So Much to See

On Sunday morning (thankfully after a more peaceful night than the previous night) we woke up bright and early to pack up camp so that we could make our way down the winding dirt path without worrying about any cars. We made it down the now muddy 6 mile path in 45 minutes. Thankfully at the bottom of the road the tiny town of Polebridge welcomed us with their amazing bakery. I chose a Huckleberry Bear Claw and some milk for breakfast. It was delicious! 

After breakfast we started heading south to Flathead Lake. I had read about the lake online, and was excited to see the large lake with water so clear you could supposedly see hundreds of feet below the surface. However, because the weather decided not to cooperate with us the entire time we were in the state of Montana (it rained every day we were in the state), the water was choppy and clear water was not to be seen. 

We decided to stop for lunch by the lake and enjoyed some Montana barbeque. After lunch we decided to put some more miles in and headed to Piney Campground in Beaverhead-   National Forest. Our campsite was right on the water and there were hardly any other campers there, so it was a great place for the dogs and for us. Sunday was "Get Outdoors Day," so Kevin was able to fish without a Montana license. He tried fishing for a bit, but Vegas wanted to swim, so that pretty much scared any fish away! 

After Vegas swam and Kevin tried to fish for a while longer with no success, we made dinner (grilled spaghetti with zucchini and onions) and ate in the rain before deciding to nestle into the Scamp to read and relax a bit before falling asleep. 

A bald eagle at the lake: 

In the morning we packed up camp and continued our journey south in search of warmer dry weather. Our destination was Idaho Falls to meet up with a friend of Kevin/Kevin's brother from childhood. He is the state coordinator for Waterfowl Management for the state of Idaho, so once we arrived at his place (after driving all day in the rain of course), we went out to dinner to catch up and he took us on a drive to see some waterfowl. I'm told that the scenery in Idaho is amazing, and we were able to catch glimpses of it here and there, but for the most part the rain and the fog concealed the mountains from view. We spent a few hours laughing and chatting and then headed to bed after a much needed warm shower! 

The next day took us to Utah. Kevin drove through the state a few years ago on a road trip with a friend and he has been raving about it ever since, so I couldn't wait to see it. Utah does not disappoint. We have left the rain behind, and the views have been amazing.

For our first night in Utah, we found a campsite on a small pond nestled under pine trees. It felt like something out of a storybook. We set up camp and took the dogs for a hike to stretch their legs after a few long days in the car. Kevin made dinner once again (he has been quite the chef on this trip)--grilled chicken and veggies--and then we sat by the fire before turning in for the night. I knew the next day was going to be one of the best of the trip, so I was looking forward to the morning.

In the morning we packed up camp and headed to a place I've wanted to visit ever since we first started talking about visiting Utah. Located in Cedar City, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater hosts an annual Shakespeare Festival. The festival doesn't start until next week, but we were able to visit the theater and watch everyone prepping for the big event. I was in full on English Teacher dork mode once again, but even Kevin had to admit it was pretty cool. 

From there we got back into the truck and started out on our scenic drive through Utah. We've been fortunate to have visited almost every state in the US, and yesterday's drive is right up there with the glaciers of Alaska, the badlands of South Dakota, the rolling hills of Wyoming, the steep points of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the Grand Canyons of Arizona. The scenery yesterday was absolutely breathtaking. So many colors. So many different landscapes. So much to see. The winding roads had me gripping the seat at times, but the views were majestic. We decided to skip the crowds at Zion National Park and save our trip there for a time other than busy tourist season, but we drove through a section of Bryce National Park and decided to take a longer drive on the scenic byway to enjoy the views on our own. At times we were the only car for miles. 

Eventually we found an isolated campsite near what used to be a thriving lake/tourist spot. The lake has dried up almost completely in the last 15 years though, so it was strange to see a boat ramp heading down to a dry lake bed. The setting felt like something out of a postcard, and we took the dogs to explore the lake bed while the sun set behind the cliffs. 

While Kevin made dinner I reorganized the Scamp and washed my hair. By the time we were ready to enjoy our "Cowboy Joes" (Kevin's creation--sloppy joes + cut up hot dogs + baked beans) it was nearly dark so we used our headlamps and the campfire to see. 

Once the sun set, the gentle breeze that was keeping us cool turned into a wind, so we quickly cleaned up camp before everything blew away in the dark. Once again I was thankful that we had a Scamp to sleep in for the night. I think a tent would have blown away! 

We didn't let the gusty wind deter us, however. We put the dogs in the Scamp and walked a few hundred feet to the now unused cement boat ramp with a blanket. We settled back to look up at the completely cloud free star-filled sky. We saw a few shooting stars and picked out a few constellations before heading back "home" and heading to bed. This was the first night we didn't need our down comforter, and we slept with the windows open and the curtains blowing in the wind. I slept like a rock. 

This morning we had some cereal before packing up again to head to our next destination in Utah. We are currently heading to a campsite near two parks that reportedly have amazing things to see. I've been impressed by the views just along the side of the roads, so I can only imagine what we will see at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks!