The route started in Moscow, ID, went through north central Idaho, northwestern Montana, and through central Montana. It ended about 40 miles south of the Canadian border in Havre, MT. This travelogue may seem long. But I think anyone wanting to get a taste of what this famously beautiful part of the nation has to offer will enjoy it.
TRIP PREP
For this trip I chose to caravan with a former classmate. He was the bad-ass biker. Complete with long hair, leather and tattoos. Former member of a punk band that toured nationally, his bad-assness was not an act. No weekend warrior, but a real teddy bear when you get to know him. He drove a Harley he had completely re-built himself. I was the bad-ass wannabee in a classic Chevy. We drew a lot of looks and thumbs-up on the days drive. Including trains honking at one point.
We met over buffalo burgers one week in advance to plan our trip, which ultimately included a decision to take the scenic route wherever possible, and a quick jaunt through Glacier National Park. At his request we planned to stop about every two hours. He explained that as a biker he needed to “Gas-up, stretch, scratch, and make sure all his manly parts were still in place.”
MOSCOW ID TO ST. REGIS MT
We departed Moscow at 7:30am. The sun was out and my windows were down. They stayed that way for the entire days 500 mile drive. My Monte led the charge through the rolling hills of the Palouse. This area was once listed by National Geographic as one of the 20 most beautiful landscapes in the world. Living here that is easy to forget. Not on a day like this. The green and gold colored hills had the hue of gigantic ocean waves kissed by the sun and frozen in time.
Coming out of the Palouse we opted to take the White Pine Scenic Route. This shadow filled curvaceous road goes through the middle of a dense forest stand of very large white pines. After about 60 miles of mountain meadows, curves and rural Idaho we came to interstate 90.
Need for a brief stop in Wallace, ID was indicated by my Harley driving compadre. Wallace is an old time mining town and until about 25 years ago had a very rough and tumble nature. It was well known up through the mid 80s as a den for gambling and prostitution. The Wild West took a long time to die here. Today its main trade is tourism, and it has a very quaint little downtown. We spent sometime enjoying it.
WELCOME TO MONTANA, LAND OF NARROW ROADS AND HIGH SPEEDS
Next after Wallace was Lookout Pass. Nestled on the Idaho-Montana border, this steep pass can be quite the challenge in the winter. Summer time makes it easy, and we had no issues. The western side of the Rockies is different from the east. More wet and lush. As we drove the pass it quickly converted to the look of the more arid east. Beautiful view from the top, though not enjoyed for long as we were driving about 70mph. We departed the interstate at St. Regis. This was the last interstate we would see until our return trip.
In Idaho and most sane states the top speed on narrow secondary roads is 60mph. A reluctant adopter of President Carters late 70s 55mph limit, Montana quickly reverted to high speeds when this federal mandate ended in the mid-90s. They took to it with gusto having no set speed limit for a time. “Reasonable and prudent” was the law of the land. The bane of modern existence, lawyers, quickly forced the state to set-up numerical limits. Driving the narrow, twisty, shoulderless road along the river north of St. Regis I was reminded that Montana is still different. The speed limit was 70 mph and I was being passed like I was standing still. Rivers, lakes and narrow roads at high speed were the name of the game until we reached Glacier. Harley heaven, and fun in a big old Monte, too.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: REAFFIRMATION OF MY FEAR OF HEIGHTS
We entered the park near Whitehorse, Montana. No, I didn’t see any white horses. After stopping at the park gate to pay a friendly Ranger our $25 day pass fee we were off.
Glacier is drop dead gorgeous. No other words express it. A twisty, steep and inspiring road called Going to the Sun Highway takes you through the heart of the psrk. This 45 mile long road takes about 2 hours to traverse if you go non-stop. But you will not go non-stop. But you will stop. The road is simply too beautiful. Even the most hardened traveler will stop to enjoy these views.
After about 20 miles of driving along crystal clear lakes and rivers I nearly had a heart attack. This was when we came to the base of Logan Pass. My first thought upon coming to it was “What murderous SOB of a construction engineers came up with this deadly route for a road?” Think of the steepest, windiest, narrowest road up a mountain that you can imagine. Take it times 10 and you might have some idea of this road. Nonetheless, 1000s of people drive it every year. My partner and I were determined to surmount it. He, on his bike, felt less trepidation than I in my muscle boat.
The going was low, slow and beautiful. As I drove I noticed the cliff on the left edge of the road was nearly perpendicular. It even hung over the road in places. I did my damndest not to think of what I’d see if I looked out my passenger side and down. The view from that side of the car was amazing.
About half way up the pass I did look to my right and down and “HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!” I couldn’t see any road, shoulder, nothing! From my vantage it looked like half my car was hanging out over a sheer 2000 foot drop. I decided not to do that again.
After about 40 minutes of beautiful awe-inspiring views intermingled with sheer terror we reached the top. The views from the vista house were amazing. Worth the drive. While there several Big Horn sheep and a family of Mountain Goats wandered by.
Thankfully the road down the east side of Logan pass is not nearly as steep or curvaceous.
BROWNING THRU THE HI-LINE IN MONTANA
Eastern Montana is completely unlike its sibling to the west. Where the charms of the west are numerous and obvious, eastern Montana takes its own sweet time to beguile you. The land quickly becomes almost eerily flat. On a clear day you can see for over 100 miles. The arid landscape has few trees. Those that do survive are often stunted and windblown. As are the few buildings you will see dotting the landscape. The beauty of this land lies in a curious mix of the large and small. Landscapes as large as the mind can imagine, and the fragile beauty of desert flowers and half-dried stream beds.
We soon found ourselves in Browning. Center of the local Indian reservation; Browning is a poster child for all that is wrong with that system. Keeping it simple, Browning looks like a 3rd world country. We didn’t linger.
The last 200 miles of our trip took us through the tiny towns that pop-up every ten miles in an area known as the “Hi-Line.” Most so small you don’t even have to drop down from the 70mph limit. The area was a combination of sweeping vistas, straight road, and high speeds down US Hwy 2.
Around 9:45pm I saw the arid mountain range known as the Bears Paw. Geographically unique, this range resembles a series of large buttes abutting one another more than a true mountain range. I knew Havre was near.
After 14 hours we arrived in Havre. We toasted our classmates and enjoyed some well earned beers.
TRIP PREP
For this trip I chose to caravan with a former classmate. He was the bad-ass biker. Complete with long hair, leather and tattoos. Former member of a punk band that toured nationally, his bad-assness was not an act. No weekend warrior, but a real teddy bear when you get to know him. He drove a Harley he had completely re-built himself. I was the bad-ass wannabee in a classic Chevy. We drew a lot of looks and thumbs-up on the days drive. Including trains honking at one point.
We met over buffalo burgers one week in advance to plan our trip, which ultimately included a decision to take the scenic route wherever possible, and a quick jaunt through Glacier National Park. At his request we planned to stop about every two hours. He explained that as a biker he needed to “Gas-up, stretch, scratch, and make sure all his manly parts were still in place.”
MOSCOW ID TO ST. REGIS MT
We departed Moscow at 7:30am. The sun was out and my windows were down. They stayed that way for the entire days 500 mile drive. My Monte led the charge through the rolling hills of the Palouse. This area was once listed by National Geographic as one of the 20 most beautiful landscapes in the world. Living here that is easy to forget. Not on a day like this. The green and gold colored hills had the hue of gigantic ocean waves kissed by the sun and frozen in time.
Coming out of the Palouse we opted to take the White Pine Scenic Route. This shadow filled curvaceous road goes through the middle of a dense forest stand of very large white pines. After about 60 miles of mountain meadows, curves and rural Idaho we came to interstate 90.
Need for a brief stop in Wallace, ID was indicated by my Harley driving compadre. Wallace is an old time mining town and until about 25 years ago had a very rough and tumble nature. It was well known up through the mid 80s as a den for gambling and prostitution. The Wild West took a long time to die here. Today its main trade is tourism, and it has a very quaint little downtown. We spent sometime enjoying it.
WELCOME TO MONTANA, LAND OF NARROW ROADS AND HIGH SPEEDS
Next after Wallace was Lookout Pass. Nestled on the Idaho-Montana border, this steep pass can be quite the challenge in the winter. Summer time makes it easy, and we had no issues. The western side of the Rockies is different from the east. More wet and lush. As we drove the pass it quickly converted to the look of the more arid east. Beautiful view from the top, though not enjoyed for long as we were driving about 70mph. We departed the interstate at St. Regis. This was the last interstate we would see until our return trip.
In Idaho and most sane states the top speed on narrow secondary roads is 60mph. A reluctant adopter of President Carters late 70s 55mph limit, Montana quickly reverted to high speeds when this federal mandate ended in the mid-90s. They took to it with gusto having no set speed limit for a time. “Reasonable and prudent” was the law of the land. The bane of modern existence, lawyers, quickly forced the state to set-up numerical limits. Driving the narrow, twisty, shoulderless road along the river north of St. Regis I was reminded that Montana is still different. The speed limit was 70 mph and I was being passed like I was standing still. Rivers, lakes and narrow roads at high speed were the name of the game until we reached Glacier. Harley heaven, and fun in a big old Monte, too.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: REAFFIRMATION OF MY FEAR OF HEIGHTS
We entered the park near Whitehorse, Montana. No, I didn’t see any white horses. After stopping at the park gate to pay a friendly Ranger our $25 day pass fee we were off.
Glacier is drop dead gorgeous. No other words express it. A twisty, steep and inspiring road called Going to the Sun Highway takes you through the heart of the psrk. This 45 mile long road takes about 2 hours to traverse if you go non-stop. But you will not go non-stop. But you will stop. The road is simply too beautiful. Even the most hardened traveler will stop to enjoy these views.
After about 20 miles of driving along crystal clear lakes and rivers I nearly had a heart attack. This was when we came to the base of Logan Pass. My first thought upon coming to it was “What murderous SOB of a construction engineers came up with this deadly route for a road?” Think of the steepest, windiest, narrowest road up a mountain that you can imagine. Take it times 10 and you might have some idea of this road. Nonetheless, 1000s of people drive it every year. My partner and I were determined to surmount it. He, on his bike, felt less trepidation than I in my muscle boat.
The going was low, slow and beautiful. As I drove I noticed the cliff on the left edge of the road was nearly perpendicular. It even hung over the road in places. I did my damndest not to think of what I’d see if I looked out my passenger side and down. The view from that side of the car was amazing.
About half way up the pass I did look to my right and down and “HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!” I couldn’t see any road, shoulder, nothing! From my vantage it looked like half my car was hanging out over a sheer 2000 foot drop. I decided not to do that again.
After about 40 minutes of beautiful awe-inspiring views intermingled with sheer terror we reached the top. The views from the vista house were amazing. Worth the drive. While there several Big Horn sheep and a family of Mountain Goats wandered by.
Thankfully the road down the east side of Logan pass is not nearly as steep or curvaceous.
BROWNING THRU THE HI-LINE IN MONTANA
Eastern Montana is completely unlike its sibling to the west. Where the charms of the west are numerous and obvious, eastern Montana takes its own sweet time to beguile you. The land quickly becomes almost eerily flat. On a clear day you can see for over 100 miles. The arid landscape has few trees. Those that do survive are often stunted and windblown. As are the few buildings you will see dotting the landscape. The beauty of this land lies in a curious mix of the large and small. Landscapes as large as the mind can imagine, and the fragile beauty of desert flowers and half-dried stream beds.
We soon found ourselves in Browning. Center of the local Indian reservation; Browning is a poster child for all that is wrong with that system. Keeping it simple, Browning looks like a 3rd world country. We didn’t linger.
The last 200 miles of our trip took us through the tiny towns that pop-up every ten miles in an area known as the “Hi-Line.” Most so small you don’t even have to drop down from the 70mph limit. The area was a combination of sweeping vistas, straight road, and high speeds down US Hwy 2.
Around 9:45pm I saw the arid mountain range known as the Bears Paw. Geographically unique, this range resembles a series of large buttes abutting one another more than a true mountain range. I knew Havre was near.
After 14 hours we arrived in Havre. We toasted our classmates and enjoyed some well earned beers.
