“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien

Our whole life was boxed up and jammed into the back of my Ford Explorer and Adam's van. Packed to capacity, we pulled out of the driveway and started the 34 hour drive across the country to Bozeman, Montana - the first stop in our 2 1/2 month trip. The driving was slower going than last summer but we still made great time. We left Connecticut on Saturday, March 16th and made it to Bozeman late Tuesday night, March 19th. Our third night on the road we found a little trucker stop (Coffee Cup Fuel Stop), where we took a hot shower, cooked up some hot soup, and spent the night.

We saw hundreds of birds migrating over us - you can see the "V"s they formed in the sky.

View Larger Map

Since we made it to Bozeman, we have been staying with Adam's family. They have a gorgeous log home nestled in the mountains, with a stunning view of the Bridger Mountains. After the cold nights spent in the van on the way out here, it has been a treat to spend the evening curled up on their couch in front of the wood stove before retreating to a warm bed to sleep in.



Despite the comforts of their home we have been busy exploring the area. We spent a couple days running up some of the surrounding hills and mountains, trying to get used to the elevation and back into shape. I was finally able to break in my mountaineering boots when we hiked part of Baldy Mountain, which gave us some great views of Bozeman.



On Saturday, we went skiing at Bridger Bowl with Adam's father and sister. It was hands down the best conditions I have ever skiied! It had just snowed that night so we were able to make fresh tracks in the softest blanket of powder! We also got the chance to go cross-country skiing in the national forest down the road with Adam's parents. It was a gorgeous day - in the 50's - which melted much of the snow by the end of the day and left us all a little sun burnt.

Skiing into the North Bowl of Bridger Mt. (Photo by Adam Freund)

Today we are packing up the van and hitting the open road - ready for our next adventure!  Where to? Red Rocks, Nevada! Time to start rock climbing...



View Larger Map