June 24th, 2014 – Kalispell, MT to Twin Falls, ID ~575 miles
Over the last couple of days, it was clear to me that my alternator was making that squeaking noise you get with a bad belt. I definitely did not have a spare, so Bui and I decided that we’d stop at the next BMW dealership to pick one up. Only problem was, even when we were up in Alberta, the closest dealership on our route was down in Missoula, Montana. So after a couple of days of slight worrying, I’d finally be able to get my belt.
But first, we had to get out of Kalispell. On the way out, we encountered a quirky spot called the Miracle of America Museum. With a sign like that, how could you not stop?
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go in and check it out, but there were still some interesting oddities outside of the museum, like this RV which looks to have the front end of a ’68 Pontiac Tempest:
Or this “Big Boy’s Tonka Toy”, which might as well be a rolling Ford advertisement:
Take a trip down Memory Lane:
Eventually we get to Big Sky Motorsports so I can pick up the belt. They’re the only BMW dealer in the entire state, which seems crazy considering the size of Montana. Then you remember that Montana has just over 1 million people and it doesn’t seem so crazy anymore.
I got worried Bui was about to buy a new GSW:
While I meandered over to parts. Their labor rate was fair and they didn’t have much a wait in the service bay, so I just had them put the new belt on instead of waiting for failure and attempting a roadside repair:
While waiting for the service, we got lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I also met a guy in the Big Sky parking lot who had a KTM streetbike with him. Turns out that Big Sky is the only KTM streetbike dealer in the state, so for his service he took the day off of work, drove 5 hours in the morning to drop the bike off, and was waiting for the service to be completed so he could drive another 5 hours back home. Damn.
My belt. The service advisor said it’s the worst belt he’s ever seen and that I was lucky it didn’t fail on me earlier. I don’t know if I believe the first part of the statement, but the second is definitely true. You have to [URL=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/33026684@N08/15160810027/sizes/o/”]really zoom in to see it[/URL], but it was definitely in bad shape.
But with that we were back on the road and heading towards Idaho:
This would be the last ‘new to me’ state on this trip for Baby Jack and I:
Winding along the Salmon River:
Bui enjoys a break in the rain to practice flying:
We stopped to get gas in a small town (I guess that’s redundant for this part of the country) when we noticed a bunch of numbers on a large hill across the street. I asked the gas station attendant about it and she said that it was tradition for each high school graduating class to hike up and paint their year on the hill. It started in 1925, and only 3 years have been missed, including the year the attendant graduated (about 5 years ago) because “my class was too lazy.” Of course, this is what happens when you take too long to write a ride report…you forgot some details. I can’t remember what the name of the town is, though I remember the attendant was gorgeous. Funny how the mind works. I didn’t bother trying to figure out what other years were skipped, though I am curious to know what happens when they get to 2025…
We entered Craters of the Moon National Park. It seemed very interesting, but we got there right as the visitor center was about to close. Oh well.
Bui rides…on the moon!
Probably my favorite picture of Bui on the whole trip, as we approach Twin Falls.
Went to a vista point to try and catch the last glimpses of sunset while determine where we should get dinner. That’s quite a golf course.
Go to Day 22:
June 25th, 2014 – Twin Falls, ID to Fremont, CA ~690 miles
Go Back to Day 20:
June 23rd, 2014 – Banff National Park, AB to Kalispell, MT ~375 miles