Missoula has a reputation for attracting all kinds of wayward characters, but it’s likely never hosted the driver of a pear on wheels — yes, we’re talking about the fruit. That changed in June with the arrival of a social media celebrity on a road trip for the ages.
The creator and driver of the so-called “Pear Car,” Andrew Glubbey, says the little motor pushing him along inside the wooden pear sculpture just gave out, stranding him in Missoula late last month. He documented the incident on his TikTok page, where videos of his absurd contraption have been going viral.
24-year-old Glubbey worked at a Waffle House in Florida before deciding he needed a major life shake-up. He quit his job and focused his time on his true passion: sculpture art. Earlier this year, inspiration struck.
“I’m building a pear motorcycle from this scooter that I got, and I want to drive it from Florida all the way to Washington,” Glubbey said in a video.
The moped had an impressive run. It took Glubbey all the way from Florida to Missoula — a journey of about a month, never going more than 40 miles per hour.
I encountered Glubbey’s video about his breakdown and sent him a message — who wouldn’t want to hear the story behind a guy driving a pear? He needed a ride to pick up the pear’s new wheels, so we hopped in my car on a rainy Monday. He was on his way to buy a lightly used touring motorcycle.
“I might be the fastest pear in the United States, if not the world — or at least Montana,” Glubbey said.
So — the big question. Why the pear? And why the road trip? Glubbey’s answer is pretty straightforward. For one, he wanted to see the country — and not by the roads most traveled. And as for the pear:
“A lot of places in the United States seem really dark right now, and I think, in some ways, seeing a pear drive down the road is a little bit of light, you know?” said Glubbey. “And, I think, it just makes me so happy.”
A few days later, Glubbey had the pear mounted on the new bike and shared an update on TikTok.
“I’ll be hitting the road tomorrow going to Spokane on the new Pear-asaki,” Glubbey said. “Check this thing out! I’m excited. See you soon, Spokane.”
On to the last leg of a fruitful journey.
