Goodbye Whitefish.... for now?

"The road we're on is rugged
and we don't know where it's heading,
but we know its gonna get us where we're going.
And when we find what we're looking for,
we'll drop these bags and search no more,
'cause it's gonna feel like heaven when we're home...."
-The Wailing Jenny's (thanks Anna!!)

This tune has become our theme song, and as I sit on Amy's porch on this Montana Indian Summer morning I am at once sad to leave and so excited about what is to come. Thanks to our sweet hosts, so generous of spirit and space, we have had a rockin' time here in Whitefish. We've tore through the woods on mountain bikes, summited Big Mountain harvesting huckleberries by the pound, played in a roudy and hilarious costume kickball game, toured an amazing dalia farm, swam in lake even when suits were forgotten (yeah patagucci!), and relaxed at an impressive open mic night (Gunnar you are a natural- git up there again boy!). We've also met a wealth of kind and inspired folk who love their little town while gladly opening their arms to two more potential neighbors. So, as any respectable ski-bum-wannabe would do, Joe and I have applied to seasonal jobs at the mountain and have even looked at a few ski shacks for the winter (Kody would be COLD in 5 feet of powpow). With the winter weather comming soon, and so much more to explore, we're hitting the road in search of serendipity...with hopes of returning to this little pocket of mountain paradise. (its not really that cool, don't get any ideas....)
So with hugs and kisses to the Keeler-Popes, we head to Canada (and I can expect Joe's rendition of that nations anthem on repeat the entire way).... Banff here we come!
Sending so much love,
Zoe (and Joe too)

Photo captions:
1. Amy and Gunnar
2. The crew atop Big Mountain
3. cheese!
4. The yield- pounds and pounds!
5. Huckleberry Babe
6. JoeBear at the Dalia Farm
7. Dalia close-up
8. The hoop house
9. costume kickball!
10. Spelunking for M.I.A. trash bags... where on earth could they have gone? the mystery continues.....

The Road to The Sun

Our photos...
1. Group shot!
2. Autumn is in full bloom!
3. Goofy guy
4. The view from our lunch spot.... stunning.
5. Glacier lake of in the distance
6. Hiker Babe
7. The Road to the Sun (note the vertical drop off!)

The people you meet along the way... It seems that where ever we go the right people present themselves at the right moment... This time it happened to be after our 14 mile hike through Glacier... Upon a tip from a fellow hiker, we decided to leave our car at the hop of Logan Pass (in the heart of the park) and do a one-way hike along The Highline, catching the shuttle back up the famous "Road to the Sun." However, our new hiker friend failed to inform us that the shuttle was closed for the season, which we discovered upon finally popping back out onto the road 8 hours later.... So Zoe and I threw out our thumbs to hitch a lift back to the car. It was only a minute before a fella driving a construction truck picked us up. As the door to the truck swung open we were welcomed by a big old smiling fella named Tim and his radio blasting 80's rock! We jumped in and were off... Now understand that the "Road to the Sun" is a steep winding road with huge shear drop offs, that riding in a big old construction truck that sits four times as high as your standard pickup truck, spitting out gallon of water behind it, added to the already exciting commute up to the pass. As it turned out, our friendly driver spent his childhood right outside of Johnstown, Pa and his sister works in my old hometown. Of course he was a devout Steeler and Penguins fan, and enjoyed his hunting (yinz know what I'm talkin' about). After an eventful ride to the top of the pass - which included spraying about 50 gallons of water on grandpa's hood and watching tourists swerve out of the way with eyes as big as beach balls - we made it back to car! Thanks Tim!!! It's guys like you who tie this whole adventure together!

Whitefish Baby!

Hey y'all! The above pics are as follows:
1. Happy Pines overlook, Whitefish
2. Whitefish Lake, from the town beach
3. Joe practicing the fine art of porchin' (complete with content porch dog)
4. Zoe has received her birthday package!
5. Joe celebrating out discovery of local watering hole on the edge of Glacier NP... yum!

We are just loving this little mountain town (and yes, there is a ski mountain, and yes, its 30 minutes from the gateway to Glacier, and yes, the folks are really friendly, and yes, we may hole up here for the winter.... research is currently being conducted).
See the next post for some more pics and a few stories....
love! Z

Two weeks in!

Hi Everyone!
We send our love from Polaris, Montana, a few hundred miles southeast of Missoula. We’ve taken a circuitous way of getting here from Bozeman, sticking to the state highways and continuing to follow the hot spring trail. As I write, Joe is out on the trail exploring the Beaverhead (giggity) National Forest. I hung behind to catch up on my journaling beside the creek in the campground. It was a cold 36 degrees this morning, prompting us to build a stout fire and have our breakfast beside it….
We are totally enjoying Montana, which is similar in many ways to Colorado, but grander and more spacious. We have met many friendly locals who’ve shed light on our maps and guidebooks. One couple implored us to stop in the town of Dillon, home to one of four Patagonia Outlets in the country. Needless to say, we killed a couple hours there…. Besides new wool long underwear, we were given some great information about organic and biodynamic farms in the Bitterroot Valley. We plan on making some calls and hopefully having a visit or two. Neither of us would be sad to spend a growing season here....
Bozeman seemed a bustling place, with a college and its fair share of outdoor enthusiasts. We spent two nights above the city, at the top of Hyalite Canyon on the edge of a reservoir (see photo!), and then got up early, early to drive along the Lewis and Clark Trail through ranchland and over tame mountain passes to Polaris.
Kody (our camper) is beginning to show signs of its Chinese origins, with screws popping loose from the thin composite “wood” walls- the incessant vibration created from being on the road is a powerful force in play in the life of our little home-on-wheels. Despite this challenge, we are very comfortable, cooking fantastic meals and laughing at how surreal it is to sit at the same table in a new location each day.
We plan on camping outside of Missoula two nights from now. We look forward to exploring the town on bikes, and I am tempted to look up the Wild Rockies Field Institute, WRFI, home of the stellar outdoor program that brought me to Montana 9 years ago! We will be in Whitefish by the weekend, visiting our dear friends Amy and Gunnar who migrated that way from Boulder. Celebrations will certainly be in order!
Sending so much love from the road, Zoe

This train is bound for glory land!

Leaving Brooks Lake was bitter sweet… What a wonder spot to relax, read, fish, hike, bike, and just be in nature! Our early departure over the pass to Grand Tetons National Park Monday morning was absolutely spectacular. As the sun crept over the distant mountain peeks, turning the sky shades of pink, orange, and blue, we were wished happy travels by a big mama moose. Our early arrival to the Big Tits National Park (AKA, Grand Tetons National Park), was just what the doctor ordered… Zoë and I took a short 28.327 mile bike ride through the park, visiting all the sites to see along the way… Jenny Lake was the best – thanks for the tip Nick and Annie, we love ya. But before I go any further, I need to give a shout out to my boy Evergreen, Andy Evergreen, who we meet at our first stop on our bike ride. As he explained, “over 32 plus years of adventure traveling through this here U.S. of A… Been to all the lower 48 states two times, all the states west of the Mississippi three times… Started my adventures on motorcycle, then moved to small cars (Geo Metro that was rated 48 miles per gallon), and finally, now that I’m in twilight, I drive a perky little Dodge van/motor home.” I bet you can’t guess the color… that’s right folks, Evergreen. Anyway, after he gave both Zoë and I two epic tutorials (chasing us down a second time at Jenny Lake) of all the things we need to see not only in Tetons and Yellow Stone, but pretty much in all of North America, we kindly interrupted and explained we needed to be on our way. It was a that point, that we found that good old Evergreen wears his heart on his sleeve… He went on to explain, as he walked away to his evergreen Dodge van/motor home having a bit of a tantrum, “you young green bows are always in to much of a hurry to slow down and be taught a thing or two… your not going to see anything worth seeing… you’re gonna miss everything and not see a thing.” Well good old Evergreen may have been right; we may miss a thing or two along our journeys. However, that beautiful Monday, riding our bikes through some of the most spectacular country I’ve ever seen, my eyes and heart were absolutely full. In all of what Evergreen had say to us that fine Monday morning and into the afternoon; I will remember this little bit of wisdom… “Money is simply freedom… You don’t need a lot to be free if you don’t have the fancy cars, the big houses, and the wall-to-wall TV’s… Just don’t wait until your sixty-three-years-old to get out and enjoy your freedom.” We won’t Andy, we won’t!
Love ya all! More to come soon!!

Beautiful Brooks Lake

Hello! We are still loving our campsite up on Brooks Lake... here is the breakfast view! Also, the workout routine... we got up first thing today and mountain biked around the lake and far up the valley in search of moose.... no sightings yet, but Joe has seen 3 bald eagles. We spent a day in Jackson Hole and found the Tetons to be the most impressive part.... these righteous peaks rise out of nowhere and blew me away. I am longing to summit the Grand one..... We have been cooking amazing meals and sleeping great. It does seem that the Kodiak camper is running out of battery power, and we can't be sure but think that the gray tank is almost full.... good thing we're hitchin' the rig up tomorrow and heading to Montana. Our plan is to take an early morning bike ride up to Jenny Lake in Teton National Park, then hunt out a hidden hot spring (thanks Wendy and Dom!)... then cruise through Yellowstone before landing at an RV park where we can tend to some house chores and take showers! Our next long stop will be Whitefish Montana, but before that we'll revisit my old stomping gound, Missoula, and parts in between.

Sending so much love,
ZoJo

Home is where you park it!!!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for the amazing sendoff Boulder Gang. We love you so very much. We're currently camping above Jackson Hole.... pic below! it is beautiful!! and just the peace we've been longing for. Our yoga practices are rejuvenated, our hiking legs awakening and our tired minds are getting some rest. It has been an amazing month of friends and family, love and rites of passage. Time to slow down and take a look around.

We'll keep it short this time, more to come!

Love and blessings!
Zoe and Joe