28-29 Bad Medicine CG

While at Lisa’s, we poured over the Atlas and asked for recommendations for which direction to set our sails for the next short stretch of our journey keeping in mind that we want to get to Glacier National Park right around the beginning of August. Since we enjoyed our time in South Eastern Idaho we also thought we should spend a little bit of time in the northern parts as well. We scoped out a few places near Coeur d’Alene but there is very little camping there and far too many tourists. Thus we found a compromise that was still in north western Montana but close enough to the Idaho border for a day trip to the beautiful lakes.

Our first night at the Bad Medicine (hmmm, maybe an omen name) campground was pretty routine but Natalie woke up in the middle of the night with some pain in her tooth. She has had this recurring dental issue that we put off getting resolved because of coronavirus and it wasn’t causing her any problems prior to departure. At our most recent regular dentist visits they advised the same, wait and see. Leave it to travel to stir up some medical drama. We woke up and still set our sights for Coeur d’Alene but added Spokane Washington to the agenda for access to a bigger city and doctor/dental facilities if necessary. We called our Denver dentist and he called in an Rx for Natalie at the closest Kaiser office. So while this day turned out to be a much longer diversion with some unanticipated medical issues we were grateful to have access to what we needed and Natalie has started a course of antibiotics to keep her tooth problem at bay until we return to Denver in September. The drive around Lake Pend Orielle and Coeur d’Alene was really beautiful and I’m actually glad we didn’t stop because Coeur d’Alene in particular was flooded with people, traffic, and congestion that we have been trying hard to pretty much avoid this whole trip. We’re definitely not jumping back into that pace of things, especially in the midst of this pandemic.

30 giant cedars

We took a quick hike that was close to camp today through a grove of the oldest growth cedars in the area. Some as old as 500-1000 years! What a magical forest stroll. We gained some local plant knowledge through the placards dotting the trail and also gained a greater appreciation for all that these majestic trees provide. After the hike we took a close mountain drive in hopes of finding water for the paddle board. I’m still broken-brained about the lack of altitude despite being surrounded by mountains. The one we drove today topped out at about 4300’

The turn

We did find a small lake but it was crowded by a dozen or so drinkers and smokers, it really smelt like a bad bar up there. So we returned to camp early while the kids settled for the murky lake closer to our camp. (They got really spoiled having their first experience on Flathead Lake, I keep telling them not all lakes are going to be that crystal clear.)

Tonight my spirits got down about humanity. First it was the gross people at the smaller lake, then our camp neighbors blasting some ultra conservative news podcast (didn’t we all go into nature to escape from the yelling and divisiveness?), throw in an endless pursuit from the unrelenting mosquitos, stifling heat, our camper fridge on the fritz, a cooler filled with spilt coffee and no ice, propane troubles outside and having to cook dinner in the even hotter inside – I was just done with this particular visit. I apologized to my family and excused myself from the rest of the day’s activities. What do you do during times like this? I know a lot of times I sadly go into my phone for a distraction. However, we are lacking in those diversions at the moment. So it boils down to me and what I can do about MY attitude. Instead of staying grumpy all night, I went and sat down alone for awhile, studied my Spanish (that is still an almost daily occurrence and available offline), reset, then went on a sunset walk. I don’t have answers about humanity and fixing humankind, but I can change my attitude and perspective and let the other stuff go. Please let there be less mosquitoes at our next stop 🦟

July 24-27 This was a travel rest over weekend at Zach’s cousin Lisa’s (and spouse Matt’s) sweet home in Missoula, Montana. More city than we had planned, but their home is set back in a more rural area so it was very similar to our farm stay in Paonia. The kids got straight to work playing with their second cousin Quinn. We did lots of hanging out by the Bitterroot river, the kids swam across a pretty wide portion of the river to get to a rope swing on the other side. We also hiked 5 miles in the Bitterroot wilderness, ate lots of good food (including pizza and take out Brazilian – no cleaning up was a real treat!). We spent a day walking around downtown Missoula and learning about the old industries that helped get the city established.

We also spent a good deal of time here resting and doing absolutely nothing in the inviting backyard while the kids took their runs down the homemade slip n slide, listened to neighborhood horses neighing and the next door ducks quacking up a storm. Each night a teenaged male buck visited the backyard, we saw baby deer one morning, and there was no shortage of birds singing and hummingbirds drinking. We loved Missoula and it’s kind people and laid back vibe. It was especially nice to spend extended time with family that we only get to see every few years.

July 19-20

We drove through the northwestern edge of Yellowstone and up through Bozeman for more groceries and the kid’s paddleboard. Natalie did her due research and found one online at a Play it Again Sports, called them to place a hold. They used their own money to make the purchase and were eager to get to our next water camping spot.

We secured a two night reservation at the State Park in Three Forks where it was hot and full of mosquitoes. The only reprieve was on the water so on Monday each parent took a kid for a 1.5 hour float. Three Forks is named such because it is the confluence where the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallitin Rivers converge to form the Missouri River. Very fun to navigate on a paddle board with lots of options and endlessly serene views. Best of all, no other people. While rafting in Idaho that was our biggest complaint- the river was full of other floaters and there was rarely a moment of solitude. Our float ended and we traded places with Zach and Camden.

While we waited for the boys, Natalie and I went to the Montana Wheat Baking Company and procured some fresh bread and treats. I had planned on baking some on this trip since we are typically weekly sourdough connoisseurs but heat and oven constrictions have prevented me from the DIY route. It was fun to visit the bakery and to support local. Something we’ve been mindful of and striving for this whole trip.

Each night here we’d take a sunset walk, one at the Madison river, and another at a small overlook. The views are ever changing, always mountainous, and completely mesmerizing. We still can’t believe we get to do life like this for this long a time.

July 15

July 16

Having an early arrival in Idaho meant time for a delicious patio lunch at a Mexican restaurant near our camp, such a treat to not cook! Our main task after that was to source some water and groceries. Easy enough but pretty time consuming as the closest town with a good sized grocery store was 45 minutes south. Once settled back in camp we gathered and cut some downed wood, Camden did most of the cutting and chopping work to warrant a campfire. Complete with s’mores or course. We stayed up super late to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Neowise comet that was discovered by astronomers back in March. We walked over to the lake since it provides the largest vista and sure enough, up in the northwest sky there was the comet! What a unique sighting, surely a collective experience we will always remember.

I’m starting to take great satisfaction in a job well done on the road. Traveling with a vintage trailer poses some unique challenges, something is always on the fritz or needing some upkeep. Fortunately, nothing major yet, but plenty of little things to keep us on our toes. When we were in Logan, Utah we started to address our messed up screen door, today was the day to get it fully restored and re-screened. Zach and I worked on it together while the kids roamed around back and forth to the lake we are parked near. It’s so much better now and was a relatively easy job. Now we’re hedging our bets for what might go out next, the water heater or something else. Later, we took a drive around to the dam at Island Park lake, we spotted 3 moose there wading near the lakeshore and eating grasses and willow. We’ve been wrapping up a lot of our evenings the same way we did back in Denver, with a sunset walk. Sunsets are later here and will continue to get later as we move further north, so the kids have been reveling in the much more liberal bedtimes.

July 17

We have a bucket list of items to see, eat, and do (mostly compiled by our 14yo) while on the road. One of those was rafting so we took advantage of being in a less touristy place to book a reservation and float down the Henry’s Fork River. The river was calm and mostly slow, but we still didn’t know what we were doing. Figuring it all out as a family was a fun challenge. The kids absolutely loved it! We liked it alright too, it was just a bigger workout than originally anticipated. It was at this point in the trip we’ve realized that we’ve stayed at or very near a body of water the entire time we’ve been on the road. Being Colorado natives, staying on or near a body of water is a rare treat. Our new normal had Natalie researching paddle boards for future dates on the water.

July 18

I am really starting to like this once a week laundry routine. We go to a laundromat, load up 4 washers and get set to work. In less than an hour we have it all done and folded up ready to put back in our bins. Much more efficient than never ending laundry cycles at home with blurred endings, someone inevitably parked in the dryer, and clothes that never get put away.

We drove to the top of Sawtell peak and had awesome 360 degree views of Yellowstone, the Tetons, and all the lakes and rivers and valleys that made up this area. The elevation at the top was 9800’, high for the area. We’ve been camping anywhere between 3000-6000’ and the weather is considerably less harsh than Denver’s mile high summer sun. We’re still getting used to the lower altitudes, we are accustomed to camping above 8000’ and having temperatures plummet overnight, getting bundled up by the fire before bed, and waking up to frosty cool air. A campfire has happened once, and not out of necessity, more for novelty. The poofy warm coats have remained in the car topper minus one frosty morning start leaving Yellowstone. We’re not sad about it – not tending a fire means we have more time for evening walks and games and sunset chasing, plus when living out of a trailer you don’t necessarily always want campfire smoke scents coating all of your things all of the time. Idaho left us feeling more refreshed and excited for the wilderness that was to come further north.