I had to take a pic of this stunning dog. Hard to see his gorgeous face in the picture. I met his owner in the shop and he is a German shepherd cross border collie rescue and quite a character. She was in the shop at the gas station buying him water and and snack and herself a coffee.

I spent the 4th July avoiding the fireworks and crowds in a lovely secluded campsite near one of the national parks that banned fireworks.

Heading north towards Glacier National Park I once again had all 4 seasons in the day, freezing cold rain, glorious sunshine and heat that was almost unbearable. I did enjoy the ride and scenery thought and the little towns and beautiful windy roads. One of which I had to ride twice and I missed the warning that the road was closed so 45km later and hitting a dead end I had to turn around and go all the way back and get on the interstate, this did however mean I got to see a beautiful bald eagle.

When I plan my routes, I often look for some interesting things to stop and look at. I usually can’t see everything and stopping also depends on my mood and the weather. Sometimes I’m loving the ride so much nothing will make me stop, sometimes it’s raining and I just can’t bother to sight see in the rain. Today though the weather was great and I had put the Garden of 1000 buddhas on my GPS, mostly out of curiosity. What a cool peaceful place, nestled in the rolling hills of the Montana. The garden of 1000 buddhas is a yoga and meditation retreat offering courses and day trips etc. You can however just go a visit during the day, walk around the garden, sit under a tree and just relax there. The curator of the garden was a really nice guy but the most unlikely curator of a Buddhist shrine.

that you could imagine. We’re talking serious mullet, dungarees and cowboy boots, which really goes to show that yoga and meditation are for everyone 😊   

After leaving the Buddhist Garden I headed off to the bison Range Park on the flathead Reservation. Looking forward to seeing even more buffalo I was a bit disappointed that they wouldn’t let me in on my motorbike. There ae no issues riding bikes through the other national parks which have bison and bears. But anyway, it is what it is and I fortunately got to see a nice heard just down the road behind the park fence.

06 July

I stayed over in Kicking horse, the area and view of the mountains are also great. I had lunch at the ninepipes lodge and usually I don’t eat in hotels but this restaurant serves fantastic food. I had duck breast with mash and asparagus, I think I had the 2^nd best meal on of the entire trip (the first being the scallops in Savanah) I also had a stunning view while eating and enjoyed one of those life is gooooood moments 🙂

I went to the Ninepipes museum. As it was one of the many roadside museums you see when you travel, I wasn’t going to go in as usually they are not that great. This one is not even on the list of things to do in Montana and ye tis one of the best museums I have been too. It is packed full of the most incredible photos and artifacts. You cannot take pictures in the museum but I managed to find some on the internet to show some of the things in the museum. I cannot recommend this museum enough.

I also met the guides who was great and she told me all sorts of stories from her family which were interesting but also quite sad. Her grandmother was in one of the missionary boarding schools. The children were separated from their families and sent to these school as a way of eliminating their traditional was of life. I only recently found out about these schools and it horrified me. Charlette the guide told me what happened to her grandmother and the trauma and alcoholism that resulted and the impact on the family, it truly broke my heart.