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For those of you that are new to the Cyclerides.com newsletter or are still catching up with your emails from Summer rides or vacations, two weeks ago I gave you an overview of our 2800 mile ride from Seattle to Glacier Nat. Park, Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson Hole, Bryce Nat. Park and back to Phoenix. I am now calling this "Glacier Ride 2005". If you missed the letter Click Here. Or if you would like to see the preview pictures again, Click Here. Last week I covered the first 2 days of the ride that took us through the Cascades in Washington and ending the second day with a game of "Dodge Deer" as we made our way into Whitefish Montana after dark. To view last week's letter Click Here. This week I will cover days 3 and 4 as we ride through Glacier National Park and the ride across Montana ending at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Day 3 we arose early to a beautiful Montana morning to take advantage of the complimentary breakfast on the deck of the Alpinglow Inn on Big Mountain Ski Resort in Whitefish, MT. We knew that we were about to embark on the signature part of our trip and we were anxious to get going. After a nice 33 mile ride from our hotel to the West Glacier entrance, we were more than ready to see and experience what we had heard so much about. We couldn't have asked for a better day as we road into the park. There was a beautiful blue sky, sunshine and warm temperatures that allowed us to ride with long sleeve t-shirts throughout the day.

The history of Glacier National Park reads like this. In 1910, President Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier as the country's 10th national park. The Great Northern Railway built a series of hotels and small backcountry lodges, called chalets, throughout the park. A typical visit to Glacier involved a train ride to the park, followed by a multi-day journey on horseback. Each day after a long ride in the mountains, guests would stay at a different hotel or chalet. Eventually, the demand for a road across the mountains led to the building of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road was a huge undertaking. Even today, you will marvel at how such a road could have been built. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road is considered an engineering feat and is one of the six National Historic Landmarks in the park along with over 350 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. It is one of the most scenic roads in North America. The road you will travel from West Glacier to Saint Mary on the East side is about 50 miles. The actual Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass is about 18 miles.

As we made our way to Logan Pass through the very narrow winding road up the mountains, we were amazed at how they could have engineered and built this road in the 1920's while at the same time enjoying the beauty of the majestic mountains that were the result of glaciers moving through this area thousands of years ago. Shortly before making it to Logan Pass we spotted our first (and last) wild animal in the park, a lone white mountain goat that was near the observation area and eventually made his way up the mountain.

After a brief stop at Logan Pass visitor center, we started our 18 mile ride down the mountains past beautiful Saint Mary Lake, home to one of the most photographed areas of the park, Wild Goose Island. before completing our initial 50 miles through the center of the park to reach the East side. It was now time to take the 100 mile loop around to the South to return to West Glacier. On your way South on Hwy. 89 you will want to take Hwy. 49 that will take you on a beautiful 7 mile ride to the turnoff to the 7 mile ride to Two Medicine Lake. When you ride back out to 49 you will be 4 miles from East Glacier at the Historic Glacier Park Lodge, also known as the "Big Tree Hotel". You will definitely want to stop and take a look at this architectural wonder built in the early 1900's. The focal point of the Lodge is its lobby supported by entire Douglas Fir trees. Once again, an awesome part of the history that is abundant in Glacier National Park.

After a stop at the Lodge we made the 56 mile ride on Hwy. 2 back to West Glacier. Along the way we stopped at a place called "Goat Lick". This is where you can almost always see mountain goats as they down from the hills to the natural mineral licks along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. The State even built a fence to direct the goats under the highway, providing safe passage to the lick. As we were standing at Goat Lick we saw a train rumbling by on the tracks through the trees. We then took a leisurely ride back to Whitefish and Truby's for some wood fired pizza on the patio to recount our 262 mile ride that day.

Glacier National Park was fabulous, everything I thought it would be and more. You can just tell as you ride through this park that it is the Grand Daddy of them all. There is a certain mystic about it as you zig-zag up the old Going-To-The-Sun Road that reflects the history of those that built and traversed that same road over 100 years ago. It is a trip that is well worth while and should be pushed to the top of your "Summer Rides" to do list. I would also suggest to buy the National Parks Annual Pass for $50 as it only takes 3 park visits to get your money back. Click Here for pictures from Day 3. Believe it or not, a rider from Phoenix that takes the newsletter was riding the opposite direction on the Going-To-The-Sun Road at Logan Pass with his video camera going and saw us coming up the hill. I don't know how he recognized us, but he did and sent me a 30 second clip from the video. Click Here to view. Thanks Rick. Here is a link to Glacier National Park Service.

Day 4 was one of those days that I call a travel day. It is a day that gets me from point A to point B, to the next place I want to see without being too boring. Sometimes that is easier said than done. But in this case, the travel day was taking us 425 miles from virtually the Northern border of Montana to the Southern border at Wyoming. The ride wasn't bad at all as Montana is a beautiful State with lots of water, trees, mountains and rolling hills. There are a lot worse States to do 400 miles. We went through Helena, the capital of Montana and then on to Belgrade where we stopped at Yellowstone HD to pick up our souvenir t-shirts. We were then on our way to our eventual destination of Gardiner, MT, which is also the North entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

One of the fun things about traveling is to find that great place to eat in one of the most unlikely places. I was in the mood for a great big hamburger after a long day of riding. As we rode the main street we decided to try a little hole in the wall burger joint named Helen's Corral Ride-Inn. According to the sign, Helen could accommodate my desire for both a great Cheeseburger and a milk shake. And she did. 1/2 pound of pure Wyoming beef. It was the best burger I have ever had. We then retired to our Mammoth Hot Springs Best Western to get rested up for the next days ride through Yellowstone National Park. Click here for a few pictures from Day 4.

Click Here For Photos From Day 3

Click Here For Photos From Day 4