Livingston to Great Falls

KC and I spent the night in the Murray Hotel in Livingston.  The Murray Hotel is a 110 year old hotel that appears to be in original condition.  If the Murray was a car, it would be considered a "barn find", exceptional because it is still in running condition despite it's worn appearance.  It's not had a "frame-off" restoration.  It shows its age and not always in a charming manner.  The hotel is a bit grimy, the elevator is a pain, the floors creak, the shower is a 50 year old design, the soft drink machine didn't work, the cable TV sucks, etc...  So, if you want modern, elegant and sleek, look elsewhere.  Still, the hotel has a personality and could not be any different than an assembly-line Hampton Inn or the uber-chic Limelight Hotel in Aspen.

The Murray is....well, the Murray.  Nuff said.

The 2nd Street Bistro Restaurant, housed inside the hotel building, is good enough to attract the occasional movie star (last time here, Jon and I sat next to Michael Keaton and I saw Margo Kidder in the hotel bar one afternoon) and the likes of Anthony Bourdain, who did a full episode on his TV show, "No Reservations", from Livingston, much of it from this hotel and this restaurant.  My dinner, Duck Sausage Ravioli, was sweet and delicious and was served in a sauce good enough for public sopping.

Check Anthony Bourdain here:   http://www.secondstreetbistro.com/anthony-bourdain-no-reservations/

Following dinner, we retired and each of us did what we could to prepare for the full day of rain that was clearly headed our way.

I awoke around 4:00AM and I could hear cars driving on wet roads, though I did not hear rain falling.  This did nothing but instill a false sense of hope.

At 6:00AM I was hungry and walked down Park Street to a small bakery.  It was still dark and, as I sat at a table near the window reading the local paper and eating my bagel breakfast sandwich, I saw headlights approaching.  A young couple pulled into the parking spot in front of the bakery driving a pickup, pulling a drift boat.  They ordered breakfast, clearly dressed for a wet day floating the Yellowstone River.  I decided that if I had to spend the day outside in the rain, fly fishing in my Simms waders and Patagonia jacket would be my first choice.  But, I didn't have that choice...I would be on my GS all day, come hell or high water and I was OK with that.

I returned to The Murray and found myself locked out of the hotel with no hotel personnel yet on duty.  I managed to figure out, after a couple of fumbling, dimly lit attempts, that the extra key they'd given me at check-in unlocked the Hotel's front door.  I walked the three floors up to my room and finished packing a few things.  I was ready to load.

By 7:00AM KC was ready to eat and over breakfast we agreed that, given the weather forecast, a relatively short day made sense.   Our New Plan called for two short (170 miles or so) days...today we'd go to Great Falls (in the rain) and tomorrow on to East Glacier.  That will position us to do Going-to-the Sun Road on Friday and hopefully the rain will be done by then.

But neither one of us had any reason to hope for a dry day today.

Since the Murray's elevator could only be operated by hotel personnel and because there was no one yet on duty,  I made three trips up and down the stairs to my third floor room to haul gear to the bike.  Once outside the hotel, it was a fairly long, uncovered walk to the bikes which had both been covered through the night.  

By now...it was raining steadily.  It was cold, gloomy and wet.  Momma said there'd be days like this.

Loading a motorcycle in the rain is not fun.  The ordeal starts with removing the bike's full nylon rain cover. Removing a drenched motorcycle cover presents one with the immediate problem of packing it without soaking everything else, including you, that comes in contact with it. So it has to have its own dry bag.

Of course, once the cover is off the bike, it begins to get pelted with rain...the saddle, the tank bag, the panniers...all of it.  And then there's the matter of dealing with a wet (and getting wetter) helmet.  Doing the best we could, we loaded the bikes and then rode 1/4 mile to a covered gas station where we dried off what we could, gassed up, repacked and set our GPS's to Great Falls.  With the temperature in the forties, we pulled out of the gas station into a steady rain, which hung with us for most of our 170 mile ride.  To be honest, our moods were a bit somber. 

We took the interstate east for a couple exits then went north on Hwy 89.  It was raining steadily, the clouds were low and dark.   I expected to spend the day in the rain, which was OK as long as I stayed warm and dry.  So far, so good.

The highway took us through big cattle ranch operations and big wheat farms.  The land rolled along these huge ranches occasionally passing a beautiful trout stream.  At breakfast in the Murray I talked to a couple of fly fisherman (we're easy to spot) who were coming up to this area today to fish.  Looked like fun.

The views of the Rockies were few and far between.  They're still a ways off from here and the weather was so lousy.  No surprise here.  Sill, I enjoyed the ride, if not the weather, and seeing these ranches.  I loved the remoteness and imagined what a profound sense of privacy/loneliness (you pick) the locals must feel.  I loved the sense of adventure I felt riding in this unfamiliar territory in such crappy weather.  Couple of regular Vikings out looking for treasure.

After 70 miles and with temperatures dropping continuously, we pulled into a covered gas station in White Sulfur Springs.   After an hour and a half riding in cold wet weather we both needed a break.   In what seemed like slow motion, we filled our tanks, drained our bladders, drank hot chocolate, had a bite to eat and did some wardrobe adjustments (I added heavy gloves and plugged in my Gerbing heated liner).  As we fiddled about, trying to wait out the rain, customers came and went...a guy who'd helped his son haul a buck to his truck that morning, then a cute blond cowgirl in a pickup who smiled at KC.    After a 45 minute break the rain was not letting up and we knew we couldn't wait forever.  Eventually we nodded to each other and slipped from the covered shelter, onto the highway and back into the cold rain.

Once I settled in I actually enjoyed the ride.  The addition of my warmer Gerbing gloves and a heated jacket made me much more comfortable.  My face shield was constantly wet, but I adjusted to that and we bombed up Hwy 89, pointed at the Canadian border, at 70 plus.  It is a day like this where you develop a personal relationship with your bike's tires.  My Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires were inspiring...great grip in very adverse conditions.  KC says that these tires are as good in the rain as you can get.

About 10 miles north of White Sulfur Springs, we entered a beautiful canyon with dense pines running through The Judith Basin.  Unlike many of the pines that we'd seen elsewhere, these pines were healthy and dense, a deep dark green...almost black in the cloudy, rainy weather.  The road climbed steadily and we finally crested at about 7,500' at Kings Hill Pass.  Temps had dropped fast, down to around 37F.  As we passed Showdown Ski Resort, I noticed that the hills were getting a light dusting of snow.  The ski season isn't far off.

Around Sluice Boxes State Park, Hwy 89 dropped in altitude and the terrain shifted back to high plains and massive wheat farms.  The farms stretched for miles and miles...the recently harvested wheat stubble was a brilliant golden color which, in sunlight, would have been a sight.  As we dropped down, the weather improved considerably..the rain stopped, the clouds began breaking up and it was noticeably warmer.  My mood improved noticeably.

At Arminton, MT,  Hwy 89 dead ended and we turned to the west for a straight shot into Great Falls and our warm, comfortable (Hampton Inn) hotel.  I was delighted to have an early finish since much of what I carried was either wet, dirty or scattered around my bike.  And as my friends know, I will not tolerate a disorganized mess. 

I'll take the afternoon to relax, warm up and repack for tomorrow's ride to East Glacier Village.  I should add that my Aerostich Darien jacket and pants and SIDI Canyon Goretex boots did great today....zero water incursion.  Just as important, my Gerbing heated liner and Nano Puff combo is VERY effective at keeping me warm in cold weather.  What therefore follows is this rule... 

                     Gerbing + Nano Puff + Aerostich  = Warm + Dry. 

A truism if I've ever seen one.

I'll also say that my Aerostich Lobster Claw rain mitts were effective at keeping my hands dry, but not warm enough when the temps sank to the mid-30's.  Need a slightly warmer pair of gloves to pair with the mitts for days like this.  Still, under the right conditions, they are very effective.

We found a nice restaurant across the street from our hotel for dinner.  As we talked about our day and what was to come tomorrow, a young man at the bar offered some local guidance, which is always appreciated.  We talked to him for half an hour and the subject turned to snowmobiling-his favorite outdoor sport.  As we talked about it, I could see parallels between that and what we were doing.  We talked about snowmobiling in Yellowstone...added that to my bucket list.

In case you can't tell...I'm having a goddamn blast.