Day 17- July 8

Day 17: July 8th 32,737 miles on the odometer

At the risk of sounding like the proverbial broken record, we get off to yet another late start. Not really a problem, as we don’t have too far to go to reach our destination today. It is too late even to get breakfast when we leave; we settle for lunch at a burger place when we make our first stop for gas. It is one of those ‘50s themed places, not great but OK. There is a Harley on display right next to the table we sit at so that’s kind of cool.
A disaster of sorts strikes as we are leaving the restaurant. As I am cautiously waiting for traffic to clear so we can get back on the road, my bike suddenly lurches forward. I grab the brakes hard so I don’t get out into traffic, but it is becoming very hard to keep the bike from tipping over. Something is pulling it down. After a few futile seconds, and a rather loud “What the hell?” I yell into my helmet; I give up, hit the kill switch, and let the Bandit rest gently on its side. Looking behind me now I see my wife’s Vulcan also resting on its side, her front wheel wedged between my saddlebag and rear fender. It takes her a little while before she answers me with an “I’m sorry.” It seems she thought I had already pulled out and was so busy checking the cross traffic that she failed to notice that I had stopped in front of her. I guess I had been too cautious.
Fortunately, nothing is really hurt but some egos. There are plenty of concerned witnesses, so we can’t quite escape the public embarrassment. The good people are very helpful and help us pick up and separate the bikes. Ceci’s bike leaked a little gas, but had no other damage. My Bandit leaks some gas as well, making the tankbag smell bad for a little while. I also have a slightly bent clutch lever and license plate and some minor little scratches, but nothing that needs a repair. After determining that there is no significant damage, we get back on the road. For the rest of the trip I yell “Don’t hit me!” every time I stop.
The rest of the trip is quite scenic. I have to add just over a pint of oil at the next gas stop. I hadn’t been keeping too close an eye on that so I make an effort to be more thorough in my future pre-ride inspections. My butt does not want to get back in the saddle. Every stop is a temporary relief, and getting back on seems a necessary evil. I had hoped my butt would adjust after a while but no such luck. On the plus side, the crotch rot that had been bothering me is getting better. I have been powdering lately. The gold bond feels a bit strange down there for a little bit, but that temporary feeling isn’t as bad as the lingering burning itch I had been feeling.
We arrive at Glacier National Park (they call it some peace park or something) fairly early, plenty of time to get our stamp. We take Going to the Sun Road. It is torn up in spots, and a little spooky at times, but not bad. We see glimpses of bighorn sheep, and close up views of some deer and mountain goats. I’m skeptical about the goats. Mama, Papa, and little Kid like a story book or something. The gift shop has a postcard that shows what looks to be exactly the same three goats in exactly the same place. Hmmm. Robot goats? I’m betting my conspiracy theory money that they are pets that the park rangers place out there every day for the tourists to see.
There isn’t much too see of the glacier, it’s a pretty good distance from the road and just looks like mountain snow. Doesn’t look much different from Crater Lake really, which is OK, because we thought that was beautiful too. We also see quite a bit of running water and waterfalls here, reminding us a little of Yosemite. This is a worthwhile place to visit.
The campsite is a bit lower in elevation, no snow here. There are billions of mosquitoes to deal with as well, and you can hear heavy construction equipment at work. Not ideal, but not really bad either. Still worth it.
We only cover 244 miles today, but this was our destination for the day. The sightseeing was terrific. I am still a happy camper.