Motorcycling in Montana... with Mennonites!

Contributed by Emma Callin

Can you spot me in this picture? ^_^

Last year my husband's good friend, Eric, suggested we join him and his family on their yearly road trip to Montana on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  I've always enjoyed road trips and the Going-to-the-Sun Road has spectacular scenery, but this road trip wouldn't be by car - it would be by motorcycle.

I figured out pretty quickly that this meant having very little luggage space while needing to pack for whatever the weather might bring.  Luckily, last year the weather was clear, warm and sunny the whole trip so I was just fine pulling my helmet, riding jacket and rain pants over jeans and a t-shirt.  This year was significantly more challenging to pack for, with cold wind and rain forecast for the first couple days but bright sunshine and warm weather for the next two.  I needed clothing to keep me warm and dry but also clothing I could wear in the heat; everything needed to fit in the side bags on the bike too.

Pardon the wrinkly clothes - forgot to take a photo until the end of the first day!

My solution?  On the way out I wore most of what I thought I might need underneath my waterproof outer jacket and pants.  I layered my We3 tank, 3/4-sleeve Cecile Benac top, Mumble Tease sweater and MEC fleece sweater on top and my Yoga Jeans skinnies, old cotton gym pants, old flannel pajama pants and MEC fleece pants on bottom.  This way I would have a range of warm and cold weather clothing to choose from for the rest of the trip, plus something to wear as pajamas!  This also worked very effectively to keep me warm and dry even when it was pouring rain and the temperature dipped to 8 degrees Celsius in the mountain pass.  

The design on my custom Mumble Tease sweater!  It's just too cute not to share.  ^_^  

At the Polson Cherry Festival outside A&R Trophies, Gifts & Shirts, admiring their flower baskets.

Of course, I didn't wear everything in layers on the trip out to Montana - I did have a couple other tees (like my Nicole Bridger tee) that pack small and resist wrinkling, plus a comfortable pair of slip-on Vans I could switch out with my John Fluevog boots when the weather warmed up.

Henry with his Boss Hoss trike in his "statement t-shirt". ^_~*

Not everyone brought a change of clothes for the warm weather and Eric's dad, Henry, was still wearing a long-sleeved fleece base layer when the weather warmed up to 28 degrees Celsius.  He ended up buying a very bright tie-dye tee from one of the vendors at the Polson Cherry Festival!

Kitted out in my helmet, jacket, rain pants and boots.  You can also see my tiny backpack by my feet!

As the weather was beautiful on the way back to Calgary we stopped along the Going-to-the-Sun Road to rest and take in the view.  If you can imagine the above view obscured by fog and heavy rain, that's pretty much what the ride out looked like!  I wore my Revival Style scarf and Icebreaker gloves both riding out and riding home, though on the way back it was for sun-protection and not for warmth.  Frequent application of sunscreen on the face was also necessary - every time I put on or removed my helmet it rubbed a lot off!

My chauffeur and ride for the trip, a.k.a. my husband, Keegan, on his Suzuki Boulevard.

Mennonite biker gang!

Eric's family does this trip every year with their friends, all of whom are Mennonite or from Mennonite families.  We were definitely one of the larger biker gangs out on the road last weekend, though probably one of the friendliest!  ;p

My tee from Comma Apparel pretty accurately describes how saddle-sore I felt after the long ride home! 

While the ride out to West Glacier had been split up with an overnight stay near Lethbridge with Eric's family, we rode straight home to Calgary from West Glacier with only short pit-stops.  I was definitely glad to be able to sit down and put my feet up when we got home!