Two Girls, Ten White Knuckles and One Big Hill

After our Montana Sunset Experience, we had breakfast with the locals (which became one of the staples of this trip) and headed to the mountains. We got ahold of one of our mutual friends that grew up in Montana; her "must do" advice: drive through Beartooth Pass. 

We fueled up Sally the Sportage who, was not only a hideous blue color, she also seemed to run off of a go-cart engine. Scary when you're traveling rugged terrain. One of the many pieces of this trip that kept us alive while also making us fear for our safety. 

This is a photo story of two girls, ten white knuckles and one big hill. 

On the road again....

Entering Beartooth Pass. Thank goodness for self timers and hoods of cars. 

Bears take shoddy photos. 

We traveled the pass with this vintage crew. 

That car was more dependable than our rental.

I couldn't get over the different types of vegetation at such a high elevation. 

Frontier Gypsies

We made it to the first look out point and Katie found (or did they find her?) a die-hard Republican couple ready to talk politics. Whether Katie wanted to or not!

The higher we climbed, the more we thought we were in Scotland. 

And when I said Scotland, I meant Arizona. 

Amazing. I just wanted to go swimming! But it was a tad bit chilly. 

Thanks, Sally, for getting us to the top and back down safely. 

Sincerely, Ye of Little Faith

(who said several prayers along the trek)

Paradise. 

We didn't see any of the advertised cows. But we did see a mountain goat. He reminded me of the last Green Peace guy that tried to get me to sign a petition: overweight, shaggy blonde and noticeably scared of me. 

Once we excited the pass, there was a little slice of heaven found. 

Of course, they were closed.....going on 27 years now....

Stay tuned for more. As we wrap up this week I'll highlight the characters that made our Wild West Adventure all that we hoped it would be. 

A Montana Sunrise

After leaving Worland on Sunday morning, we traveled north and finally made it out of Wyoming around 5:00PM. We found Red Lodge, MT which a friend of mine had called, "nothing more than a mountain town" - quite the contrary. This little town had much to offer; boutiques, galleries bars and cafes, I'm convinced we could have stayed there for days. 

Locals of Red Lodge, MT

Commercialized sites were never an intention of this trip (perhaps one day I'll go back), so we asked a store owner what hidden gem we could find that evening as the sun was slowly setting across the land. She suggested we travel to Roscoe, MT and have dinner at The Grizzly Bear. We took that advice and drove 19 miles out of Red Lodge on one of the most beautiful paths I've ever traveled. We navigated the hills as the sun set, where cattle grazed and you could see the dust flying miles away, as ranchers tore down the gravel roads so familiar to them.

The Grizzly Bear was a hidden gem, truly. While the steaks were outstanding, the food barely compared to the locals we met. I'll tell you more about them later. The best part of this trip has been the characters we've encountered along the way - in general stores, saloons, steakhouses and literally along the side of the road. That will be blog in it's self; and one certainly worth reading. 

The next day we woke at 6:00AM, threw on our boots and jackets and headed for the path that we had traveled the previous night for dinner; I wanted to capture it in the right light. It was rolling and glorious, nestled in the foothills of the mountains. The only change that I could fathom to improve the landscape was to remove the modernization: power lines and new homes with a view. Keep the remnants of run down ranch houses worn from years of harsh winters; protect the barns with little life left - for they belong here. They tell the story of the land. 





We got up early enough that we were able to watch the moon set behind the mountains before watching the sun rise against the foothills. 

The setting moon

Also early enough that we had to actually wait on the sun to show up over the peaks....





When the sun hit the horizon, it seemed as though it was going to catch the dry land on fire. Everything was illuminated and the hills seemed to come alive again.

This early morning venture was the best way I've started a Monday in some time. Until the next time I travel west and wake in the mountains, I suppose I can settle for oversleeping and really bad hair days. 


Tune in tomorrow for more about two girls' adventure in the Wild West...

No Room at the Inn

After I took a photo of that moon in the previous blog...

We traveled to the booming town of Thermopolis, WY to find a hotel room for the night. The Wyoming Quarter Horse sale was going on, so we couldn't find a single room in town. Thanks to a smart phone, we were able to find the next town on the map and call two different motels before we found a vacancy. We traveled on north to Worland where we found the motel we'd already paid for via phone: Econo Inn. When we made the last-minute reservation on the phone, we thought it was an Econo Lodge. We were mistaken. 

We checked in, after defending ourselves from the owner's large dog who met us in the doorway, and literally ran our bags into our room. There were questionable characters sitting outside eating beef jerky and drinking out of forties -  we had no desire to make new friends. We locked the door, and the deadbolt then put the chair in front of the door. Then we checked under the beds (out of logical order, we know), said extra prayers and I slept with my mace gun on the night stand. Likely the worst night of sleep ever, and likely the shortest amount of time ever spent in a motel. 

After a great breakfast at Cow Camp, we headed on north towards Montana. The photos you'll see today catalog that final day we spent in Wyoming - such an untamed place. 

Wyoming: Wild and Wonderful - Day One

We're on day three of our Wild West Adventure. It's been a an awesome trip thus far, and I hate to see my Priceline itinerary in my inbox for tomorrow. It's passed much too quickly. I've not done a great job blogging, as high speed internet (ok, internet in general) has been far and few between. While frustrating at times, that has also been something I can appreciate about the path we've traveled. 

Today is a simple photo blog, really only telling the story (well, parts of it) of our first day. Each of these photos were taken in Wyoming. 

Enjoy - and thanks for being a part of the adventure!