A One-of-a-Kind Visitor Rolls Into the Garden City

If you've spotted something that looks like a giant piece of fruit rolling through town, you're not imagining things.

Andrew Glubbey, a Florida-based artist, has been making his way across the country on a motorcycle he built himself — one shaped and decorated to look unmistakably like a pear.

His destination was Seattle, but Missoula had other plans for him.

How the Pear Car Came to Be

Glubbey constructed the pear-shaped shell himself, using what appears to be wood roof shingles fastened together with whatever hardware he could source.

His reasoning for the pear design was straightforward: he loved the fruit, and thought the shape of a pear was a natural fit for mounting onto a motorcycle frame.

The whole build has earned him a serious following — more than 16,000 people track his journey on Instagram alone.

The Engine Gave Out Near Bonner

The original powerplant on the Pear Car was a moped engine, but it didn't survive the trip.

The engine blew, leaving Glubbey stranded near Bonner, just east of Missoula.

He's since tracked down a 650cc Kawasaki engine as a replacement and is working to get back on the road.

Why He Hit the Road in the First Place

Glubbey's cross-country mission was driven by a desire to see more of the United States without burning through money on fuel.

He set out to spend the summer camping and exploring backroads, letting the trip take shape as it went.

By his account, the journey has been full of generous strangers and genuinely stunning scenery along the way.

Missoula Made the Breakdown a Little Easier

Breaking down mid-trip is never the plan, but Glubbey says the people he encountered here quickly changed his mood about the whole situation.

He made it up to the M Mountain trail while waiting on parts, and locals have apparently kept his spirits high throughout the delay.

He's been candid that if you're going to break down somewhere, Missoula is about as good a place as any to do it.

Keep an Eye Out

Once the new engine is sorted, Glubbey plans to continue northwest toward Seattle to finish what he started.

Until then, the Pear Car is still somewhere in the area — and it's hard to miss.

Full details on the story were first reported by KPAX.