Wyoming - Montana - Idaho
So this post begins with one of the coldest nights I have ever had. The night from March 10th to 11th the forecast predicted the low would be 9 F, it was something like 16 F the night prior so we figured we would be fine...we were not fine. The temperature actually dropped to -1 F and unlike the night prior, our heated blanket only lasted for about an hour because our batteries were not fully charged. We both woke up many times freezing cold or because the dogs were shivering. When the morning sun came, I woke up and first realized that all the blankets were damp. The condensation from our breath had risen under the cap, frozen, and fallen back to the blanket where it melted and absorbed (at least I think that's how the physics works). When I reached for my glasses case it had ice crystals all over it, I looked at the toothpaste and it was also frozen, I looked up at the ceiling and much of it had an icy coating, even my contacts in their case stored under the bed had ice pieces on them as well as the outer casing of my laptop. It was quite an icy night. What was even more surprising, when I got up out of the truck, it was warmer standing in the sunlight. We went about the morning, made breakfast, and headed off to town to find a solution to this problem.
We went to a couple hardware stores with an idea in mind…well in Chris’ mind. I just followed along with an encouraging spirit. Once we finally found the Ace Hardware, we picked up a 220V to 110V adapter, an extension cord, and a couple other small electronic items. Almost every campsite that we have rented so far has been an RV site with electric hookups that we have not been using. With these items, we would be able to use the hookup so that we’d have power all night no matter how much we drove around. Usually when we stop in a town for a few nights, we do not drive very much so our batteries don’t get recharged. The new devices cost about $40 and when we got back to the site we plugged them in, ran one line to the sleeping area to charge our electronics and run the heated blanket, and ran another to the batteries on the front hitch rack. This allowed us to both charge the batteries in case we wanted to use them as stand-alone power and Chris also ran a 12V line to power our small heaters for extra cold locations. The following nights we were nice and toasty! Things still got icy in under the cap but nothing like the last night without these power hookups. Being warm is definitely worth the money sometimes.
After the Ace Hardware stop, we went downtown to explore the local stores a bit. Jackson Hole has some really fun, unique stores and cafes. We started with Cowboy Coffee where we got a matcha latte and a spicy chai latte in our reusable ceramic mugs. When we made our way down the sidewalk outside, I proclaimed how warm it felt in the sun, it was like a whole different climate. Chris laughed at me and proceeded to show me on his phone that it was only 28 degrees outside. Our blood must be thickening up a bit. Next, we went to a local artist’s gallery. He was a man that spent time in Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other parks photographing nature and then using techniques from the 1800s to develop the photos. All of his art was black and white or sepia toned but it was stunning that he spent so many hours doing these old-fashioned techniques. The outcome was glorious! Our next few shops were a leather goods store, a hippie clothes and décor place, a sunglasses outlet, and an outdoor supply store. Lastly, I wanted to go to the Jackson Hole Toy Store that I had been to last time I was in this town. The owners name is Corey and he studied art but decided to open this upscale toy shop to have a steadier income than regular artists. He is very knowledgeable in all different subjects, we talked about geography of the region, careers throughout the area, technology, even geology. His shop is the type of place I hope all of my kid’s toys come from in the future. It’s all physical play with or build toys, he has a little shooting range set up around the store where you shoot light up bullseyes with Bluetooth guns, many of his toys come from designers in other countries that are focusing on quality of the materials over technology, and there was a five-foot Kinex ferris wheel in the shop window. We spent a while combing through all of the various toys he had from 3-D puzzles, to electronic Brios, to Japanese puzzle and juggling games, to precise designer inspiration toys. The collection is always rotating and high end but very impressive and does not include anything with an LCD screen. We left feeling inspired and hungry.
For lunch, we revisited Persephone’s Bakery just down the street. I got the warm winter chick pea salad and Chris got coq au vin with a side of French onion soup (yeah, the man really loves his soups). We had looked for a dog park or a short trail to visit today but could not find anything close by and I was feeling very tired from sleeping so poorly the night before. I was ready to go take a nap but Chris suggested we drive around to different lookouts to see the area, I agreed. We drove to the Grand Teton Park sign, the Elk Refuge, and a couple others and then made our way back to the camp site.
Back at the camp site, I took some time to do yoga in the laundry room again while Chris wired up the electronics he had bought. We don’t directly get tired of being around one another but it is nice to have individual time sometimes. Chris is a workaholic by nature so he enjoys spending his free time searching for extra jobs to do to improve our lives. I think it’s completely nuts but it works for him somehow. I actually got him into this yoga class for about two months before we started our move so I’m hoping to do that again when we settle so that he has an activity that allows his brain to take a break, other than sleep. Anyway, by this time it was getting dark again and I was already sadly anticipating being freezing. I decided to climb into the truck bed after I showered and got nice and warm with the now full-time heated blanket. Chris finished his “work-day” a little later and came in asking what’s for dinner. Neither of us were up for standing out in the cold to cook so I grabbed the carrots and guac and almonds. Well, these are some of my favorite foods but when they’re frozen (from simply being outside in a cooler) they just aren’t the same. We discussed dinner options, take-out in the area, easier foods from the grocery store and came up with pretty sad options since it was now around 8pm on a Sunday night. We went out anyway searching for some warm sustenance. A gas station was the first stop so we could refuel and then surprisingly we found our favorite seltzer there – Polar! We continued on to the grocery store where there was a Starbucks inside. We got some Jiffy Pop and crispy pea snacks but the Starbucks was closed so no hot drinks. When we got back to the campsite, we made the popcorn, watched a movie, and went to sleep.
On March 12th, we woke up later than expected due to catching up on sleep from the previous night and daylight savings. I began cooking us breakfast while Chris slept a bit more. He ate in bed and I ate in the truck cab since it was a brisk 16 degrees out and a bit overcast. I did the dishes while Chris re-secured everything in the trailer before we got on the road. The plan was to go to Yellowstone for the day and then stay somewhere there or in Montana depending on how long we felt like driving. We set off north on 191 toward Yellowstone National Park. When we got to one of the park gates, no one was on duty but there was a sign saying the road was closed in 28 miles, Chris didn’t believe it so he suggested we continue on anyway and find another way if necessary. I began to look at the map and saw there wasn’t really another reasonable way around. We lost cell service, passed by some gorgeous views, and passed another sign saying road closed in 18 miles. He decided we had gone this far we might as well see “how closed” is it…men. So, we continued on, I enjoyed more spectacular views and we saw a few other cars traveling the same road. Eventually we got to the road closure, it was just a point where the park had decided to stop plowing so only ranger vehicles with 4WD could travel the path. It seemed that the only reason the road was plowed to this point was to keep the cabins open for business. I saw on the map that there was another path to the west of the park from where we were so we attempted to take that road. Less than a mile in, it turned to another unplowed road where only snowmobiles could travel. We had no choice but to turn back and unfortunately go all the way back to Jackson to travel anywhere else. Another path to Yellowstone would probably have taken at least five hours so we decided we’d make our way back at some other point in the future. The round trip used at least three hours of the day and of course by the time we were back in town Chris was hungry so he went out and got some food before we continued to our next destination.
We chose a location in between Jackson, WY and Missoula, MT so that we wouldn’t have to drive too late into the night. We chose Missoula as our next town to visit because our friend, Cassidy, had lived there and I had read about it in Backpacker magazine and both parties had wonderful things to say about it. Dillon, MT was the next campground location for us to sleep for the night before continuing on the road. We booked a spot in a KOA where we arrived around 7:30pm. It felt much warmer here which was a wonderful break from Wyoming’s weather. We cooked up some simple dinner of soups and leftover stir fry then got ready for bed. Tomorrow we would see Missoula!
On March 13, I woke up at 8:15 and told Chris he needs to get up so we can pay for the campground. This place was so in the middle of nowhere that the office was only open 8am-9am and 4pm-5pm. We soon learned that the owners lived in California and the guy running the campground also managed the owner’s farm where he had helped a cow give birth to her calf hours before he came in to the KOA. Interesting schedule, right? We got some hot drinks while the office was open and got back on the road thinking we’d find breakfast on the way. The GPS was set for Missoula which was about 2.5 hours away. Along the way, we saw a billboard for a museum of automobiles and prisons…quite the combo. It was just off the highway so we stopped for Chris since he didn’t get to see Yellowstone. Luckily, he only wanted to go through the car part of the museum. They had cars from literally the very beginning of cars like before the Ford Model A when headlights were candle lanterns up through the 70s or so. We saw the very first pop-up camper on the market, an old mint condition VW van and its Ford counterpart, plenty of bright colored muscle cars, even some vintage military vehicles. Chris left with plenty of ideas for new projects to embark on once we get a garage. We continued northwest to Missoula and arrived in town at about 2pm.
First, we went to the visitor’s center to find a good hike to do that afternoon and get any other suggestions they had to offer. Next, we found the KOA in town and rented a spot for the night. They were nice enough to fit us into a tent site for a cheaper price. This was also when we realized even more that people at west just move at a slower pace of life. I told Chris we’d have to adapt to that pace to enjoy life out here but he refused and said he’s very happy with his current pace or anything increased. So, we got out site setup, dropped the trailer, and went to the Mount Sentinel trailhead. The location where we began was actually right off of the University of Montana campus so we paid to park for the few hours we would be on the trails. We headed up the switchbacks toward the concrete ‘M’ in the hillside and made it in 20 or so minutes. Then, we continued up higher for emptier trails and even better views of the city. We entered some forested area and snow-covered trails for a while until we reached the top around 2 miles in. At that point, we had hit another intersection and chose to descend. This trail was quite slippy with the melting snow and steep incline; add in the dogs pulling downhill and it was not easy. The dogs both kept looking off into the forest adjacent to us but we did not see anything so we’re still wondering if there are any mountain lions up there that would have been close enough for them to hear but far enough to be out of our sight. We made it down by about 5:45 at a total of almost 4 miles.
After showering at the campsite, I decided I wanted some Thai food for dinner. We found one place that had already closed but another was just down the street, it was called IZA. We ordered plenty of delicious food to refuel ourselves for the next leg of our journey. I got a matcha bubble tea and green coconut curry and Chris got an organic cider and a Szechuan stir fry. Both entrees were very spicy so when we finished there we went down to Big Dipper ice cream for some dessert. I ordered a Coco Nuts sundae which is coconut ice cream with a chocolate shell and peanuts and Chris got classic vanilla. He always does this when we go to cool exciting ice cream places, I’ve just learn to accept the simplicity.
Our next goal destination would be the Sawtooth Mountains on recommendation from my best friend, Laura. We woke up on the 14th and got ready at the site but we were running pretty low on food so we waited until we got to town to eat. We had to pack up the trailer, clean up some broken glass from a change jar incident in the truck, and make sure the dogs were set to get on the road. For brunch, we went to the Catalyst Café in downtown Missoula. Before we left town, we went to browse a few shops and I ended up getting my glasses adjusted and buying a pair of Proof sunglasses which are made from bamboo by a company that originated in Idaho. Now we just needed to get some groceries before we went off into the mountains. From a simple Google search, I discovered ‘The Good Food Store’ and it even had a parking lot big enough for us to park in with our rig. The outside seemed very sustainable modern style and when we entered that’s the vibe that radiated through the whole store. It was gorgeous, better than a Whole Foods, like an expensive year-round farmer’s market. I gawked at the rainbow of produce, was floored when we got to the massive bulk foods section and wanted so badly to buy their alternative nut milks and yogurts. It’s a good thing I am limited on food storage and perishable items because I could have easily invested a small fortune here. We got just about enough to last for the few days we’d be in the backcountry plus a few treats. After this pit stop, we were on the road to Sawtooth land!
I found an RV campground just past Clinton, ID with a population of 7. We didn’t learn that until we drove into the area but I knew we’d be away from cell service from what Laura had told me about the region. During the drive south, we passed stunning mountain views, more alternating snowy pine forests and sage-filled deserts, and crossed over the Salmon River about 80 times. A message to my friend Dan: this is the fisherman’s paradise. Literally our campground owner asked us if we came to fish when we pulled into the property. We arrived just after 6pm to our oasis in the valley. Maybe oasis isn’t the word my old coworkers would use to describe the site, but it sure is pretty. The property appears to be a Sinclair gas station, which it is, but it also includes a general store, an eatery, farms surrounding the area, the cabin & RV campground, and home to a variety of wild life including a herd of elk that greeted us from the mountainside when we arrived. The location is surrounded on all sides by mountains covered in sage bushes and very few trees, the river is just down the road. It’s rustic but still includes electric to the site and a bathhouse with heat and hot water. The owner was so friendly, he was waiting in the shop for us to arrive, showed us to our site, greeted Zena, and informed us of the prepared breakfast he makes in the morning. He’s running a great little backcountry business, they even took Amex! We finished the night with a meal that didn’t turn out so great but filled our tummies, then we went to bed filled with excitement to see the Sawtooth Mountains tomorrow.