there. Right now.
To me, this is the same as thinking about when I burned my hand. Yes, the burn hurts, but all it is is pain. And, I just push the pain out of my mind. It's just a signal to the brain saying "hey, we've got a problem down here". But, I know what the problem is. It's been resolved. I push the pain out of my mind. So what if it hurts? I can still keep riding. I'm not that worried about the hand. It's just a distraction.
The same as when the pig wrote me a ticket. It doesn't matter. It only matters if you let it matter. So, it doesn't matter. The bike problems are, for me, the same way. They're a nuisance. I don't understand for certain what is going on with the bike. If it's because I left the light on too long in the parking lot and drained the battery, or something less obvious. But, it doesn't matter. I'm going to drive across Glacier today. Nothing will stop me. That is the best approach, it seems to me.
Essentially, my plan is to end up North of Glacier, and the North Entrance to Glacier is closed, so there's only an East and a West entrance, essentially. As I drive into the park, I pay my $12.00 entrance fee.
"How long does it take to get across the park?" I ask the female ranger rich type at the booth.
"At least 2 hours..."
It's about 4:30 p.m., so that means I'll get into Fort MacLeod at about 9:30 p.m. Great. I plan to drive across the park on the Driving to the Sun Road, return back along the same, then head north for 50 miles into Canada to Fort MacLeod. On a motorcycle that won't start. And, if it dies, I'm royally screwed.
Pay the park entrance fee. Drive into the park, and immediately I'm at a 15 minute wait due to road construction. But I can't kill the bike. So I sit in the shade while the bike idles for 15 minutes. The bike gets warmer and warmer until eventually, the oil light comes on and the temperature bars on the digital display indicate max temperature reached. Realizing that 1) I can't kill the bike and 2) if the bike idles, it will overheat and possibly seize up, I hop on the bike and start to go.
The moron with the stop sign indicates I can't go yet.
"Dude...get the fuck out of my way...I have to go...my engine is about to seize up..."
And I do a quick U-turn and go back down the hill, then another U-turn and now, the engine starts to cool and he lets us go up the mountain. So, I'm rolling up the mountain on a bike that 1) I can't kill and 2) I can't stop. This is a very bad situation. Insanely bad.
As we climb the mountain, the dust is unbelievable. This happens every year, apparently. Fresh rock falls, always the road is in a torpid state of disrepair.
None of my DC adapters are working. Normally, I have 3 USB ports running off of the 12V cigarette lighter on the bike. I power the Garmin, the GoPro, and my iPhone with USB from the cigarette lighter. But, I test it, and there's nothing. No juice at all. This leads me to believe that there is something seriously wrong with the bike. Like...yes...I got it started, but the electrical system is royally hosed.
So, I have a bike that won't start, and won't stop. And no DC power, so I can't charge my GoPro, and I can't charge my Garmin. And no cell coverage. So, this is not a good day. I'm driving over the continental divide, and the view is just stunning. Unbelievable. But I really can't even enjoy it that much, because my situation is just so precarious.
As I cross the continental divide for the umpteenth time, my Garmin indicates low power. Great. I'm about to lose my Garmin. No cell coverage. No GoPro. The bike runs, but can't be stopped, because it won't restart. What a nightmare.
Now, down the other side of the continental divide. I don't really care about the scenery. It's spectacular. I take a few pics. But I'm sick because my situation is so bleak. I want to roll the KTM into the lake and hitch-hike home.
I want to find the nearest KTM dealer, drive the bike there, drop it off, and say "call me when it's working right", but I have no cell coverage. So, I can't contact KTM. I decide to keep going down to the West entrance where I'll have cell coverage, then I'll call and find out the nearest KTM dealer an head for that. I imagine refilling the bike with gas while the engine is running...praying it won't overheat.
I decide to plug in my Passport Radar detector again to see if it will power up. This time, there are two lights that do appear to glow, though very dimly. But that gives me hope. Hope that the problem is all related to a dead battery. Maybe all I need is a battery charger. I'll buy a battery charger, a new motorcycle battery at O'Rieleys or NAPA, and wire it all into the bike's electrical system.
I pass the slow people going downhill, illegally, over double yellow lines. And as I pass one woman, a large doe crosses the road in front of her and I almost hit the deer going about 30 mph. Somehow, I miss it.
Now, finally, 2 hours later, nearing the West Entrance to Glacier, and guess who I see? My buddies! All four of them lined up , on the side of the road, and I come rolling by. I flip them all off. "You left me, you fuckers."
"We thought you were going up north to Fort MacLeod in B.C...."
"I was, but I had some trouble with my bike...it won't start..won't even turn over...I had to have some Harley guys push start me..."
But really, I'm just so glad to see them there aren't words. So glad to have friends who can help me. Now, if we can just find a walmart, I can buy a trickle charger, put it on a charge over night. Buy a new battery if I need to. All things seem possible now.
We're rolling south out of Glacier towards Kalispell, MT where they have a single room reserved. Mark makes it clear to me that I don't have a room and can't stay with them, as they only have 1 room for 4 people at this point. I don't really care. I don't have a plan. I'm just so glad to be around people who can help me to push start the bike if it dies.
So, we're rolling south, and now, we see this large storm front moving in towards us. Not looking good. But, the funny thing is, I don't even care. We're rolling south...I'm on a bike that I can't stop...with no USB power to any of my instruments....into a massive storm...with no place to stay. And I don't even care. I'm as happy as a pig in shit. Grinning from ear to ear.
When we get into Kalispell, Nick sends me to find a room. Go down that way..ride through town...look for Vacancy signs. If ind a place with a vacancy sign. Get a room. A single...and take it. Done.
I kill the bike in the parking lot, and then it starts right back up. The only thing that I can assume is that I drained the battery by leaving the headlight on, and now it's recharged. So now, I have a bike that runs, a place to stay, and the stop dissipates and never rains on us anyway.
I've learned so much from riding with these guys there just aren't words. In the parking lot, Nick explains to me how to mount the bike properly.
"Why don't you stand on the left foot peg, and then swing your weight over?" He asks.
I try it, for the first time ever. Works perfectly, and my boot doesn't hit the seat now.
I love riding with these guys. So much fun. So glad to have friends on the road.
Additional Photos in the Extended Entry.
Above: Driving Northwest from Great Falls, MT towards the east entrance to Glacier National Park along US Highway 89.
Above: Driving Northwest from Great Falls, MT towards the east entrance to Glacier National Park along US Highway 89.
Above: Driving Northwest from Great Falls, MT towards the east entrance to Glacier National Park along US Highway 89.
Above: Driving Northwest from Great Falls, MT towards the east entrance to Glacier National Park along US Highway 89.
Above: Driving Northwest from Great Falls, MT towards the east entrance to Glacier National Park along US Highway 89.
Above: Some of my riding buddies I met on the road. As I recall, they were on 3 Harleys and a BMW RT1200.
Above: The east entrance to Glacier National Park. I'd never been to Glacier before, so this was one of the things I wanted to knock out on the trip.
Above: The east entrance to Glacier National Park.
Above: Glacier National Park.
Above: A nasty burn on my left hand. I've gotten a lot of comments about how shocked people are that I touched a hot muffler on my motorcycle. For clarification, it happened when something fell off the bike, and I moved to stop it from falling. As I recall, I was in Utah or Wyoming...one of those square states...It was a brief lapse of judgement. Something that's easy to do when you're on your own, thousands of miles from home, in a different state, in a different time zone, on a big adventure. I can only say that, to those who think they can do better, go hop on a motorcycle and drive it every day from sunup to sundown for a month, then call me, when you're 5,000 miles from home, and let me know how easy it is and what an idiot I was. I'd love to hear from you then.
Above: A fleet of these red buses is used in the park service to shuttle people around Glacier National Park. They're apparently referred to as "Red Jammers".
Above: The western face of Glacier National Park.
Posted by Rob Kiser on July 23, 2014 at 7:10 PM
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