Getting to Seattle: The Last Leg

The fourth day of driving took us through the mountains of west Montana, the upper panhandle of Idaho (which is fifty kinds of beautiful... I'm now thinking writing retreat in Coeur d'Alene), through the Washington desert, the Cascades, and finally into Seattle. Many many landscapes in one day. The anticipation killed me.

Turns out Washington rest stops have cool things, too. For one, there are huge windmill farms. I use the term "huge" to address not only the sheer number of windmills, but also the size of them. Windmills make me happy.



The rest stop also had a pretty cool view of Mt. Rainier.



One of my highlights was finding fresh cherries. My eyes were peeled the whole way for fruit stands. This one stood out, as is evidenced by the picture. We got two kinds - Rainier and another sweet red one that I don't remember the name of. (No, it's not bing.)



When we got to Mukilteo to catch the ferry to Whidbey, I learned that it was the first time Pakou had seen the Pacific ocean, too! It's pretty cool to be with someone as they experience so many firsts. Here are a couple of the views from the ferry:





So yay! We are here on Whidbey, in the rain, and having a grand time with my parents. I'll keep taking pictures and providing you with images of my adventures, but the first adventure is complete. I'm here. I start my internship at Microsoft at 8am on Monday. Seattle, you're on notice. =)

Big Sky Country

Day three of driving took us across Montana. Pakou had never headed that far west before, so this was her first time seeing mountains of this magnitude. As for me, my bucket list included staying in a small town motel somewhere. Superior, Montana seemed to meet all wishes, dream, and desires.

First of all, big sky country doesn't even BEGIN to describe Montana. And the day was lovely.



The motel was the Big Sky Motel. And while the decor was... um... not very refined, it was clean, and the people were so sweet and kind!



Across the street was a great place to eat. We had dinner AND breakfast there. If there were a way to do it, I'd pack up the whole place and put it in my pocket so I could have huckleberry lemonade whenever I wanted.

Pretty Views

Last but not least in Medora, there are the scenic views of the landscape. It's breathtaking. Check these pics out. And if you have the means, go there.



















There were also a few bison that we found lounging... and birds... and lots of wildlife. It was nice of them to let us visit with them a bit.







Bottom line is this: I can't wait to go back to Medora.

Wild Horses Could Have Dragged Me Away

Shannon Harris, this post is for you.

Last time I passed through Medora, I was overwhelmed by the numbers of bison. This time the bison count was lower (where I was, anyway), but the wild horse count was high. I was captivated by how majestic they were. For some reason, there is something very moving about the freedom of a wild horse. Here are some of the horses we encountered in the park. My guess is that they could have dragged me away. They seemed strong like that. Sorry, Rolling Stones.

Medora, ND

Medora, ND is located in the middle of the Little Missouri National Grassland, and is the site of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The place is steeped with history. If you're interested, you should look it up. It's worth it.

This little batch of photos is what we saw in the town. You should know that the town is completely touristy to have a "wild west" experience... but is pretty cute. I tend to have a low tolerance for touristy. Maybe I'm okay with it because there's still a lot of real, legit historical significance of the area.

The first thing to notice is the amazing gas pump. Who knew that these still existed? The pump motor still did the classic rumble and everything.



We saw lots of trains rambling through. It seems to still be a very active freight line. Particularly for coal.



These are the bunkhouses we stayed in. But our eyes are set on the house on the hill.



We stayed in a bunkhouse called "Wild Turkey". Kids, I couldn't make this up if I tried.



Dinner was pizza. I'm convinced that Theodore Roosevelt loved him his Badlands pizza.



The place was pretty America-centric, which I suppose makes sense, given the whole westward expansion thing. But this bench we felt went a little over the top.



There were lots of little shops in the town. Some were more ticky-tacky, others more artsy, others catered to local creations. My favorite discovery: a VERY specific cookbook for Germans from Russia. I suppose if you're German from anywhere else, this isn't for you. In addition, I suppose if you're from Russia, but aren't German, there's also nothing here for you. Oh, and also, this is found in North Dakota. REALLY????



In conclusion, the town was tres adorbs. I recommend. (And have I mentioned how cute the prairie dogs are??)

OhEmGee Prairie Dogs!!!!!

I might be inappropriately fanatical about Prairie Dogs now. They were EVERYWHERE! Many of the towns were covered in wildflowers, intensifying my squeal factor. I am pleased to say that I even avoided the suicidal ones that hurled themselves in front of my car. Here is what I like to call "a plethora of prairie dogs".... (name the movie... "would you say you have a plethora of pinatas?")

Enter The Badlands

YAY for Theodore Roosevelt National Park! It might be one of my favorite places ever. Also, we were amazingly BLESSED that by the time we got inside the park, the storms cleared away and left us with blue skies for our wildlife adventuring.

This is the view from the overlook.



And THIS is what I saw at the overlook that I want to frame and put by my desk.



Next stop, the innards of the park. Come wildlife adventuring with us!