In the past few weeks I have experienced so many incredible things it feels like two months have gone by! I’ve been in two countries, 6 states, 5 islands, hiked in the mountains, paddle boarded in 3 different states, went boating in the Exumas, snorkeled a sunken Pablo Escobar plane, met horses, met snakes, indulged in Hot Springs, took a mushy trip through the jungle (sorry Mom!), swam in way too many bodies of water to count, and have had more fun than one could possibly imagine, including some stories I keep to myself or share with only my dearest. I LOVE when life is full of surprises like the past few weeks have shown me, after I’d intended to stay in Minnesota all summer long. Who was I kidding?!
Most of my adult life has been spent traveling the world, to far off places that have sparked my curiosity, and it was only until this past year I’ve been attracted to seeing the unknown places that reside within the good ol’ US of A. I experienced my first National Parks tour, sleeping in a tent amongst the wildlife! I have turned a new page in my life, and more than ever I enjoy being outdoors to hike, camp, and experience all the wonders nature has to offer. My trip to Montana and Wyoming did not disappoint, and I was able to experience most of it with my family, which is another wonderful adventure in itself.
After a surprise trip to Bahamas that went from 4 days to two weeks, I flew to Bozeman to enjoy a full day and night to explore before meeting up with family on their road trip. I landed at 9am, got in my truck and headed straight to Bozeman Hot Springs where I spent the first few hours bouncing around in the many pools ranging from 57 to 106 degrees, as well as the steam room. What can I say, I love a good sweat and a cold plunge! There are multiple outdoor and indoor pools to enjoy, and with a temp of 96 degrees outside, the loungers and spa music made for a fabulous welcome to cowboy country.
I made sure to stay on Main Street where I could walk the shops, restaurants, and bars, and the Lewis and Clark Motel was perfect! Copper Whiskey Bar & Grill had delicious fare and friendly bartenders, and The Crystal Bar rooftop was a great place to meet some locals. I woke up the next morning and headed straight to the hotel’s Eucalyptus Steam Room, where I met a woman from Missoula who I had a lot in common with. She and I spoke the entire time we were in there, agreed we needed to be friends, and committed to meeting for a beer the following week when I would be in Missoula.
The next day I joined my brother, his wife and two nephews after they’d been on the road for a few days from Minnesota, and we headed to Yellowstone. I have never seen such crazy landscaping, and wild terrain in my life! The beautiful blue hot springs, geysers, gas plumes randomly jetting out of the earth along our drive, bubbling mud that looked like oatmeal, and surface-of-mars like landscaping made for a warm welcome to the park.
We set up camp and elk were everywhere! They casually walked by our tents through our campsite, and there were buffalo chips all around. Doh! I actually got locked in the bathroom by elk the next morning, for real!
Here’s the story: I went to pee at sunrise and upon walking out the bathroom door, there was a massive buck 10 feet away, and another one around the corner, and another one around the other corner - I was trapped! Two were then right outside the door, I’m talking like 5 feet away, their antlers stood tall and one was getting aggressive with the other. So I quickly shut myself inside the bathroom door. 30 seconds later, the door opened and I shoved it shut thinking an antler had opened it, and then yelled, “Wait! Are you a person?” And someone laughed and responded, “Yes!” So I let her in and it was Danielle, my sister-in-law! We could not stop laughing - she thought I was a crazy person in the bathroom, and I thought she was an elk that opened the door. Amazing.
We visited all the major attractions in Yellowstone and brought all the photos we’d seen before in the books to life. Old Faithful was more magnificent in real life than expected, and the crazy Prismatic Spring more beautiful and colorful than imagined. The endless waterfalls, gorges, rivers, wild trees and landscape made for a lovely trip through this national park.
Grand Teton was next and by far my favorite of the two parks. The peaks stand so effortlessly tall and proud, and this area to me felt like the real Wild West. If I were to go into detail about all that we did, this page would go on for days. We saw and did so much, it was surely an action packed adventure, so I’ll share a few must-see things and will spare you all the details.
Colter Bay Campground was incredible and if you want to know where to set up camp there, email me and I’ll share with you our secret! We were backed up to the woods which ended in Jackson Lake, which backed up right to the Tetons. Breathtaking! We were able to catch the sunrise reflecting on the Tetons each morning, and the sunset over the peaks at night. This area is full of hikes and spots to swim - we even had a little island on Jackson Lake all to ourselves, a short paddle from our campsite.
Jenny Lake: Hike around the lake or take the ferry across to hike up to the Hidden Falls waterfall then on to Inspiration Point, and continue into the stunning Cascade Canyon where you will find beauty the further you go. My 4 yr old nephew hiked like a champ for about 4 miles, and when he’d had enough, my brother, 6 yr old nephew and I hiked another 2 miles into the canyon. We literally discovered Utopia up there! Next time, I’ll be hiking the entire 25 mile loop. Paintbrush Divide Trail is also on my list for the next trip when I have more time.
Jackson Lake Lodge: We stopped at Blue Heron for lunch after a full day of hiking and had a local beer called ”Earned It." How apropos! The views from both inside the western style lobby as well as the outside veranda are breathtaking, with a large green landscape backed up by the Tetons. Bring your binoculars!
Oxbow Bend: We woke up early for a sunrise paddle sesh on Oxbow Bend and boy oh boy was it worth it! We saw Eagles, playful Otters, and other animals all waking up. The water was glass and the reflections of the Tetons are unmatched. All the books said so and we found that out first hand.
After wrapping up the week in the parks, we headed toward our destination of Seattle and stopped in Missoula for the night. What a cool town! Hit up classic dive bar Charlie B's for a drink and to chat with locals, and don't skip The Catalyst Cafe for a delicious breakfast, which I referred to my nephews as a "cowboy breakfast".
This drive though, from Western Yellowstone up to Missoula was one of the prettiest scenes I’ve seen to date. A large valley with a river running through it (he he;) and mountains on either side, made for a picture perfect road trip complete with country music. We stopped in a town called Ennis, Montana and all agreed, it needs to go on our list for a future trip. It was adorable complete with Western themed bars and distilleries, and the cutest barn style shops and businesses on the main street.
Side note: I met my new friend in Missoula for a beer and discovered that she knew my friend that had told me all the spots to hit in Missoula. She and I met at one of them, Charlie Be's, and there we discovered she had met him on a night out in town. What a small world! But then again, how many yacht captains are there out there from Missoula, Montana?!
Seattle was our final stop after driving through 106 degree temperatures in Idaho and Eastern Washington. We met our sister and had a blast of a weekend running amok around Seattle as a family. My brother and his family headed off for Glacier and other sites for the week, and I stayed in Seattle with our sister for the week. There is no more satisfyingly walkable city than Seattle in my opinion! We ate well, walked a ton, and I took my sister out on Lake Union for a paddle among the houseboats, launching from Gas Works Park, even jumped off a 15 foot piling and stopped at one of the coolest pocket parks for a float and sunshine.
If you are reading this and are inspired to head to any of these areas in the future, please do email me and I’d be happy to share with you some more detail about where to go and what to see. Also, if you are reading this and would like to plan an adventure with me and others in the future, I’d be more than happy to put together a hiking adventure with some like-minded people, just say the word and I’ll get on it!
Thank you, as always, for taking time to read about my latest adventure, and please enjoy the photos below. Hopefully they'll make you feel like you were right there as well!
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