Oh Canada! — Bugs On My Face

Kristen and I spent the past few days hanging out in Bigfork, Montana at a house right on the Swan River. It was pretty difficult to leave, not only because we were very comfortable and relaxed, but also because my neck and back is absolutely seized up at this point. Apparently, my riding position is not very healthy. There is a nasty pinch in between my shoulder blades - I'm pretty sure it's a nerve thing.

I have been feeling so bad that I actually spent $50/tire to get my tires changed out because I just can't do the work myself. By the way, Heindl Engineering was really great in getting us some parts and the tires quickly. The dealer network for Ural is just ridiculous!

Anyway, we got back on the road and headed into Glacier National Park.

Following the suggestions of several other riders, we headed straight to the "Going to the Sun Road" and found it to be inspiring.

The only problem was that halfway up to the summit, we ran into some pretty serious weather. The truth is we got caught in a downpour. Not only that but it was cold and windy and extremely busy with traffic. I think I would like to come back some day and do this again at a different time because the clouds covered much of our view and I really think that this could be a special ride.

Either way, we left the park after finishing the road to find some lunch, but before doing so we gassed up. At the station, an attendant, named Ivan, came up to us and said,

'An Oooral! You 'ave an Oooral!'

It turns out Ivan was from somewhere in Eastern Europe and was absolutely in shock to see a Ural in America.

'Zees ees sheet! You need a Harley... Back een my cuuntree, my fazer 'as many Ooorals. But he would trade zem all fer a Harley.'

What I thought was most funny about the encounter was that he could not believe that my bike had an electric start. I have a feeling the Urals that he's used to are very different than my 2007.

Anyway, we left the park and headed northwest towards Waterton Lake National Park but before we arrived we achieved a major accomplishment: we made it to Canada! On the way to the border:

We then crossed the border and spent a good amount of time enjoying Waterton Park (which is actually only split from Glacier by the border and is equally as impressive).