North Cascades

We saw amazing things like this today

Lifers?

When we first started this journey I wondered how psyched I would be after a few weeks. I doubted allegiance to the "year on the road" idea.
Well, I have to say that after 8 weeks on the road, I am loving it. If we had a good way to make money, I could do this for a long, long time.
We were in BC, Canada the last few nights.  It was amazing. Coltrane and I have become hot springs mavens.  We went to Ainsworth hot springs near Kootenay Lake. Man, it was pretty like Big Sur, CA but with lake instead of ocean. We also hiked to Fletcher Falls which was perfect, a beautiful waterfall with a beach and man-made cairns everywhere.
Hopefully we have some wifi soon so I can put up some pics.
We are in the Okanagon Nat Forest now at Bonaparte lake
Wow!!
I love this whole trip and my awesome family. I feel so blessed to share this experience with my kids. I think they are getting a lot out of it too.
OK, off to cook something imaginative for dinner from leftovers.

Northern Exposure, Twin Peaks and Twilight. Oh my!

Washington state is pretty amazing. We started in Spokane and stayed with the awesome Kemnitz/MacMullan family. The kids got along famously. Carl and I hadn't seen Terry and Rebecca for many
years,  but it didn't matter.  They are the kind of friends you get right
back into the groove with. We love them!!!!
Spokane was amazing. They have this really cool park smack dab in the middle of town. It was the location of the world's fair back in the 70's so it was all set up with cool fountains,  gondolas, gardens, etc.
Speaking of gardens, Spokane has this place called Manito park that has the most amazing rose garden and Japanese garden.  Beautiful.
We are in Idaho now and are going to drive up into Canada for emmetts birthday, but we will be back in Washington state. There is still so much to see- the cascades, Olympic national park. And... listen close Amy gall, we are going to Forks and La Push. You know what that means!!! I'll send a postcard addressed from Forks to you. :)

Trying to get to the robot hut

Roadside America is my new
favorite website. I was searching for something quirky to see in WA state and I stumbled upon the robot hut. There is a guy in Elk, WA who is way into robots. He has built a museum dedicated to them. He has studied old science fiction movies and rebuilt the robots from them. Rad!
Of course there is a glitch. You have to send this guy an email to show that you are serious about robots and prove yourself to be worthy to visit his masterpiece. Damn! What pressure! !
I just finished my email to him explaining how Coltrane has liked robots from the womb. I also got into Carl's love of science fiction. I am as nervous as when I applied to college. Will he like my delivery?  Was it overkill?  Was I not personal enough?
I should hear back in a day or so.  Let you know how it turns out.

WWW.robothut.com

Montana equals awesome

I wrote a huge Montana post which got lost somewhere in the ether. Just believe me when I say it was a witty, inspiring piece of work.
Anyway, the bulk of the disappeared post was that Montana equals awesome. It was beautiful; the scenery,  the people, the animals, the whole shebang.  Loved it so much.
The last post had details about everything we did,  but I will just list the highlights now:
Fiddle festival
Hot springs
Lewis and Clark national forest
Bighorn sheep family with babies!
Blackfoot river
Stuffed grizzly bear
Missoula!!
Locally brewed beer
There is more, of course, but that is a good start.
Pics

Making friends

Coltrane and Emmett are making lots of friends along the way on our trip.  Probably the most fun they have had was with this kid named Jarod.  He was hilarious. He and Coltrane hit it off right away because they discussed being a boy with long hair. They said how people sometimes call them a girl, but they don't care because they love their long hair. Too cute.
Jarod lives in CT so we may even be able to see him again when we get back to NH. This is a good thing because Coltrane hates the goodbyes. He said he loves seeing America but that making friends and leaving is tough for him. Actually, he said that his heart breaks a little each time. Oh, my
sweet and sensitive Coltrane! !

Some pics of Tetons and Yellowstone

Well, what can I say? What a gorgeous part of the country. Unbelievable really. Here are some pics which really don't do either place justice.

Emmett's to-do list

We have a white board in the RV where we keep a grocery list and a to-do list. Emmett saw Carl's list this morning and decided he wanted one of his own. He decided he needed to " run, play, draw and read. " What a life!

Devil's Tower is CRAZY!

Emmett's new obsession- prairie dogs

They are damn cute and they are everywhere. Emmett is in love. He likes to imagine them snuggling in their burrows. I got to see two of them kiss. He missed this scene and is insanely jealous.  He has decided that he wants a prairie dog for his Birthday in a couple of weeks. I'll have to get Carl on that one!

I love the Bighorns!

This place is amazing! We had a great time clambering around on the rocks and exploring around our campsite. Coltrane and Emmett both let me know, separately, what good climbers they were, and that climbing is their favorite thing to do.
It was cloudy over the mountains when we pulled in and found our spot, but it was crystal clear this morning, and our being on the east side of the mountains gave us another stunning view.
And the drive through the rest of Bighorn NF? Just as gorgeous. I could stay here and explore for a whole season. Why is it not crowded? There are very few people around and on the roads. I am afraid we are getting spoiled and will be shocked by the crowds in Yellowstone!
-Carl

Bighorn Mountains, WY

We found a nice spot with a great view. After so much flat in the middle of the country, I was starting to forget what mountains looked like. These even have snow on them! 
-Carl