Hey everybody! It’s been a few weeks since our last post, but fear not, we are alive and well. We have been sincerely enjoying the wilderness this country has to offer, but it has meant a lack of internet access. We passed our halfway mark while in Yellowstone and have seen a lot since then! Let's catch up on what we have been up to.
Seattle
After Orcas Island we drove ourselves to the grand city of Seattle, WA to stay with Molly’s aunt and uncle. They live cooperatively; products of the radical times they were raised in and motivated from seeing negative changes upon the earth. Their daughter Anna and her family live downstairs, and Gordon and Tanya live in another house in the front yard. Often the whole group will eat together with the food they grow or raise. An incredible moonrise over Seattle | Molly's family - "To change the world we need persistence and love" They have their own chickens (a trend that we’re seeing often in the places we visit) and live near community gardens. The gardens are especially wonderful in this low income area, because they provide access to fresh produce and community space that might be otherwise hard to come by. We had a wonderful time there, and our experience provided more evidence that strong relationships are important for a sustainable, resilient community. |
Seattle had a big city vibe and we were able to handle some business there that we sorely needed to take care of. We got our bikes tuned up, got a squeaky belt fixed in the van, and planned our route through the national parks and on to the midwest.
Glacier National Park
Our first major stop after Seattle was Glacier National Park. We were able to camp for two nights there next to the beautiful Lake McDonald. One day, we took a hike up to Snyder lake (8.8 miles round trip, 2,000 ft elevation gain). It was so epic and incredible! Both of us felt a little sick, which we now realize was probably due to elevation sickness. Regardless, it was awesome to hike right up to the valley below a massive glacier, and eat lunch in a field of boulders overlooking a pristine lake. As we were leaving, we heard a few rumbles, and were worried it was thunder. We realized, however, that the sounds were huge rock slides, probably from temperature difference caused by the suns changing position. Thank goodness we left when we did, or we could have been squashed! Molly playing with snow in the rock field that graciously decided not to kill us | Looking fresh - before our hike... Snyder Lake |
A sign depicting the glaciers as they once were Cassie doing yoga in front of the same glaciers today. It's difficult to tell in the photo, but the difference is noticeable | Glacier National Park is an incredible place - quite cold, but beautiful. We were grateful for our time there particularly because we had been waiting to hear what was going to happen with the government shutdown (which resulted in national park closures and a slight hold on our trip). One of the first things we saw when we arrived was a sign that showed how significant the glacial melting is. Why, we wondered, is it fair for conservationists to work so hard keeping the parks enjoyable and yet we still literally see the impact of the growing amounts of carbon in the atmosphere? (Answer: its not!) We met a fellow park visitor, Valerie, who had lived in Montana as a child, and told us of the many stark differences in weather patterns during her lifetime: passes now accessible all year round when they used to only be open in the summer, inches of snow where there used to be feet, and 100 degree weather in the summer where the high was 70 just decades ago. Molly with our new friend Valerie |
The experience was a humbling and important reminder that the problems we face have tremendous magnitude, but it also served as motivation for our journey. We understand that our future as a human race is uncertain, but are so excited to be learning about how people everywhere are responding with strength to these challenges. |
Missoula, Montana was our middlepoint between Glacier and Yellowstone and we had yet another wonderful couchsurfing experience. Our hosts were very kind and we loved getting to explore the college town. We did some computer research at a great (waymorethan) coffee shop called Liquid Planet, biked around for some exercise, visited a food co-op and took care of some personal needs (For those of you in the loop about Molly’s anemia struggles, my iron and hemoglobin levels are superb!)
Yellowstone National Park
Swan-shaped steam at the Grand Prismatic Spring
We left for the nation’s first official National Park with palpable anticipation, expecting to see everything from epic bear fights to extensive pine beetle destruction. We got in too late to really recognize the landscape, so its very likely that we drove right by fighting bears. Sadly, we will never know for sure. However, the pine beetle destruction was very real, and was another stark example of climate change (due to dramatic temperature changes in recent years, it no longer becomes cold enough to kill off the beetles, giving the pine trees no chance to recover from their now-constant assault). |
Upon arrival, we parked precariously on a campsite that happened to be covered in snow and ice, deciding judiciously to utilize the parking brake. Our propane stove enabled a delightfully warm meal, after which we hit the hay. Other reasons our propane stove is helpful The next morning we visited an amazing array of geysers, including the famous Old Faithful and the gorgeous Grand Prismatic Spring. |
Throughout our few days there, we befriended a solo roadtripper named John who graciously shared his campsite with us when the campground was full. He was admittedly reluctant, but justifiably so; later he confessed his fear of being murdered by the strangers in a strange van. We were equally grateful that he was not a creeper - yay for taking chances and making friends! He turned out to be recently married with a six month old son and we decided we might visit him when we get to New Jersey! | While we didn’t see any bear fights, we did see a bear print and bear scat! Other than that, Yellowstone definitely delivered with its promise of plentiful wildlife. We spotted bison, elk, pronghorns, a coyote, and an eagle while we traversed the park. Yellowstone was pretty in a different way than Glacier, which was majestic and stark in its beauty. Yellowstone, on the other hand, was filled with geological treasures and wildlife. The landscape provided for different types of creatures than in Glacier and felt more like the forest at home for Cassie. |
We were given a few tips that we had to take a dip in the Boiling River- so on our last day in Yellowstone we found the crowded parking lot, walked down the path, and relaxed in the perfect spot where the scarily hot water mixed with the ridiculously cold river. It was a magical experience!
Grand Tetons National Park and SNOW!
Adventures on the Road
--Kindness of people who don’t know us is pervasive. For example, we stayed with Molly’s ex-boss’ husbands parents in Idaho, and they welcomed us in with big hugs and a warm meal! We also got to use their hot tub and ride their horse. --While kindness of strangers is thankfully common on this trip, experiences like the above are particularly wonderful as showers, drinking water, and good vegetables are becoming the most precious resources for us. --Even still, we are realizing that we always want to travel like this- with connections from friends, couchsurfing, etc. There is so much more flexibility and room for connection/incredible experiences than hotels (and so much cheaper!) It is worth the occasionally smelly armpits. | --Sometimes the flexible schedule we keep means random adventures like the awesome Kootenai Falls and gigantic swinging bridge |
- Another downfall of life on the road in general is dealing with bad weather, particularly when driving 1,083 miles in 3 days. The visibility in South Dakota was horrendous, so we weren’t able to see Mt Rushmore, or anything besides the road 25 ft ahead of us. Thankfully, we have discovered books on tape, which are a lifesaver on long drives!
This concludes our post. We have another month left on our journey and are so overwhelmed with gratitude and disbelief at everything we have experienced thus far. We have been happily exploring the midwest, and will recount our exploits here very soon. The treasures of the East Coast await us! As always, if any of you have comments, questions, or suggestions, please let us know. We hope you all are well and would love to hear from you!