Westward Ho!

Departure: Tuesday, Jan. 19th Grand Marais MN
Arrival: Tuesday Jan. 19th International Falls, MN

Departure: Wednesday, Jan. 20th International Falls, MN
Arrival: Wednesday, Jan. 20th, Bismarck, ND

Departure: Thursday, Jan. 21st, Bismarck, ND
Arrival: Thursday, Jan. 21st, Billings, MT

Departure: Friday, Jan. 22nd, Billings, MT
Arrival: Friday, January 22nd, Missoula, MT

Departure: Saturday, Jan. 23rd, Missoula, MT
Arrival: Saturday, Jan. 23rd, Spokane, WA

Today we are traveling to Spokane, Washington after a few days of traveling west. We've been averaging around 6 hour drives every day, taking our time and enjoying the scenery. Our first drive, from Grand Marais to International Falls, was entertaining, at first. The scenery was beautiful with large rock formations and rustic woods all the way up to Thunder Bay, Canada. From there, nothing. Absolutely nothing until International Falls. It was one of the most rural drives I have ever taken. Simon and I actually worried we might not find a gas station, but thankfully stumbled upon a town of three hundred people, the largest town for about a hundred miles. I think we may have seen more moose than people that night. There were signs lining the whole route with a charging moose and underneath it read, “Night Danger." Hitting a deer is one thing, but a moose! We drove cautiously slow the whole way and a good thing because we ended up seeing three moose on the side of the road. With the second two we were able to turn the car around and get a better viewing.

When we arrived at the Canadian border it was late and we were tired and anxious to find parking and relax. We were probably some of the only people crossing the border all night, but the looks of our van and our vagabond story were probably the most suspicious thing border control had seen all winter....so we were searched. They took us into their office, made us fill out paperwork, asked us random questions, wondered if we had any oranges, and after tearing our van apart, sent us on our way.

The following day we left International Falls and drove to Bismarck, North Dakota. The drive wasn't the most exciting. In Bismarck we spent the night in an Applebee's parking lot and soon regretted the decision because of garbage trucks driving through all night. We are starting to gain preference for parking areas. I prefer a tucked away spot, with a bit of light so that I can fall asleep reading or doing a crossword. Simon doesn't mind being in a more open area under lights. One night we parked in a Wal-mart lot, which worked better than I expected. They have security cameras everywhere, which is sort of comforting, and last night it was a mall parking lot. I soon learned that this was not the best idea. Teenagers, four-wheelers and many diesel pick-ups drove through the parking lot all night. I drove to a different location at 1:30am.







After a night in Bismarck, we drove west on I-94 towards Billings, Montana. The western part of North Dakota was remarkably different than the east. It was beautiful. We were drawn into the landscape and stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Some of the roads in the park were closed, but there was a main route open which we drove and stopped on often to take pictures and look at the wildlife. I saw my first wild bison and many prairie dogs. On our way out of the park we came across a herd of about ten deer, a breed I had never seen before. It was a nice visit and nice that it was winter considering we were the only ones in the park, but it would have been even nicer to hike and backpack there :( We'll be hiking soon though!






We stayed in Billings the next night, but didn't do much of anything besides sleep. Yesterday we were on the road early (my first view of the Rocky Mountains!!!) to try and make Missoula before the big snowfall. Higher elevations were supposed to get up to two feet of snow, but we didn't see much of anything as we drove. We spent the night in Missoula, expecting a big snowfall overnight and possibly needing to stay the day on account of the storm, but no snow so far. I was kind of hoping we would have to stay, I really like this town. I can tell it has a more liberal feel than other towns in Montana. The university is in the center of downtown and we hiked up a huge, steep hill behind the school, to the big concrete “M” that has been plastered on the side of the hill since the early 20th century. It was a beautiful view of the city. After our long hike, we did some more working-out at the local YMCA, which had free admission for first time visitors; a shower had never felt so good!



Now we're off to Spokane for the night and from there Portland, Oregon. It looks like the big snow storm is going to miss us, so we'll keep our fingers crossed as we cross the Rockies.

So much to see....!




We spotted a wild Simon in the road!

Milwaukee, Minnesota

Departure: Thurs. January 14th, Chicago
Arrival: Thurs. January 14th, Duluth, MN

Departure: Fri. January 15th, Duluth, MN
Arrival: Fri. January 15th, Grand Marais, MN







Our first update in what seems like forever. We have had the most incredible time these last few days. The first stop we made after leaving Chicago was the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Simon and I saw online that they had a free tour and jumped on the opportunity to visit. Nothing like free beer to get your trip started!




After leaving Milwaukee we made a seven hour trip to Duluth Minnesota for the night. The following morning, Simon worked on his laptop at a Starbucks and I walked around the city. I explored the lake shore, the main street and hiked to the top of the city to view Lake Superior.




Later that day we left Duluth and drove 2 hours north to Grand Marais. It was a GORGEOUS drive. We lived in Minneapolis last winter, but had no idea that northern Minnesota was so beautiful. We took the only road available to north eastern Minnesota and stopped a couple times along the way to look at the lake and explore the Split Rock Lighthouse. I shouldn't leave out, we also stopped so that I could take a quick snooze before heading north...ah! the joys of having a bed within arms reach.






We arrived in Grand Marais just in time to catch an amazing sunset. Little did I know that nearly every night offers a beautiful sunset in Northern Minnesota. For the next few days we camped in the parking lot of a small family gourmet restaurant called "The Pie Place." Our connection with this place involves a former college roommate of mine. Her family owns the restaurant and they live on the property as well. She has said for years to me that we should come up and have some of the most amazing food we'll ever eat. I can truthfully say, she was right. We sampled some of the best pie I'll probably ever eat and one of the best breakfasts I've ever had. Not only is the food amazing, but so are the owners. They were the most welcoming, warm and generous family and made our stay in northern Minnesota more enjoyable than we could have ever expected. It is truly inspirational to meet such giving people in the world and I can only hope we pass along their generous character.



Not only were we lucky to meet such great people, but we were also lucky with the weather. It was the most unseasonably warm temperatures, reaching to nearly forty degrees some days and the sun shone almost all the time. I was pretty shocked by this, being that last winter in Minneapolis made me curse the state. We took advantage of the weather and hiked almost every day we were there. The first two hikes were at Cascade Falls and the second up the Gunflint Trail. Both places were remarkable. I cannot believe my growing admiration for this place.



The warm weather also made sleeping in the van much more tolerable. We have slept in the van for five consecutive nights now and each night gets more and more comfortable. I had expected that the little things would take some getting used to, such as; jumping into freezing cold blankets, jumping out of blankets into freezing cold to go to the bathroom, knowing exactly how many layers to wear to bed as to not get too cold or too hot, and scraping the frost off the insides of the windows in the morning. We are also starting to figure out how to live in such a small space. Simon fixed the van yesterday so that now when we brake, all of our belongings under the bed don't slide forward. We are learning that organization is key, and everything that is used often needs to have a convenient place in the van. It's a demanding way to live, but I wouldn't exchange it for anything. The sense of freedom and excitement that everyday brings is worth every shiver.



Cooking on our stove in the van.

So, today we leave Grand Marais. At this very minute we are trying to decide whether to take the Canadian or U.S. route to Vancouver. Will let you know when we know!