Family Travel

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 8

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

We left the Glacier area around 8:30 this morning to head further west. Our journey took us back through some mountains and valleys to Flathead Lake, Montana – and WOW – how beautiful!

Just off the western arm of the lake on route 28 I fell in love with a valley – I think this has to be my next home.

We hit the beautiful mountains of Idaho with the border crossing and crossing into the Pacific Time Zone. It is strange that there is a place where at the very same time it is 10am one foot to the east and 9am one foot to the west. Humans sure do try to control everything!

As we came out of the mountains we rolled into Washington (and this stinkin’ border sign was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY – our last stinkin’ state sign of our journey west and it was in the middle – OY VEY!) and reacquainted ourselves with prairie lands. The vastness and diversity in our country’s topography has never been lost on me, but during this trip I have truly marveled at how one minute we can be cruising down a snow covered mountain pass and the next making our way through “amber fields of grain”.

We arrived in Leavenworth, Washington around 4pm Pacific Time. We checked into our Bed and Breakfast, met our hosts and boogied down into town to get a bite to eat. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Leavenworth, but it is a little Bavarian town plopped down in the middle of the Washington mountains. It is ridiculously adorable and during the Christmas season, it is ridiculously busy!!! Here are a few pictures from us walking around tonight – day pictures will be on tap for tomorrow.

Every mile that goes by I feel more and more thankful for this life I have been given and cherish each and every hour I have spent on the road with Char. We have had some pretty great conversations that I would never have had with her if we wouldn’t have been “stuck” in a car for so many hours together. I am so excited I get to drive east with her a couple weeks.

Another detail that hasn’t been lost on me is that I feel totally at home on the road. I have joked that I am a first world nomad – and I think it is true. When I am traveling I have time to search my soul – driving for hours and hours on end provides ample opportunity for such introspection. I wonder why I am so restless; always needing to be busy – why I feel underchallenged and underachieving and yet, overwhelmed in my daily life with mundane tasks. I’m not sure if these answers will become evident as I travel on, but I’ll keep an open mind and an open heart and continue to be in awe of this great country in which I live.

Total Miles = 462

States = Montana, Idaho and Washington

Hours on the road = 8

Average Temperature = 42 degrees

Coffees = 1

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical, Twilight on audiobook and Slathbog’s Gold

Major Landmarks = Flathead Lake, Montana (gorgeous), Spokane, Washington, Columbia Basin

Speed Traps passed = 0

People not wearing masks in public places = This was hard to judge mostly because of Leavenworth at night – most people I saw in crowds were wearing masks. (BTW – I am only commenting on this aspect of what I am seeing traveling because I think a lot of people are worried about how the rest of the country is handling the whole mask thing – personally – I don’t care if you wear a mask or not – let freedom ring – but I will wear mine in public – especially right now as we are traveling across country. I do not want to be exposing myself and others that we are going to visit to something I picked up along the way – but I do not have a specific personal commentary on the good, bad, and ugly of masks – I just want to be informative)

Gas bought = $52.07

Extras = $63.00 (snacks on the road, coffee and dinner in Leavenworth

Hotel = $309.88 for two nights. We are staying for two nights in Leavenworth, WA at Haus Rohrbach Pension – a quaint Bed and Breakfast style Bavarian chalet perched just outside of the downtown area of Leavenworth. Char and I are in the Windsong room – a sweet little room with a queen sized bed and a day bed for Char.

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 7

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

After a lovely night’s sleep in our little log cabin in Columbia Falls, we awoke to do a little exploring.

Much of Glacier National Park is currently untouchable due to weather (Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed past the northernmost point of Lake McDonald as is typical during winter), but we took advantage of what we could and did a little hike and marveled at Lake McDonald and the spectacular cedar forests that call this area home.

I couldn’t get enough of the small, colorful, smooth rocks of the lake. At its middle, it is blustery, but at Apgar (the lake’s southern end), the lake is super still.

This evening, we went to a rodeo!!! It was so much fun and I had the best time! Even though we were strangers in a strange land, I felt at home – America honored throughout and God revered in public. Not everyone would agree with me, but that is why we live in America.

It is really hard to capture the action of a rodeo in pictures, but I tried. Yes, there are a lot of people. The rules were you had to keep on your mask while moving and seated unless you were actively eating and drinking. Many people were actively eating or drinking, but Char and I kept our masks on the entire time and had our 6 foot bubble and felt comfortable doing so. There was a mixture of people masking and not; a feeling of “you do you” and those who would not be comfortable in a crowd during these times certainly would not attend.

Today’s expenses – $70 for Huckleberry ice cream for Char, a huckleberry pie to bring to Papa, and some souvenirs. $24 for the Rodeo entrance fee.

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 6

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This morning we left Yellowstone to head towards Glacier National Park. It was snowing slightly and we had the cutest farewell committee as we departed!

Our drive was beautiful and thankfully uneventful.

We arrived close to 4pm and easily found our accommodations for two nights – this ADORABLE cabin I found on-line, again for $100 per night. The other benefit of traveling in the off season is affordable lodging.

Tomorrow we will explore what we can of Glacier. The East Entrance is closed as it rests on Native American lands, and many of the roads are closed towards Avalanche and beyond to cars, but we will enjoy the gorgeous cedar forests and find ourselves some huckleberry ice cream!

A surprise awaits Char for the evening…..stay tuned!

Total Miles = 417

States = Wyoming and Montana

Hours on the road = 7.5 hours

Average Temperature = 32 degrees

Coffees = 2

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Beatles, James Taylor and Slathbog’s Gold since we lost service often and this book is downloaded!

Major Landmarks = departing Yellowstone, arriving outside Glacier.

Speed Traps passed = 0

People not wearing masks in public places = 3 – in the market at Hungry Horse, Montana (there is a state mandate but I think the area is so remote that there isn’t much enforcement).

Gas bought = $55.00

Extras = groceries bought in Hungry Horse, MT – two night’s worth of dinner – $35.00

Hotel = Two nights at the Cozy Cabin in Coram, MT = $245.37

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 5

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Our full day in Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a place of legend for me. It was a place I never knew I would ever see, but hoped to and when we decided to do this road trip, we had to make it happen. This could be a once in a lifetime visit for me to many of these locations so I had to do it!

COVID as certainly changed the landscape of tourism in the US. Yellowstone was open all summer although not all the properties were available. One staff member we spoke to said that visitor numbers were the highest ever in July, but staff was reduced because of COVID, so it was a wonderful but busy summer. Check out the Mammoth Post Office – bears COVID ready, along with the specialized vehicle tracks used for winter travel! Oh, and this is a magpie – isn’t he GORGEOUS!!! We have seen many of his kind here in the northern territories!

When I investigated a stay at Yellowstone, I never dreamed I would actually find accommodations ON SITE in Mammoth, but because so many are leery to travel, we lucked out and began our two night stay on the first night of Yellowstone welcoming winter season visitors (this is a normal thing – having summer and winter season separated by weeks at time and closing down in between). We stayed at the Mammoth Hotel and Cabins in the quaint and historic town of Mammoth at the North Entrance to Yellowstone. The hotel was comfortable and had a lovely Victorian feel including creepy “The Shinning” hallways!

Our internet was TERRIBLE (we have T-Mobile service and Yellowstone is a black hole) but that wasn’t so bad!

We ate our meals at the dining facility they have across the street from the hotel and breakfast was delicious (our second morning Char had buttermilk pancakes with huckleberry butter and huckleberry sauce!) as well as the one dinner we had there. I enjoyed Wild Boar and Char had steak. Overall, the prices were what I expected (slightly higher than average for dinner but breakfast was average) and the service was great – our breakfast server the fist day was from Brunswick, Maine!

A “short stack” of buttermilk pancakes with huckleberry syrup and huckleberry butter!

After breakfast, we walked to the Mammoth Hot Springs and Terraces and got a nose full of sulfur and an eye full of wonder!

Currently and every year, other entrances are closed due to weather conditions and the only way to get to Old Faithful was via Snowcoach – at a VERY hefty sum (over $500 for both Char and I if we wanted to see Old Faithful – a full day’s journey there and back), so we scratched that idea and went for a cross country ski tour instead.

Again, because of maintaining a 20-30% capacity, our cross country ski tour ended up being a private tour and it was spectacular!!! We did 5 miles round trip from the Roosevelt Ranch area to the Tower and back. We saw buffalo while on the trail and on the ride to and from the drop off point, we saw elk, an eagle, coyotes, more buffalo (traffic jam) and an absolutely gorgeous black wolf. He was magnificent!

After dinner, we enjoyed ice skating at the small rink built every year at Mammoth and lovingly maintained by their night maintenance man, James, who came to Yellowstone 26 years ago and never left. EVERY person we met from our servers, our ski tour guide, Cache, and the barista in the Map Room of the hotel all came to Yellowstone and fell in love with her beauty and never saw fit to leave. I admire their passion!

Anyway – the rink – adorable and the skates are free and you help yourself to find ones that fit in a little cabin next to the rink. I love the free spirit of this opportunity – explore and enjoy at your own risk – more of life should be this way! We enjoyed a sit by the fire afterwards and chatted with James, then moseyed off to bed. Our day was the stuff of dreams!

Our experience at Yellowstone was nothing short of magical! We are so thankful it was open and took this opportunity to explore this breathtaking place!

Total Cost of food during our stay (2 breakfasts and 1 dinner) – $185

Total cost of cross country ski tour and ski rentals plus tip – $150

Souvenirs bought – $170 (things are expensive here!!)

EVERYONE was masked up in proximity to people outdoors and always indoors unless eating or in our rooms. We did have to wear our masks during the ride to our ski trip but during the skiing outdoors, we could take our masks off.

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 4

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Departing our Bed and Breakfast in South Dakota was another gorgeous start! We loved the porch of our Bed and Breakfast – White Tail Ridge.

It had snowed overnight (like the previous two nights on our trip) and while the roads were a little slow going at first, a drive through the Black Hills was breathtaking and worth the extra time! Our first stop shortly after leaving our B&B was Mount Rushmore – we did pay the $10 to park at the monument to get a few great pictures. Mount Rushmore looked like it had been sprinkled with powdered sugar.

We hit two state borders – Wyoming and Montana.

The drive to Yellowstone through the Black Hills was amazing, but as we approached Livingstone, Montana on I-90, the winds were high and there was a lot of concentrating going on! We were happy to reach Yellowstone just after dark and begin our two nights and one full day enjoying American’s oldest National Park!

Total Miles = 565

States = South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana

Hours on the road = 10 (including stops and sight seeing)

Average Temperature = 28

Coffees = 1

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (three times), The Best of the Beatles, James Taylor and 80’s hits. We also began listening to a book – Slathbog’s Gold – the first book in the Adventurers Wanted Series by M.L. Forman

Major Landmarks = Mount Rushmore, Black Hills National Forest, Crazy Horse Memorial, we wanted to do Custer National Park but many of the roads were closed because of the snow the night before, Yellowstone National Park.

Speed Traps passed = 1

People not wearing masks in public places = 3 (in small town South Dakota at a gas stop but all employees wore masks.

Gas bought = $44.00

Extras = $19.40…parking, post cards, coffee and ice cream

Hotel – total for TWO nights at Yellowstone – $400.00 at the Mammoth Hotel and Cabins. We stayed in the main hotel and it was GORGEOUS! Very classic Victorian era style and our room was comfortable, well appointment with a sweet bathroom! I would absolutely stay there again.

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 3

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

We departed Minnesota pretty early so that we would have time to explore the Badlands in South Dakota. We headed out at 6am and we could not get Goggle Maps to work – so I had an idea of where we needed to go – but all of Google was down (Char couldn’t even get on to her classroom) – so we had to go old school for a bit with MapQuest – remember that? We got on our way and after an hour or so, Google was back on line so “Eliza” was back in business.

Our drive from Maple Grove, MN to meet Interstate 90 was gorgeous! As the sun rose we began to see the prairie lands of the US and we were enamored! The endless grasslands and fields with livestock were just what we needed – we were looking for a landscape different than our own and we finally got it! Oh, and the WINDMILLS!! Hundreds of them on the Minnesota prairie – oh and I saw an exit for Mankato (you know what I am talking about if you watched Little House on the Prairie).

We boogied to the South Dakota border – our only border crossing this day AND when we got to South Dakota, the state speed limit is 80 MPH! Hammer down, baby! Another great thing about South Dakota? Cheapest gas yet at $1.87 per gallon!

One of our pitstops along the was was the Corn Palace – we timed this with a gas pit stop but checked out the Corn Palace (an arena) and did some souvenir shopping across the street. It was a great way to stretch our legs.

Around 2pm we reached the Badlands – and WOW!!!!! We took the 29 mile driving loop through the main tourist portion of the park and saw absolutely stunning landscapes and a host of animals – a porcupine in a tree right above the road, mule deer, bighorn sheep (I thought these were rams but learned otherwise) and buffalo!!!! We actually got rather up close and personal with a handsome fellow and his two ladies.

Enjoy these photos of the stunning landscape and adorable fuzzy critters!

Total Miles = 676

States = Minnesota & South Dakota

Hours on the road = 13.5 (including stops and sight seeing)

Average Temperature = 16 degrees – it was stinkin’ cold!

Coffees = 1

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Best of Phil Collins, 80’s hits

Major Landmarks = The Missouri River, the American Prairie, the Corn Palace, Badlands National Park

Speed Traps passed = 1

People not wearing masks in public places = 0

Gas bought = $59.00

Extras = $54.00 (trinkets and food)

Bed & Breakfast = The White Tail Bed and Breakfast in Hermosa, SD. SUPER cute place for $100 a night! We also bought a picnic lunch to take on the road tomorrow for $8 each and the location of this B&B is perfect for sight seeing in the Mount Rushmore area!

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 2

/ Denise Smith / 1 Comment

Today was our longest driving day on our way west. To have a couple days in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, we had to do it this way – but it was long. Add on top of that sleet this morning (and getting in 150 miles before the sun even came up) and blizzard like conditions for two hours as we approached Minnesota. I’m happy to be in our hotel room!

Char is enjoying her little “cubby” in the car! She has everything she needs at her fingertips and seems to be enjoying the long rides. What would a cross country trip at Christmastime be without Christmas lights, Sable and Charlie, the rainbow unicorn?

We trucked through a lot of states today! Here’s the proof (and Illinois is weird because we crossed the border at the City of Chicago line so there wasn’t much of a sign – but we made due!)

Apparently, my car started to worry about me because about every 250 miles without stopping, this sign pops up on my dash…

You might wonder why we were pushing so hard and going so far – well, to see the Mall of American, of course. And we got there just in time to pop in, walk around for 10 minutes, get some rainbow unicorn cotton candy with edible eyes and mouth, and head to our hotel. It was worth it!

Total Miles = 971

States = New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota

Hours on the road = 15.5 (including stops and sight seeing)

Average Temperature = 26.5 degrees

Coffees = 2

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Best of the Eagles, Pitch Perfect Soundtrack, 80’s & 90s hits

Major Landmarks = Cleveland, OH, Lake Michigan, the Mighty Mississippi River, Chicago and the Mall of America

Speed Traps passed = 4

People not wearing masks in public places = 2

Gas bought = $80.00

Extras = $54.00 (coffee and food)

Hotel = $108.00 – Holiday Inn and Suites, Maple Grove, MN – SUPER nice!!!! Great location and very nice lobby, rooms, staff and in non-Covid times, they have a really cool indoor water park open to guests. This Holiday Inn has a Venetian theme going on and we were really diggin’ it!

Destinations with Daughters – Waning West – Day 1

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Day one of a road trip is always special!  We got off to a strange start with our Google Maps doing weird things – but we got it figured out and named the Google Maps voice “Eliza”, basically so we have something to say, “be quiet” to!

The weather was cold to start – 29 degrees at home when we left at 5:20am (goal departure time was 5am).  We ran into some fog in Vermont and some rain in New York, but overall the traffic was light and the roads were good!  We took the scenic route through New Hampshire and Vermont instead of only highway – this added about 40 minutes but gave us something to look at. 

We listened to lots of music (thank you Spotify), sang, ate and did three Mad Libs Travelers Edition!

View of Vermont’s hills from Hogback Mountain overlook.

We made our first goal of Niagara Falls at 2:50pm and the last elevator ride down to the Cave of the Winds was at 3pm.  We Made It!!

Then we hightailed it to the Observation Deck to see what we could see!  It was rainy and a bit windy – I think more from the falls than anything else – but it was stunning!!!!

On our way to our hotel – a Holiday Inn Suites in Hamburg, NY, we drove by Lake Erie and Char wondered how we got to the ocean!  Of course, she knows her geography, but she was confused by the lake’s size.  We stopped for the last rays of sunset at a small state park near Buffalo and ran on the beach as the sun went down.  It was cool!

Today we laughed, Char slept, I sang, and we enjoyed our time together a lot.  Tomorrow is our longest day on the road – 950+ miles ahead of us and I hope to be on the road before 5am.  Here’s to a good night’s rest and a thankful heart for a safe and healthy Day 1.

Total Miles = 531

States = Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York

Hours on the road = 10 (including sight-seeing and stops)

Average Temperature = 39.5 degrees

Coffees = 2

Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Best of; Billy Joel, Elton John, Maroon 5, and the Beatles

Major Landmarks = Erie Canal, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Buffalo, NY

Speed Traps passed = 5 (all in New York)

People not wearing masks in public places = 2

Gas bought = $44.32

Extras = $34.64 (coffee and food)

Hotel = $145.00 – Holiday Inn and Suites in Hamburg, NY – The hotel was good. The staff was very friendly and the room was very nice and clean with a modern design. We used the pool (You had to sign up for a time so you were the only ones in the area for social distancing) and the beds were comfortable! It was conveniently located right off the highway and we would stay there again.

Carpe Diem – Destinations with Daughters

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

While 2020 has certainly been a year for the record books, all the heartbreaks and disappointments have lead to some very important lessons to be learned. For me, those lessons have included; learning to let go of my Type A – “everything has to happen as I schedule it” – attitude. Another lesson I have learned is to be more flexible and adaptable. But the biggest lesson I have learned is carpe diem – seize the day – and that is exactly what Char and I are going to do!

I am a “live and let live” kind of girl and I tend to be pretty even keeled. But my next trip might not be for everyone, and that is ok…it IS for me and my daughter.

Char and I have been to Paris together and also Hawaii. I really cherish those memories!!!!

Ya know, there is something magical about the opportunity for a mother and daughter to travel together. I tried to pull off a short Disney cruise with my mom this past September but COVID. lol

BUT, because of COVID, my daughter and I are going on an adventure of a lifetime and it is being made more possible by the remote school schedule. We are doing something that couldn’t be more physically distant if we tried!

We are doing a Great American Road Trip and hitting as many of the National Parks as we can!

Our road trip will begin soon and I am bringing you along with me! I can’t wait to take this adventure!!! I mean, how many moms get an opportunity to spend so much time with their 14 year old daughters? ME! I am really going to treasure these precious days!!!!

Stay tuned and check out winter across America – socially distant style!

Travel Ornaments; A Year in Review….

/ Denise Smith / Leave a comment

People collect mementos of their travels, and one thing I collect is ornaments. Every year when we put up our tree, the ornaments from vacations past come out of the box and the trip is relived with joy, stories and laughter. It is EXACTLY why I travel and bring something home with me.

This year was a bit different. While we did still get in a couple of trips pre-COVID (Amsterdam and a girl’s trip to Punta Cana – and somehow I cannot find my ornament from that trip…), and still went to Disney and road tripped to South Carolina, we did miss out on a Disney cruise, a river cruise on the Rhine and my hubby missed a boy’s cruise to Mexico. There’s always next year!!!

Here are some memories and our ornaments…I know I will treasure them for many years to come. What do you bring home from your adventures?

Amsterdam – January 2020 – We LOVED this trip with friends – we can’t wait to go back!

Disney – August 2020

Southern Road Trip – Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC – November 2020