Today’s the Day!

“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”

John Muir

My alarm went off at 3am today. It’s incredible how much time all those last-minute tasks can take, but we got everything done and were ready for our 5:00 am departure. Pulling out in the dark and watching the sun rise only added to everyone’s excitement. 

Traveling out of western WA, is always like watching an artist slowly erase trees from the landscape—wet forests give way to drier forests and then grassland. And things are so dry right now. Driving through eastern WA, seeing the air fill the air with more smoke every mile. Our hearts go out to all the people affected by the wildfires and everyone fighting those fires.

We entered Idaho before 11:00 am and instantly fell in love with Coeur D’Alene. As Ariel put it, the lake had glitter in it. It’s a gorgeous place and we’ll definitely be back for a longer visit!  We found a historical state park with an old church, where we stopped for lunch and let the pups stretch.

Then, we were back on the road and off to Montana, which did not disappoint! The fields were filled with gold, rolling away to a backdrop of rugged mountains under the famous big skies. The scenery was a much needed companion at this point. Ten hours into our trip, Ron and I were getting tired and anxious to reach our first campsite. We’d also hit the first big challenge of our trip: we have to make the truck easier for traveling with the dogs! The in and out from their kennels has been tough, so we’ll repack the truck in the next few days.  

By 6:15pm, we pulled into our campsite at West Glacier KOA and what an amazing campground. We set up the RV, let the pups out, and took a moment to take in the views. Then, Ron and I poured a glass of wine and took the kids and the dogs for a much needed walk to unwind. A live country artist was singing for the park, so we got to enjoy a Montana concert before dinner.  What a treat for us and the perfect end to our first day.

Tomorrow, Ariel starts Grade 3 and we’re all excited for her. Our plan is to do school learning in the morning and then explore Glacier National Park in the afternoon. We can’t wait to see more of this big beautiful world tomorrow. Goodnight from Montana!