Going to the Sun road trip report

Rinty · 09-18-2011, 02:41 PM

The leaves are turning, there's a nip in the air, and my thoughts turn to the Logan Pass. I have the Pass schedule bookmarked on my computer, and it was telling me that the season closure was midnight tonight, so Karin and I set off early Friday afternoon for Montana.

The good stuff on Highway 89 starts just south of St. Mary. This is the west end of St. Mary Ridge, with Divide Mountain in the background:

The section from the Ridge to Kiowa is freshly paved, so you can do a spirited run in there. At Kiowa, we turned west onto 49, Looking Glass Hill Road, one of my favourites. This is just pass the summit, with Lower Two Medicine Lake in the background:

A friendly guy from Oregon snapped this pic when we were stopped:

He had me take one of him and his wife with the 993.

At East Glacier we headed west into the Marias Pass (Montana #2). This is the Theodore Roosevelt Monument at the summit, which is 5,220 ft. ASL:

Great Northern built a railway through the Pass in 1892.

We continued on to Essex, and checked in at the Izaak Walton Inn, one of our favourite places:

I had booked late, so we had to take the fancy Family Suite:

The Walton was built by the Railway in 1937, and restored by Sid and Millie Goodrich in the 1970s.

To be continued...

boulderbobo · 09-18-2011, 04:22 PM

Rinty, get pics!

Got to love the Fall in the air

Thanks for sharing.

Bob-

Ed Hughes · 09-18-2011, 06:01 PM

Nice! Even in SoCal, the mornings have been a little crisp, and the sunlight has taken on a more yellow hue, which I love about Fall.

Rinty · 10-29-2011, 02:29 PM

Part 2:

We retired for the night after a pleasant evening in the Flagstop Bar and the Dining Car restaurant. I had parked the car next to some Subies, so it felt quite at home:

The next morning, we headed west on #2, towards West Yellowstone, following the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

It was quite cold, and I drove in 5th at 3,000 rpm until the engine warmed up, which took about 25 miles!

At West Glacier we gassed up, and headed north on the Going to the Sun Road, into Glacier Park. There is road construction going on, and there are a few traffic stops:

I stalled the car after one stop, and got a fist pump from the flagman.

I was thinking about Andreas while we were driving this part:

The road is pretty smooth, with a few dips, but I had plenty of ground clearance with the new M033s.

The Garden Wall:

Looking south, towards Mt. Reynolds and Mt. Clements:

After summiting, the road drops down to St. Mary's Lake, and we stopped for a dirt shot. It was windy and cold here, but the car was snug and warm:

At St. Mary, we turned north, and headed to the border. Back in Alberta, we detoured west at Cardston, and then headed north on the Blue Trail (800 and 810). This is Mormon country:

Back on the freeway at the Ft. McLeod junction, we were passed by a Toyota Sienna running at about 150 km/hr, providing us with a radar screen for most of the way home; a little gift on the last leg. The car runs well at 3,200 in sixth.

We enjoyed the trip so much that we went back a few weeks later, this time in the Subie.

ABCar · 10-29-2011, 02:48 PM

Oh, how cool. We were out there 12 years ago and will never forget the trip in our 900 turbo. Looks even better in a 993 though! Thanks for the great picts.

Ed Hughes · 10-29-2011, 05:18 PM

Awesome pics! Thanks for posting them. Some day, when I'm retired, it will be time for the ultimate road trip. Places like this will be part lf it.

P-daddy · 10-29-2011, 05:25 PM

Rinty, you've captured some fantastic photos!

hoggel · 10-29-2011, 06:24 PM

I grew up in the Flathead Valley. This time of year is the only time I get homesick (it's been 35 years). Thank you for the pics.

Martin S. · 10-29-2011, 06:47 PM

That was some bitch of a ride....went with Backroads, bike vacations where are guaranteed not to put on any weight!

Rinty · 10-30-2011, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the comments, everybody.

We're fortunate to have these areas close by.

JM993 · 10-30-2011, 04:33 PM

I did Going to the Sun last year. Unfortunately, not in the 993. Here's some pics (east side of Logan Pass).

Rinty, with Glacier, Lake Louise, Baniff, etc nearby IMHO you live near the most beautiful parts of the world - bar none. I'm jealous.

Cheers,
Joe

Rinty · 11-01-2011, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Unfortunately, not in the 993...JM993

And your car, with the G50/31, would be a blast to drive up there. But a 530i is no slouch...

I've had my BMWs up there too:

I see you also had a bit of wind during your trip...

skl · 11-01-2011, 11:43 PM

Did that with my kids back in summer of '93- first big trip we took with them, ages 10 and 7. My parents did it with me back in 1960. Unforgetable!! Unfortunately it was in an Oldsmobile rental car we had driven down from Calgary.
Thanks for the memories... we got a great family portrait at the summit, and a mountain goat got in the picture with us!

09-18-2011, 06:01 PM	#3
Ed Hughes Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Encinitas, CA Posts: 12,733	Nice! Even in SoCal, the mornings have been a little crisp, and the sunlight has taken on a more yellow hue, which I love about Fall. __________________ Ed Hughes 1995 993 Coupe "Sapphire" more mods now than before, still pretty stock 2007 MB E350 "Stormy" (Wife's) ^^ Our little Strip Club ^^ 2007 Honda Ridgeline "The Little Mule" Catalina 34 "La Vie Dansante"

10-29-2011, 02:29 PM	#4
Rinty Super User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 2,331	Part 2: We retired for the night after a pleasant evening in the Flagstop Bar and the Dining Car restaurant. I had parked the car next to some Subies, so it felt quite at home: The next morning, we headed west on #2, towards West Yellowstone, following the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. It was quite cold, and I drove in 5th at 3,000 rpm until the engine warmed up, which took about 25 miles! At West Glacier we gassed up, and headed north on the Going to the Sun Road, into Glacier Park. There is road construction going on, and there are a few traffic stops: I stalled the car after one stop, and got a fist pump from the flagman. I was thinking about Andreas while we were driving this part: The road is pretty smooth, with a few dips, but I had plenty of ground clearance with the new M033s. The Garden Wall: Looking south, towards Mt. Reynolds and Mt. Clements: After summiting, the road drops down to St. Mary's Lake, and we stopped for a dirt shot. It was windy and cold here, but the car was snug and warm: At St. Mary, we turned north, and headed to the border. Back in Alberta, we detoured west at Cardston, and then headed north on the Blue Trail (800 and 810). This is Mormon country: Back on the freeway at the Ft. McLeod junction, we were passed by a Toyota Sienna running at about 150 km/hr, providing us with a radar screen for most of the way home; a little gift on the last leg. The car runs well at 3,200 in sixth. We enjoyed the trip so much that we went back a few weeks later, this time in the Subie. Last edited by Rinty; 10-30-2011 at 04:06 PM.

10-29-2011, 02:48 PM	#5
ABCar Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,798	Oh, how cool. We were out there 12 years ago and will never forget the trip in our 900 turbo. Looks even better in a 993 though! Thanks for the great picts. __________________ 96 993 Ducktail/AR Hardback Sportseats/PSS10's/Walrod Bushings/Fister II's/FDM Goldenrod & SSK RS Mounts/RS-Clutch & LWF/SS Lines/HID-55w/Walrod Gauge Rings/BBS-LM's/Vintage MOMO Prototipo S Past Porsches '82 911 SC '06 Cayman S '02 996 TT-X50 '89 944 S2 My Porsche Picture Site http://andyboesky-photographer.com/andy-boesky-porsche/ Andy B

10-29-2011, 05:18 PM	#6
Ed Hughes Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Encinitas, CA Posts: 12,733	Awesome pics! Thanks for posting them. Some day, when I'm retired, it will be time for the ultimate road trip. Places like this will be part lf it. __________________ Ed Hughes 1995 993 Coupe "Sapphire" more mods now than before, still pretty stock 2007 MB E350 "Stormy" (Wife's) ^^ Our little Strip Club ^^ 2007 Honda Ridgeline "The Little Mule" Catalina 34 "La Vie Dansante"

10-29-2011, 05:25 PM	#7
P-daddy Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,995	Rinty, you've captured some fantastic photos! __________________ Cheers, ________________

09-18-2011, 04:22 PM	#2
boulderbobo Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 1,544	Rinty, get pics! Got to love the Fall in the air Thanks for sharing. Bob- __________________ RLMN 081107-96021996 2011 Audi B8 S4 2011 BMW E70 X5 - Sweet! 2005 BMW R1200GS - Big Red

10-29-2011, 06:24 PM	#8
hoggel Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: SLC, Utah Posts: 717	I grew up in the Flathead Valley. This time of year is the only time I get homesick (it's been 35 years). Thank you for the pics.

10-29-2011, 06:47 PM	#9
Martin S. Rennlister Extraordinaire Rennlist Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: San Miguel, CA Posts: 5,137	We biked it.. That was some bitch of a ride....went with Backroads, bike vacations where are guaranteed not to put on any weight! __________________ Martin A quote attributed to Greg Brown from Precision Motor Werks, Anaheim, CA sums it up well, "What part of Porsche Racing did you think is going to be cheap, is it the the Porsche part, or is it the Racing part?"

10-30-2011, 04:11 PM	#10
Rinty Super User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 2,331	Thanks for the comments, everybody. We're fortunate to have these areas close by.

10-30-2011, 04:33 PM	#11
JM993 Addict Rennlist Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 1,777	I did Going to the Sun last year. Unfortunately, not in the 993. Here's some pics (east side of Logan Pass). Rinty, with Glacier, Lake Louise, Baniff, etc nearby IMHO you live near the most beautiful parts of the world - bar none. I'm jealous. Cheers, Joe Attached Images __________________ 95 Porsche 993 - G50/31, RS Clutch/LWF, OBD-1 VRAM Conversion, KW V3s, ROW M030 sways, Techart Strut Bar, Softback Sport Seats, Litronics, OBC Retrofit, 996 3 Spoke/Leather Airbag, Basket Handle Delete, Split Grill, Big Ovals, MY02 18" Wheels, FDM Stage III 97 Porsche 993 - 18" Hollow Twists, LSD, ROW M030 Sways 00 BMW M5 01 BMW 530I 05 KTM 450EXC - More fun than all of the above VRAM Conversion DIY: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...ferrerid=21390

11-01-2011, 11:43 PM	#13
skl Official Wednesday AM Red Bull F1 test driver Rennlist Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Iowa 3/4, Scottsdale 1/4 Posts: 4,588	Did that with my kids back in summer of '93- first big trip we took with them, ages 10 and 7. My parents did it with me back in 1960. Unforgetable!! Unfortunately it was in an Oldsmobile rental car we had driven down from Calgary. Thanks for the memories... we got a great family portrait at the summit, and a mountain goat got in the picture with us! __________________ 1971 914- original owner 1973 914 2.0 2010 GT3 2010 F-150 Platinum 2009 VW GLI 2013 Golf R 2011 TTS roadster PCA member since 1971 gone 2004 Cayenne S 2004 GT3 1971 914-6 1965 356 cab 1984 944 1990 964 1995 993 coupe 1995 993 cab

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