Adventures By Guy

Is it only day 4? The two guys I met up with and am tagging along with have already said I’m the leader. What? When it comes to talking to desk clerks or any other people problems they say… you do the talking!
That’s how we got some rooms last night. Last night the old saying. “You get what you pay for” came true. $55 super 8 room was clean and comfortable but that is about it. I never use the TV in a hotel room but Dick said their’s didn’t work. Something else didn’t work either. Hey, what do you expect for $55? It’s all I needed so I was good.
Got out by 0800 and what a difference a night makes. 58°F and NO WIND! We headed west and I was the lead again. Dick said I am only going to go 70. Ok, I’m fine with that. I put the GPS at 70 and hit CC. As we left Williston ND the land soon changed to what I think the West is. Broad open spaces where you come over a hill and the road is straight and you can see it topping out 15 or so miles away on the next hill. Or you 👀 bluffs and ravines. Short grass and just wide open spaces with few people. No row crops. Grazing lands.

It slowly warmed up and we stopped two different times to shed a layer of clothing. The land would change back and forth from grazing to cropland and back again. If you have never traveled out west or even off the Interstate system you should just do it. You’ll appreciate the heritage and grit of the pioneers. I always do. Think about it. You camped on the top of hill and on a good day with your oxen and wagon you would make it 15 miles. That would only be to the top of the next hill the hill you could see from your starting point that morning!!!! I do it effortlessly in 15 minutes or less! I know that there are gas stations along the way and other conveniences. They had none. We as a nation are so soft these days. The people who settled this land were amazing people.
We have challenges in our day that they would crumple at though. I was thinking such thoughts as I rode the miles down today. (429) Distance and time were their enemies as they had to cross the plains, get a house set up and get a crop in late or somehow subsist through the winter. We don’t have such problems. To us it is only time.
To the modern traveler only time is relevant.
When my mother first went west in 1949 she went in a car that cruised at a whopping 35 mph. That means crossing Nebraska took 13.5 hrs. I can now easily do it in 5.5 hrs with AC, good tunes and smoother roads.
When I was a kid in the Midwest you asked how many miles away something was. Now people ask how long does it take to get there. That is the concern. As it isn’t so much the miles and effort but fast or slow roads, traffic and other things. Traveling is effortless compared to even 75 years ago.
These are the types of things I think about as I am riding by myself across these huge plains.

People need to be by themselves more and get comfortable with who they are and if they don’t like themselves yhey need to figure out what they don’t like and change. Motorcycle riding can do that. It can also be a group thing too as we talk via technology from bike to bike. But many a time I just think. I love the wide open views. You need to travel on a bike as you have no roof or doors. If a bike is out of the question then rent a convertible or jeep and take the top down to be able to see then travel the west without a roof or cage around you.
Around noon the wind started picking up and at one of our stops Mike said “at least it’s at our backs today!” yeah I like it but that means we have rain ahead of us and then it will turn into a head wind. So we better enjoy it while it lasts. Mike… have you looked at the radar? No, that’s just how weather works. Storms travel from west to east. If the wind is blowing from the east then a high press is rushing into a low pressure area (storm) as it travels east. You always know when a storm is about over when the wind starts blowing from the west. That means the center has passed over you.
Sure enough at Chinook Montana we got some sprinkles on us but that was all then the wind turned into a head wind and kept getting stronger and stronger. We were 135 miles from Kalispell and it was trying to blow you over. We stopped for a bite to eat at a McDonald’s ( now I know why I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s for at least 20 years) and I knew they were going to want to stop. It was blowing 30 mph and gusting to 40 mostly from the side. I found a motel in Cut Bank and it was reasonably priced and nice rooms. Older but nice. It is a newer owner and he is trying to make a go of it. He was raised right here in Cut Bank. He is the most customer oriented owner/operator I have ever seen. He has someone walk you to your room. They turn the AC up to cool the room down. Everything was done to make us happy. I have gotten to know him in the last two hours and he is officially in the new friend category. Something happened when we came to check in.
Here’s the story.
We walked in and waited in a line 4 people deep. Some people were in the lobby chatting and then it was soon to be our turn. There was a couple standing off to the side and Rodney said to them as I walked in. There is a dispute but let me get these people checked in. I looked at the woman’s hand and said. That looks like a big class ring on your finger. (It was a boys ring not a small girl ring) The guy said. Yep, she just traded it in for a real ring. We are on our honeymoon. Oh! Well congratulations. Then when Rodney said it was my turn I told him to take care of this couple first.
Turns out they had booked this trip months ago and Rodney told them that every morning he prints out the booking services list and they are not on it. There are scams out there or corrupted malware as he would never agree to rent a room out for $40 a night in peak season. He said he will discount the rooms heavily but he cannot do $40 a night as he had bills he had to pay. They said they were on their honeymoon and couldn’t afford that rate as they had spent money on the wedding. This went on for another two cycles with myself and others awaiting the out come. You could tell the groom was getting a little desperate as this was already the least expensive place around.
Against my better judgment I took two large bills out and slapped them on the counter and said… Rodney is that enough to get them some rooms for their honeymoon? He looked stunned and the groom looked like he was going to cry but said “I can’t accept that”. Sure you can. You’re on your honeymoon. Well, Rodney?
Ahhhhhh, it will help a lot and they got rooms. Margie and Scott are from Little Falls MN and they both gave me a big hug. He said to come up and I will take you fishing. Scott, I don’t fish but my son loves to fish. Can I bring him up? Sure thing! So I have two more new friends.
Then later Mike and Dick said “Rodney likes you”. He said we get all the free pizza and beer we want tonight! Great, except I just ate and I don’t drink beer.
Rodney gave us a ride to the bar as Mike wanted one beer but we really didn’t want to get the bikes back out so Rodneysaid he would take us and to give him.a call.when we wanted to come back. We got a small pizza and Mike got his one beer. We couldn’t finish the pizza but Scott and Margie had walked in and I waved them over and they sat down. We shoved the pizza over to them and said we can’t finish it.
We walked back to the motel even though Rodney said he would pick us up. It was nice to walk after riding all day… and the bonus was we saw a gorgeous black 69 Dodge Challenger.
Also, Rodney upgraded our rooms and let us park our bikes in his personal covered spot. How nice.
This guy is trying to make a go of it and his place is 50 minutes from glacier and two other well known tourist destinations that I can’t remember right now. So if you want a reasonable priced room with excellent customer service give this place a call. He said if you call he will match any booking service as they take 15% out and he would rather keep that 15%.
Rodney Burns
Owner of “The Glacier Gateway Plaza and Inn”
Cut Bank Montana
(406) 229-1977
I told him he should comment too.