Upper and lower falls….Today is day 7. Today we are going to hike to the Upper and lower falls. To get to the upper and lower falls we have to hike 1 mile there and 1 mile back. On are way home we saw a really cute little chipmunk and a few minutes later I found a Rainbow 🌈 in one of the water falls. Then we went back to are camper and went to the Norris Geyser Basin. At the Norris Geyser Basin hike I was pretty grumpy 😠 because I don’t like hiking 🥾 at all. At the Norris Geyser Basin it was really stinky🥴💩but pretty. Some of them looked like pools but you can not swim in them or you would diy in 2 seconds because it is so hot 🥵. Then we drove to a really good place to eat lunch. Today We are eating lunch by the mountains ⛰. after we ate lunch mom and Peyton took naps 😴💤. While mom and Peyton were talking naps dad and I went up to the store we bought a key chain for me and my dad bought a hat🧢. Wen we were on are way to a spot near the lake we saw hundreds of bison 🦬 on a area of grass near the road. The bison were everywhere on the grass. Every few minutes a bison went in to the middle of the road and made a traffic jam. We saw a ton of bison and a few baby bison they were so cute 😊. Once we got enough pictures📸of the bison 🦬. Then we went to a spot by the lake.Once we got to a spot by the lake we settled in and made dinner. Wen mom and dad were making dinner 🍽 Peyton and I were watching HarryPotter⚡️. Once my parents finished dinner we ate it then my parents went out side and Peyton and I stayed inside and finished HarryPotter. About 30 minutes later we drove back to are campsite 🏕 and went to sleep 🛌.
Sacramento Pass Campground
Once again, today was a mostly a driving day, but it was all worth it.
Our campsite was in the middle of the desert. There was no service, no hookups, and the only people for miles were the other four campers.
We had fajitas for dinner, set up chairs around the fire, and waited for the sun to go down.
Once it did, we slowly started to see more and more stars. Every time we thought we had seen them all, more stars appeared. It got to the point where we could even see the Milky Way! We sat out there for hours, staring at the sky. I started talking about different constellations and stars and planets that we could see from the top of the mountain. I also started a small rant about the possibility of life in other solar systems that the rest of my family eventually stopped listening to. Sadly, we eventually all started to fall asleep, so we had to go inside.
Cannon Beach
Today we decided to drive to the beach instead of walk, so we packed up our RV a quickly and went to Cannon Beach. We were originally going to go back to Seaside Beach, but my dad wanted to see where they filmed the Goonies so that’s where we went.
Once we got there, however, the beach was freezing cold and it was really windy. So obviously we didn’t stay for long. We took some pictures, collected some shells, and then left.
After we got back to the campsite, we hopped on our bikes and rode back to the town. My sister and dad went to an aquarium and my mother and I went to a few stores instead.
Once we finished shopping, we got dinner at a small restaurant and then got gelato in “The Best Ice Cream Place In Oregon.” And honestly, I’m inclined to believe them. The gelato was so rich that I wasn’t even able to finish it.
After the ice cream, we walked over to the beach. There were over a hundred beach volley ball nets set up in rows all along part of the beach. We later learned it was because Oregon hosts international beach volley ball tournaments every year.
Closer to the water, there were tons of tide pools in the sand. We found all sorts of different animals in them like jellyfish, crabs, and fish. There was one particularly large crab that almost pinched my sister when she accidentally stepped on it. We also stayed to watch the sunset.
Day 6 Devil’s Tower and Shopping
Today is day 6. We are in South Dakota.We are mostly just driving today but we are going to see some things. We just went to dead wood a town in South Dakota. In the town we bought chocolate cookies and chocolate truffles. After we were done we went back to the RV and went on. A few Hours later we were at Devils Tower. We took some picture of us and Devils Tower then we went on. Then we arrived at our campsite and we went to sleep.
Day 12 Recap
Anyone that knows us well, knows we are not known for our spontaneity. Our plan for today was to do some more off-roading around the outskirts of Glacier National Park and then have a relaxing evening before making the long drive to Washington state. As we were discussing the days plan over dinner the night before, it became clear that the girls wanted more time in Seattle than we had originally planned. Here’s where it gets crazy, y’all….
We…
Changed…
the…
Itinerary. 😳
Like, completely went off script from our very detailed spreadsheet, in order to make that happen. We spent the morning wrapping up what needed to happen before we left Montana – hitting the gift shops and eating huckleberry pie, of course. 🥧 Then we washed the Jeep at a local car wash, because we fully embraced the Jeep life for the day we had it. Once it was returned, we set off for Washington – wait for it – without a plan!!!!!! 🤯
Initially, we had discussed driving only halfway to Washington state because we did not start the journey until mid-day. As Doug drove, the girls and I were feverishly Googling what our plan should be for our 24 hours in Seattle. We already had tickets for the Space Needle but that was originally the extent of our time to be spent there. I came across a blog post listing a 24 hour itinerary for a visit to Seattle. The author and our family could be besties, based on the itinerary she suggested. Perfection!
We quickly made the realization we were going to need a full day, so we made the crazy decision to drive until we arrived in Washington… all 9 1/2 hours, which would put us there around 11pm. Doug continued the trek across yet another time zone, while I was frantically trying to find a campground with easy access to public transportation, as well as attempting to change our reservation for the Space Needle.
Around 11pm, which thankfully only felt like 10pm to us, we pulled safely into the Seattle / Tacoma KOA. I will no longer refer to it as a campground, though. Let’s call it a parking space with hookups. Super tight spaces, loud neighbors and right across from an Amazon distro warehouse. 🙄
It was a far cry from the amazing wooded site we had in Glacier, but the location could not be beat! We simply had to walk out to the road and the public bus was right there! We went to bed super excited for the next day.
The Trees of Yellowstone National Park
Glacier National Park
We hiked most of the day today, but it was a really fun hike.
Our first break on the hike was at a beautiful lake. All the rocks were pretty colors like red and blue and green. After we ate our lunch, we continued on to the waterfall. Once we got there, we climbed to the top until we found a small, deep, pool. It was freezing cold but we all swam anyways. We even jumped off a rock into the water.
After we swam, we hiked back and got soft serve ice cream. After that, we drove on the Going-To-The-Sun-Road.
The views were amazing, we saw the sunset, we spotted tons of wildlife, and we even touched part of a Glacier!
Day 10 Recap
Our family’s rule is that at least 2 of us must spend the night in a state in order for it to count and be logged on the map. It’s fun to watch it fill up!
There is not much to report on today. We left West Yellowstone and drove to Glacier National Park. Pretty boring from a driver/passenger perspective, but I was able to work remotely, remotely and catch up a bit!
Day 11 Recap
We arrived at our campsite with enough time to set up, cook dinner and have an outdoor movie! 🍿Glacier Campground is only 5-7 minutes from the East entrance to the “Going to the Sun Road”, which makes it super convenient. However, Glacier National Park (which I’ll refer to as GNP from this point forward!) is now limiting the number of vehicles allowed to enter the park between 6am and 5pm. This is important to know before you plan your visit. We did not have good wi-fi on the day the ticket window opened, so we missed out. However, our trusty tour guide (Doug) came up with a Plan B! More to come on that…
We highly recommend Glacier Campground!!
Another important bit of information about GNP you should be aware of is their vehicle restrictions. You are not allowed to enter the park if your vehicle is longer than 21 feet. Harvey the RV is 31.5, so we needed to rent a Jeep, which broke Doug’s heart 😉 and now my wallet because he wants a Jeep again… but that is a story for another day!
https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/neighboring-parks/glacier-rv-tips/
Okay, back to the amazing Plan B…
From our campground, we drive a little over an hour to get to Many Glacier. When we arrived there, we spoke to a Park Ranger and he gave us some good tips on where to go. His suggestion, which ended up being fantastic, was to go on a family-friendly hike on Swiftcreek Pass. He told us to watch out for moose, which got Doug and I super excited!!
About a 1/4 mile into the hike, we veered off slightly and walked down by the lake to find a good spot for a picnic. The scenery could not have been more perfect. The lake was so serene and looked like glass. There were birds chirping and so many butterflies fluttering about. If our hike had ended there, it would have been a great day. However, as our pastor often says, “but wait – there’s more!”…
The trail was relatively easy with a few inclines to get your heart pumping but nothing too crazy & technical. The girls found a funny tree and we were in awe of the amazing colored rocks in every creek bed we passed.
Our first moose sighting was on the banks of Josephine Lake, along the Swiftcurrent Pass hiking trail, about one mile from where we started. It was a Mama and her baby!! We were hoping they would stand, but they were content to relax in the cool grass with the breeze coming off the lake – and I didn’t blame them one bit! The temperature was definitely reaching it’s peak of the day, so this bit of excitement really helped give us the boost we needed to keep pushing alon the trail. Well, that and the promise of swimming in a waterfall at the top of the trail!
We were told by other hikers to continue up the hill past the actual waterfall and there we would find a “pool” to swim in. They were 100% correct and it was amazing! Because Doug is our tour director, of course we packed swim suits. Well, all but Peyton, because she forgot hers in Virginia 🙄 The water was brisk, to say the least, compounded by the fact that we were hot and sweaty from the climb up! Once we got numb, it felt fabulous. My brave explorers swam across and explored over the rocks and jumped into the water. Someone obviously “had” to stay closer to shore for picture taking, so I volunteered as tribute. The high mountains in the distance, the sunshine and light breeze and the calming sound of the waterfall made it a perfect moment. I truly could have stayed there all day! But alas, as the cliche saying reminds us – “what goes up must come down”.
We were hopeful the frigid water would have a lasting impact on our core body temperatures for the hike down, but we quickly realized that would not be the case. Additionally, the flies were coming out in full force so we had no choice but to keep pressing on in order to avoid their annoyance. God clearly knew we were all in need of a bit of extra motivation after the first mile down, though. Some upward bound hikers mentioned to us that there was a giant bull moose in the very same lake we stopped at for our picnic lunch. Our pace definitely picked up with anticipation as we continued down the trail.
The reports were true. And it was incredible. He was even more magnificent than I had imagined. He was hanging out in the water, going underwater for what seemed to be ridiculously long periods of time, presumably eating the moss and weeds underwater. Despite half of his body being submerged, the enormity of his upper body could still be seen, even from the distance where we stood on the shore.
The final section of the hike was super uneventful, however the adrenaline from seeing that moose was all I needed… that and the promise of huckleberry soft serve at the gift shop!🍦
By the time we were hydrated, fed and all loaded back into the Jeep it felt like nap time but we still had the other half of our Glacier adventure left.
Remember when I mentioned there was a ticketed entry system to access the infamous “Going to the Sun Road”? Well, after 5pm anyone can enter and that is exactly what we did. We realized by the time we would be traversing the twisty-turny roads, the sun would be starting to set and crowds would be less. Our Plan B suddenly sounded like it should have been our initial plan all along – a revelation we were grateful to have stumbled upon.
Conveniently, the Going to the Sun Road brought us back to the entrance/exit of Glacier National Park which was a mere five minutes from our campsite! There are no words to adequately describe the foliage, terrain, animals and views we encountered on the drive. I am going to post some of our favorite photos, but truly none of them capture the beauty our eyes were blessed enough to experience first hand. The drive took about 1 1/2 hours and around every hairpin turn we were continuously more and more impressed with what we were seeing. The girls were even able to touch a glacier – in August!!
We approached Lake MacDonald as the glorious orange sun was setting. There was a haze because of the nearby wildfires but it was the perfect conclusion to our memorable day!
Day 9 Recap
Today we spent the day finishing our whirlwind tour of Yellowstone National Park! We started early and headed to the parking lot of Old Faithful to get there ahead of the crowds so parking would not be an issue. We started prepping our breakfast, and Doug checked some app which tracked the timing of Old Faithful’s eruption. He discovered it was “scheduled” to erupt in 10 minutes so we all hustled out of the RV and ran to the famous geyser, only to discover another valuable life lesson. Nature is on her own schedule, not the stupid schedule of humans! It was okay, though, because we started chatting up another nice family also waiting!
We have all discovered the simple joy of conversations that start with, “Where are you visiting from?!” With the rare exception of one or two unfriendly individuals, we have met some really fantastic people just by asking that one question. It is wonderful to have the unique opportunity share travel tips, a piece of our life story or even Jesus with random strangers. It is pure joy for us to see the girls come out of their shell and share a piece of their heart or a favorite memory with someone. At this age, they are often quite tight lipped, unless they have a complaint or issue to rant about! When we have the chance to hear them open up, it is heartwarming. Sometimes as parents we overlook how much they take in or even how they are just tiny humans with thoughts and opinions of their own. It is humbling, to say the least!
The next stop of the day took us to Grand Prismatic. We had read that if you arrived too early the fog would not have burned off. We thought 11am would be late enough, but because of the rain the evening before, it was not! We still were able to check out the surrounding area, but could not fully experience the beauty we had heard so much about until we hiked up to the overlook!
After checking the last two sightseeing boxes for the day, we headed to West Yellowstone in Montana. We spent the night restocking, resetting & cleaning the camper and relaxing in town with our first dinner out. We were able to ride our bikes from Grizzly RV Park, which was a fun change of pace. The town looked exactly like you would expect a modern-ish “Wild West” town to look. The locals were exceptionally friendly and the tourists were plentiful.
#4SweetsAdventure 