• Glacier National Park, MT to Skookumchuck, BC
• 302 miles
• Wednesday, July 17
• (Click on map to view the entire Day 3 route)

The highlight of this day is riding the Going- to-the-Sun Road in the Glacier National Park. We tried to ride it last year and could not due to avalanches in late May. We've come later in the year this time to insure access and we are not disappointed. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is not superb motorcycle riding. It's too narrow, twisty and busy. But riding it on a bike is vastly superior to doing in a cage due to the view it affords. It's best to stop a lot and give yourself time to stare or you risk running your bike off a cliff. A convertible is probably the best compromise. (Click on the photo to see what we mean)

Anyway, we find lots of quiet, shady spots to admire the view from. The scale of the place is truly staggering and it boggles the mind. Another motorcyclist tells us that if we think this is awesome, just wait until we head north into the Canadian Rockies. He says the further north you go, the better it gets. We look at him like he's nuts at the time but we learn later that he's right on the money. (Click on the photo to see such a spot)

We drive out of the Park and enter the Canadian part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park where we come to the Chief Mountain border crossing. (Click on the photo to see the English version)

We expect a smooth uneventful crossing. Everyone knows it's easy to get in to Canada and very tough getting back into the US. Wrong! Maybe it's the fact that the border is staffed with only freshly scrubbed kids with clipboards and little real experience. Maybe it's the fact that they see the Harleys and the do-rags and think we are bikers looking for trouble instead of motorcyclists on vacation. We spend 1.5 hours being thoroughly interviewed and background checked. Those of us that were a bit rowdy in our teenage years are shocked to be reminded of events of over 20 years ago! These kids are obviously tapped into the FBI database. And how did the FBI find out about that stuff?? Not cool.

It also doesn't help that some guy with the same name as Jeff has a felony criminal record in Texas. Jeff has to go so far as to show that he doesn't have a tattoo on his chest, thank God. They do everything but body search us and when they are satisfied that we are not felons, they start smiling again and warmly welcome us to Canada!  It's safe to say that our enthusiasm for visiting Canada has utterly evaporated. Nevertheless, we enter the country and continue our journey. 

We travel west on Hwy 3 back through the Rockies via the Crowsnest Pass. On the western slopes, we stop in Sparwood, BC and find the mother of all monster trucks. Wow! Can you imagine the torque this baby produces? (Click on the photo to see it)

We arrive in the town of Skookumchuck, a wide spot in the road, and the campground is nothing more than a nice couple's front lawn along the rural highway. (Click on the photo to see camp)

We ask where the nearest pub is and we're told of one a short ride down the road. The proprietor is waiting for us and makes us feel very welcome. We opt for huge glasses of the local draft Canadian beer, Kokanee, to wash away the unpleasantness of the border crossing. 

We head out into the beer garden out back and we encounter a couple of locals. Remember those beer drinking, flannel shirt wearing Canadians on Second City TV that wore tuks, eh? Well, these guys look and talk exactly like them. At first, we think these guys are putting us on but it finally dawns on us that we are looking at the real McKenzies.

They earnestly inform us that they only drink the imported beer, Budweiser. "That Kokanee will rip your guts out, eh?" We cheerfully thank them for the tip and keep drinking. We inquire as to what one does to earn a living out here in the BC wilderness and they halfheartedly tell us they are in the logging business. One of them tells us, "I moved here for the fly fishing, eh?" Cool.

We head back to camp and come to realize that "Skookumchuck" must be Native Canadian for bad ass mosquitos as they work very hard at sucking us dry while leaving huge welts on our skin.   

Click here for Day 4

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