Missoula (September 21-22) - Big Sky Brewing Co. is a pretty famous brewery (ever hear of the beer Moose Drool?) so when we saw their name pop up on Harvest Host we got excited and knew we`d be staying there. Their tap room was under major construction so they weren`t having any tours but that actually worked out in our benefit. They have a huge lawn next to their building where they host their Summer Concert Series, so that became Nelly`s play pen. As she was running around another camper showed up and parked next to us. We chatted with them for a bit and then an employee came outside and offered to take the four of us in for a private tour! We got a free beer as we walked around and listened to her share information about the brewery. After the tour we grabbed Nelly and met a friend, Becca, & her pup, Grup, for a hike in the hills. Darby (September 22-23) - On our way from Missoula to Darby we stopped at Lolo Peak Brewery for lunch...yes, ok, we got one drink there too. We arrived to Trapper Peak Winery (Harvest Host) around 3 and his dogs started barking from their outdoor kennels. By the sound of them they seemed like large dogs that you did not want to mess with. Once Keith (the host) arrived we went into his barn/garage where he has all of his wine and set up for tastings. Since it was just the three of us and he had some back issues, we took a seat at the table and ended up just chatting about so many different topics and "tasting" for 3+ hours. He let his pups (Tina & Rosie) in eventually and they were definitely the alphas to Nelly, which she is not used to, but it was all good and they ended up playing and sleeping by the fire that he kept going. The next morning we woke up (later than planned) both craving McDonalds... we had way too much wine. So for the first time on the trip, we stopped and got ourselves a nice healthy McD`s breakfast. No regrets. Bozeman (September 23-26) - The drive from Darby to Bozeman was beautiful! We went through the mountains which were covered in snow (thankfully just the trees and not the road). The fresh, cool air felt so nice. We pulled over to a spot on our way down to get out and throw snow balls for Nelly:) We saw some new friends as well that were very photogenic. When we arrived to Bozeman we had a short drive out of the town up the mountains to the Butz`, where we were staying. Joel & Debbie Butz are my dads friends from college. While we were there we enjoyed the area and went for a couple walks. I found an antler shed on one of the hikes which was super exciting - we`ve never found one before. We purchase bits of antler from the pet store for Nelly (about $15-20 a piece...crazy) so she recognized the smell (which I'm sure was even better than the pet store ones) and also got very excited. Sorry Nelly...this one is not for you. We promised her the second one we would find would be hers, but never came across another.
The Packers played the Bengals that Sunday so we got out the cheese and crackers, other appetizers, and chili and made it a real Packer Sunday! We spent the next day walking around the nearby town, Livingston, and also around Bozeman. We made a mix up thinking there was something in Livingson that Sam`s grandma wanted us to see, but it was actually a different city...so we just walked around and headed back. I bet you can guess what we did in Bozeman. You`re right, we visited a brewery. 406 Brewing Co. is in the Cannery District, which is a neat little area, so we stopped there for a drink and chatted with the bartender who just recently moved from Bend, OR and originally from a small town in Maine. He was a competitive skier and had some good insight to share with us on living in Bend. After that we walked down the Main St. and got Nelly a new bag of food from Dee-O-Gee pet store (I love the name), and met Joel at Cosco. Our last dinner with them was naturally an Indian curry (chicken tikka masala) and I think its the best one we`ve made so far! Before heading out the next morning we cleaned the camper and finished our laundry/dishes.
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Libby ( September 16-17) - We got to Two Bit RV Park just before 2. After chatting with the park owners we found out there was a chainsaw carving competition in town as well as a Harvest Fest. The competition was really neat, it had been going on all morning and they were going to continue into the evening, with individuals working at different times. It was pretty unreal to watch these artist work... making it look so easy. There were all different sizes from table décor to yard ornaments. Once we left we decided to check out the Harvest Fest, which was a lot of fun! It was a beautiful night and they had free beer and meals - can`t beat that. The meal was all made from produce in the towns farm, which is taken care of by volunteers in the area. Pretty cool concept. They had tent vendors selling hand crafted items or produce from their land so we took advantage of fresh and stocked up on our veggies and got some honey and apple & pepper sauce. The apple sauce lasted about an hour until we accidentally dropped the bag and it shattered...oops. The next morning we drove over to Kootenai Falls to go for a walk and check out the swinging bridge. It was such a neat spot and as the day got later we realized it was a popular fishing area. We went back to camp and decided to wash the camper (for the first and only time on our trip). The streaks of brown that washing down were disgusting. The park used to be an apple and plum farm and the trees that were still standing were full of ripe fruit, so we grabbed a couple before heading out and making our way to Columbia Falls. Columbia Falls (September 17-20) - We arrived to Wendy`s ('Boondocker`s Welcome' host) about an hour before the Packer game was to start. She was out of town but nice enough to allow us to park on her property. We got settled in and decided to check out Silver Bullet for the game. It was pretty empty in there so we only stayed for the first half. The plus side of it being empty was that we got a lot of attention from the bartender and we were able to order a specialty pizza! The cook was offering a shredded pork meal so we combined that with the pizza and it was delicious. The next couple days were cold & rainy which was a bummer...we played a lot of games, cleaned, planned, and of course binge watched our show on Netflix. The weather was perfect for some chili so we found a new recipe to try in the InstaPot, and its a keeper (white-bean chicken chili). We didn`t drive all the way up there to just sit around though so we ventured out one of the days to see what was open in Glacier NP. Her home was about a half hour from the park entrance. We had just missed all of the forest fires, but got there right as it had dumped a bunch of snow. Pretty much all of the roads were closed, except the one to Lake McDonald. The views of the mountain range were obstructed because of the rain and gloomy skies but it was still a pretty sight to see. We`re definitely returning one day to make sure we see more. On our way back home we hit Glacier Distilling, the first distillery tour of the trip. I swear, we really don't drink a lot ... but my blog certainly makes it seem like we do. Breweries/wineries/distilleries are just fun places to tour and chat with locals. As we left the next morning we could see the snow accumulating at the top of the mountain range...it was time to head south! Polson (September 20-21) - We stopped in Bigfork to take in the views of Flathead Lake ...and visit a brewery. We had to park across the street but that was ok because it had a big baseball field for Nelly to run around in before we left her. We enjoyed a couple drinks and from there we had a 50 minute drive along the lake, south to Polson. We just made camp at the Walmart since we were passing through and needed a few things anyway.
Sandpoint (September 14-16) - Idaho was a state that surprised us both. It is not one that comes up often when talking about where to visit in the U.S. but it will be now! From Mead we drove about an hour and a half to our Boondocker`s Welcome hosts, Solar Steve & Liz. They had two pups, Bear and Hope. Bear was a big black lab mix with lots of love to give. Hope was getting older and stayed in their home most of the time to avoid climbing too many stairs. Steve owned a solar panel company back in his younger days and his home sure showed it. They had one of the most unique homes I have ever seen. Starting with one building, they just kept adding and adding, building onto one another. Very eco-friendly and savvy. On the very top they had a platform you could climb up to viewing the mountain ranges surrounding their land. We got to tag along with them that evening for a group hike in a nearby forest. Most of the land is owned by an artist (sculptor) who allows the public to use the trails. He places his work throughout the land, some in obvious spots and some more hidden. Nelly did really well keeping her place in line for the most part, but every now and then she had to go to the front and to the back and make sure we had everyone:) and the occasional squirrel made her veer off the trail (sorry plants). We got to chatting with another gal in the group and she mentioned that her sister lives in Brookfield, WI (which is where we grew up) - small world! After the hike we went to Jalapenos for some Mexican food with Steve & Liz. Coeur d`Alene The next morning we were off to see Coeur d`Alene! Add this to your bucket list right now. Like most places, we started at the visitor center to pick up our maps and helpful tips from the lovely workers. We hit the world`s longest floating boardwalk first which had "selfie points" located along it, pointed out on our handy dandy map. Next we made our way over to Tubbs Hill for a hike, which is definitely up there for being a favorite. This is where we met Mudgy, a bronze Moose. Mudgy and Millie are a moose and a mouse who call the shores of Coeur d’Alene home. These two lovable characters were created by acclaimed author Susan Nipp for her children's story. Sculptor Terry Lee created five life sized bronze sculptures that echo the story and are placed around the city. Tacoma (September 4-5) - We got back to our friend Alec's apartment (after Olympic National Park) in Tacoma and parked out front for the night. While Sam and I met someone outside to purchase a generator off craigslist Alec went to grab us all burgers and shakes from Frisco Freeze. They got all of our burger orders wrong, but it was still delicious. In the morning when Sam woke up, he noticed the electric was out. Didn't take him long to notice the issue...someone had stolen one of our batteries! Some guard dog Nelly is...she was exhausted from swimming in the ocean and a river all day so we give her a pass. Our electric runs off of two 6V golf batteries rather than one 12V for a few reasons. Why? Don`t ask me, that's a question for Sam if you care to know. Regardless, only one 6V battery is useless to us and we couldn`t just get one to replace the stolen, we had to get two new ones so they're at the same lifespan. Our canoe motor battery is a 12V, so we hooked that up for the time being. There is a positive in the situation! Our truck bed was unlocked, so they could have taken A LOT more. It was raining ash from the forest fires nearby which was pretty scary. We got an oil change and stocked up at the grocery store before heading over to island life for a few days! Fox Island (September 5-7) - This island is 35 minutes from Tacoma, across the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge. It is a wealthy exurb of Tacoma, largely because of the amount of waterfront properties. Many of which offer views of Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. We stayed with Jerry & Kathy ('Boondocker's Welcome' hosts), parked on the side of their driveway. They had a great spot on the water right in the Hale Passage with a yard that we could let Nelly run around in, it was great. We used this time to relax from the previous busy weekend in the Olympic National Park. Finally used the ice we grabbed from a glacier lake up in Alaska and made some strawberry daiquiris! We took a walk through the island over to a different sandy shore, played Farkle, and drank wine by the water with Jerry. It was a much needed break.
Cle Elum (September 8-11) - We grabbed some drive-thru food on the way to our next home base, Doug & Dogs ('Boondockers Welcome' host), which was about 2 hours east. It was dark when we arrived so Doug met us out on the main road on his ATV with Ana, his German Shepherd, running along his side as they lead us to his property. That's where we met Leo, his Bernese Mountain Dog. This was awesome, so much pup love! He wasn't sure how Ana would do with another female dog so we decided to let her and Nelly meet in the morning when it was light. You never know. Thankfully everything was great and the dogs all loved each other! During our time here we enjoyed getting to know Doug over coffee on the porch and dinner in our camper. Nelly fell in love with him, like she does anyone who will give her attention, and he felt the same! We enjoyed a short walk in town one of the days and also got to cheer on the Packers in Seahawks territory, which was uneventful. It was the first game of the season so we showed up to Keg Cellar Tavern a half hour early, which would be late if we were in WI, but we were 2 of just 6 people... We enjoyed the first half there and streamed it back in the camper for the second. The day we left it was really smoky due to the fires nearby. Leavensworth (September 11) - This Bavarian themed town is a must stop if you're anywhere close by. Beer, wine, brats, big pretzels, and cheese! What more could you want? Everything is themed, even the McDonalds. Orondo (September 11-13) - We decided to sign up for another membership...Harvest Hosts. It's similar to Boondocker's Welcome but the host sites are farms, breweries, wineries, distilleries, etc. rather than someone's personal home (although sometimes their business is at their home). Cider Works, an apple orchard, was our first host and we were greeted by Sharon and her chocolate lab, Theo, that evening as we arrived. The next day we met her husband Chuck and he gave us some insight on the orchard and what it takes to keep it going. We each got a free apple :) and he told us it was just an easy hike down to the Columbia River and that he and Sharon hang there each evening for a swim. It sounded great since we hadn't showered in a few days and it was hot. We packed our bag and started walking. The river didn't look so far away from the top of the hill but every step we took it felt like we were getting further and further. There were no paths and the bushes were getting bigger and sharper. We use Nelly as our leader in these situations but when she turned around and looked at us like "now where?!" we knew there really was no way down to the river... It was sad to go as far as we did only to turn around. Mead (September 13-14) - We really enjoyed living on an orchard so decided to do it again! This time at Walters Fruit Stand which offers fruit picking, hay rides, and a cute market/gift shop. We were parked out in the field next to their sheep. We sat outside sipping a Moscow mule as the sun went down watching Nelly have a staring contest with the sheep. We made the first meal in our InstaPot (Mongolian beef) - so good!! Before leaving the next day we enjoyed a ride around and picked some apples and peaches. This was our first time picking peaches!
Seattle & Bothell (August 23-31) - Abby`s brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Morgan, were living near Woodland Park in Seattle, which was not an area of the city to bring the trailer into, so we were able to drop it off in Bothell, which was about 30 minutes away, at a 'Boondocker`s Welcome' site. Matt & Morgan were in the middle of moving out of their apartment and into a Sprinter Van. They were heading out of town for a short trip on the 31st so timing worked out perfectly to see them for about a week before they left. The first night we made dinner out of all our "stuff to get rid of" and then grabbed an ice cream from Dick`s Drive-In (cheap+delicious=a must stop). In the remaining days we met up with Abby`s Aunt Cindi & Uncle Jon (+Scout the pup) and our friends Katie & Mike, who were coincidentally in Seattle at the same time! It was a short visit with Katie & Mike, we went for a quick lunch at Kiss Cafe before they had to catch their flight. This was Nelly`s first time sitting inside a restaurant (she`s only done patio dining). When we got up to leave everyone around us looked puzzled, like they had no idea she was under the table the whole time...just the way we wanted it! If you read Alaska Pt.3, you know we went Halibut fishing. The charter we went with charged $1/per bag to pack up the fish, so we tried fitting as much fish in a single bag as we could. Didn`t really take into consideration that we cant eat one bag just the two of us, so we`ve been waiting to be with more people to enjoy it again. With Cindi, Jon, Morgan, Matt & ourselves, we still had leftovers. Scout (the pup) got lucky! AND we finally used the blueberries we picked in Denali to make a blueberry crisp :) We explored a few places while we were in the city: Discovery Park - We headed over to the park to meet Cindi & Scout for the first time since getting into the city. The park is situated on the Magnolia Bluff and overlooks the Puget Sound while also offering views of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. It was a beautiful hike and the dogs were great together! Magnolia Park - We went out for a nice dinner with Cindi & Jon at Ray`s Boathouse. This place has one of the best views over the Shilshole Bay. We even caught the end of a wedding ceremony as we left. After dinner we grabbed the pups for a walk in Magnolia Park. It was a beautiful sunset with Mt. Rainier in the background. It looked like a painting.
Pike`s Place Market - Abby had already been but it`s one of those places that`s different every time. We went on a Saturday when we knew it would be crazy because that`s always more fun! We walked around looking at all of the unique booths and grabbed a day old bakery for half price on our way out. Being total tourists we wanted to get our photo in front of the 'Public Market' sign so looked around to find someone who looked capable of snapping a shot, which sounds easy but I tell ya, it`s just too much for some people. They got us in the photo, so that`s good, but cut off the sign... come on! From now on we make a point to say "can you get us WITH THE WHOLE SIGN?". Our last three nights we went back to our camper at Jill & Thayer`s house, in Bothell. We were at Matt & Morgan`s prior to then, loving all of the extra room! After living in a camper for almost 4 months it`s a weird feeling moving back into a house for awhile. You flush the toilet and cant help but think that was enough water to wash dishes for two days. And doing the dishes are fun again! While staying with Jill & Thayer we tackled a few projects in the camper. We added peg board to the kitchen walls to make more room in our cupboards and added dividers in our storage area above the bed. Their neighbor, Rick, was so generous with helping us. Before we left for Home Depot he stopped us and said his garage is even better, and boy was it! He had bulk of everything and every tool imaginable. We had a nice dinner with Jill, Thayer and Rick on our last night and it was fun to hear about the adventures that they`ve had. Thayer had been trying out different blackberry cobbler recipes that week and made one for us to enjoy. He nailed it! Port Angeles (August 31-September 4) - Our friend Alec lives in Tacoma so we planned to explore Olympic National Park with him. Nelly had to learn to share the camper with his dog Peetri, a Maltese Yorkie Mix. It was pretty hilarious, these two became pretty close. Never saw them cuddle, not to say they didn't. We left Bothell around lunch time and got to Tacoma with some time to kill before Alec got off work. Made a visit to Walmart naturally and then headed to his place. We freshened up, ate a sub from MSM (Magical Sandwich Makers) Deli, packed the car, and were bound for Port Angeles which is in the north part of the Olympic peninsula offering views of Victoria Island and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We were staying with Randy and his Scottish Terrier, Scotty, through Boondocker's Welcome. We got in really late but met them in the morning along with his other guests, Nicole & Keaten (+pup Vida). Check out their adventure so far and the amazing work they did on their '98 Blue Bird bus!! (@allbusnofuss). It was a great group we had! Daily happy hours and non-stop fetch for the pups. Randy's house was a perfect home base for us to explore Olympic National Park. He was right next to the visitor center, so we grabbed our maps the first day and planned to hit as much as we could. The dogs had nap time in the camper while we went out for hikes. We like to think the cuddling happened then, but it remains a mystery. What did we see in Olympic National Park?Hurricane Ridge Area- We first did the Big Meadow Loop which was short and gave us great views of the Olympics. Then we drove a mile and a half down to access Hurricane Hill Trail which leads you to the top of Hurricane Hill, 5,757 ft high. We ended up hiking 6.4 miles total and it was a hot one, but we got some amazing views! Mt. Storm King Trail- Ok people, this one was killer. The type of hike that you pass by someone and encourage them to not give up! By the top, we knew everyone on the mountain. It was 4.2 miles round trip with steep switchbacks, but the views...oh the views! SO worth it. At the "pretty much summit" there is a section that requires you to use ropes to get to the very tallest point, Sam was the only one to do that. Yeah I (Abby) regret not doing it...but I had a full belly of PBJ and was content at the "pretty much summit", so...next time. Marymere Falls- As if the Storm King Trail wasn't enough we decided to fit one more in for the day. But falls meant water, which meant refreshing, so it didn't take much convincing. It felt so nice to throw water on our faces! Elwha Area & Madison Falls- On our way into the Elwha area we stopped for a quick hike to Madison Falls. From there we went down the one lane Whiskey Bend Road to hike for a bit more around Goblin Gates. HOH Rainforest- We saved this section of the park to hit on our way out of the peninsula. We started where we always do, the visitor center. We hiked down the Hall of Moses and Spruce Nature trails and everywhere we looked, it was green. Or brown I guess if you looked at the path. This place got busy quick though! We went early to assure we'd get a parking spot with the trailer and were just fine, but by the time we were done hiking, it would have been impossible. Ruby Beach- This beach was Nelly's favorite spot of the trip. We lucked out getting a parking spot here as well. Once you get down to the beach you cross a quarter mile of driftwood before hitting the sand. It was fun having to balance and make our way out. We walked further down the shore to let Nelly and Peetri off-leash so they could run around. Nelly wanted to play fetch in the water the entire time and Peetri just chased her, making sure to never go further than a 1/2" in the water. We searched for cool rocks, shells and wood pieces for awhile just enjoying the sound of the waves and being on the beach. The Forgotten River- So I made up the name of this river because I'm not quite sure where it was that we stopped. I just could see it in Nelly's eyes...she wanted to swim more! So we made one more stop before heading into Tacoma and enjoyed a cold one by the river.
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