Going-to-the-Sun on Harleys

“Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul,” is an anonymous quote known in the heart of many motorcyclists. In 2017, we embarked on one of my favorite adventures ever and enrolled in a 3-day motorcycle riding endorsement class. James had previous riding experience, but I had only ever been a passenger and never an operator. We both passed with ease, and on that Sunday, when they handed over our endorsements, we picked out our Harleys.

“Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul”

James purchased a 2018 Forty-Eight Sportster with a 1200cc engine of corner cranking torque. It gets its name from the teardrop tank, aka the “peanut,” which was introduced by Harley Davidson in 1948 and became the iconic look for the Sportster.

I purchased a 2017 Iron 883 Sporster with the 883cc engine, hence its name. Experts advised not to go with anything over 650cc’s for a beginner, but I loved this bike! It weighs a little over 560 pounds, which is manageable for me. For the first year of riding, I limited myself to going back and forth to work, just to gain experience and become comfortable and safe on it.

Our decision to buy these bikes stemmed from our long term plans for retirement. We have a vision of becoming full-time RVr’s, traveling the country with a toy hauler trailer, and our Harleys. Ideally, we would set up camp somewhere, then jump on the back of our Sportsters to explore. Retirement is at least 10 years away, but in the meantime, we plan to practice a weekend at a time for it! We don’t have a toy hauler yet, so James converted our two-horse trailer into a bike hauler. Our first motorcycle adventure was last summer at Glacier National Park.

We hauled our bikes in the trailer over 560 miles to Whitefish Montana. We attended a music festival over the weekend but kept Monday July 15th open for a ride. The park has many extraordinary places to visit, but one of its most surreal features is the Going-to-the-Sun Road. It’s a scenic drive in the Rocky Mountains that takes you across the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, elevation of 6,646 feet. It’s about a two-hour drive, but you should pull over to the side and take in the views as often as you can, and even plan a day hike if possible. It’s the only road that traverses the park, so we plotted our route with a loop crossing west to east and returning outside of the park along the southern border. This created an 8 hour day for a 200-mile ride.

We left Whitefish at 7am to get an early start and to fill up the gas tanks right outside the park. The entry fee for the day on a bike was $30 vs. $35 for a vehicle. FYI - the park restricts vehicles on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, so be sure yours is no longer than 21’ and less than 8’ wide. The road is narrow and has many hairpin turns along the way. I’ve gone across the park twice before in my life, as a passenger in a truck, looking down the steep cliff-hanging embankments, and I admit it can be alarming. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel riding along the edges of the earth like that on a bike. James had never been across, so he didn’t know what to expect.

We lucked out with the weather, and the morning was warm and bright. We entered the park and casually cruised along at about 30 mph, winding leisurely through the green forest. We didn’t have headsets to communicate, so we would switch off leading, and the person in front would pullover when desired. As we began to ascend into the mountains, their beauty seemed to overwhelm me. There’s something about riding that opens up your mind. As I navigated each turn, I soaked in my surroundings. I thanked God for everything from the ice-capped mountain peaks thousands of feet above me to the life-giving rivers flowing through the deep valley gorges, thousands of feet below me. Then I thanked Him for making my journey possible, for giving me life, health, and the capability to accomplish new things such as learning to ride a motorcycle even in my late forties!

This first journey on my bike seemed spiritual to me. I later asked James what he thought about and how he felt as he rode alongside me. Sometimes we assume we know our partners and never ask them these questions. I thought his answer would be similar to my own. However, he sincerely answered, “More than anything, I thought about the history of the park and the people who built the road.” He wanted to know more about it and the construction. If you are lucky enough to have a partner to go on your adventures with, I highly recommend you ask about their own thoughts. I realized after listening to James that I was curious too, and I appreciated his aspect of our journey.

Construction was approved in 1921 for the “Transmountain Highway” as it was first called. It was notably the first national park construction explicitly designed for the automotive experience. The three-month survey of 1924 consisted of a crew of 32 men who climbed 3,000 feet each morning and hung off of cliffs by a rope to take measurements. The National Park Service then worked with the Bureau of Public Roads to blend the design in with the surrounding environment. The bridges, guardrails, and retaining walls were all made from natural material mostly gathered from the excavating process during construction. In some areas, the laborers had to carry out the excavated rock by hand. Three decades later, on July 15th, 1933, the 50-mile road was officially opened. I was amazed to see that we had chosen to ride across the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the exact same day 86 years later!

“I was amazed to see that we had chosen to ride across the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the exact same day 86 years later!”

Our National Parks are indeed a great treasure. We recommend planning your own adventure to any one of them, you won’t regret it. Don’t just say “sometime,” because sometimes later becomes never. Click the video link below to sit back and enjoy 8 minutes of our ride through Glacier National Park!

The remainder of our ride was full of a different kind of adventure. We traveled over long distances of wide-open spaces and roads that seemed to stretch forever. I had never gone over 60mph on my bike, but suddenly, I was looking at a speed limit sign of 80mph!! Well, great things never come from comfort zones, right? I was able to push my bike and myself beyond what I had ever expected, and it was thrilling! Thank you for coming along on the ride with us, remember to define your own journey in this life and GO DO IT! #JACTventures