The Long Haul

I left glacier at 10:00 am on Sunday, and drove straight through to Mahtomedi. I arrived home a little after 6:00 am on Monday. Most of the drive was pretty bleak, but I think the lesson learned is always be alert and have your eyes wide open, because you never know what is around the next turn.

The odometer for the trip hit 6,000 miles as I drove through Fergus Falls. What an amazing journey it has been. Thank you to the friends and family that made this trip possible.

I am so excited to be home and start the rest of my life. I hope to approach each day with gratitude and humility. I don't want to waste one precious moment of the rest of my experience here on earth.

My Personal Commitments 

Appreciate the present

Live in a state of gratitude

Be vulnerable and quick to forgive

Make time for what matters

Embrace nature

A few additions to this list after the trip...

Be proactive and intentional

Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Be a loving, peaceful presence in this world 

Glacier

I spent the evening in a small studio house with Scott and Shelley Bauer. Two people whom I respect and admire so much. They lived in WBL for a long time, and then up and sold their house, left the comforts of the twin cities, and embarked and a journey to live out west. They are currently renting this place from a woman just outside of Kalispel, MT, north of Flathead Lake. Shelley and I took a long walk, and had a wonderful conversation about change, spirituality, and the things that really matter in this short life. I am so grateful they were so willing to open their home and lives to me, even if was for just a short while.

The next morning I got up early, and at the suggestion of Scott, hiked up to Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park. It was a great way to start the day. I was excited to get home, but I am happy that I took the time to go up and do this before the long drive home.

Mount Ranier

It was a quick drive through and hike, as I was still unsure about my schedule the rest of the way. About halfway through my walk, I decided that seeing something of this magnitude, should be causing a larger reaction than it was, so I decided that it was time to wrap up this great adventure and start the trip home. I arranged a hotel in Yakima, Washington, then a stop to visit Scott and Shelley in Kalispel, a quick hike in Glacier, then the 20+ hr. trek home across what has to be the least scenic region in, not just this country, but the world. I apologize for the lack of pictures for all of you eastern Montana lovers.

My lack of enthusiasm did not diminish the actual natural beauty of what I was seeing.

Seattle

I think if I had to choose to live in Seattle or San Francisco, I would choose Seattle. The waterfront market was fun, the architecture was beautiful, and the overall pace just seemed to be a little more relaxed than down in CA. My only problem was that I couldn't find a coffee shop anywhere...and it was sunny, which I guess it is all the time, year round, in Seattle.

 This is the view from ferry as we headed over to Edmonds

After lunch at hot mama's pizza, I had to say goodbye to B so she could fly back down to San Fran for some more friend time, and then head back to real life in MN. It was great to have some time together away from the twin cities, and share some of this experience with her. I can't imagine I will find anybody quite as cool as her on the rest of my trip.

Olympic National Park

For our first night in Olympic we got this amazing, expansive campsite, overlooking the ocean in the Kalaloch campground. Oh wait...that's right, it was THE CURB. There was barely enough room for my car and the tent, but we could hear the ocean and it was just a short walk down to the beach.

The second night we stayed in the Elwah campground, where the campground host's primary job is to talk to you for as long as possible in the morning, making it nearly impossible to catch the ferry you are hoping to get on to travel to Seattle. (He was a very sweet old man though.)

Salishan

I'm definitely coming back here! Salishan is a beautiful golf resort and spa right on the coast. I wish we could stay a few more nights.

No matter how much of a granola muncher I'd like to be, I'm always going to be golfer. I have an incredible urge to take hot shower, throw on some ridiculous pants, a white belt, and tear it up out on the course.

The small towns that surround salishan are full of fun places to eat, and the beach is georgeous. 

Crater Lake

At this point it is really hard to call anything the best moment, or highlight of the trip, but jumping into crater lake is one of the coolest experiences of my life. The water was the clearest, most deep blue water I've ever seen. Lake Tahoe was impressive, but not like this. It was a cold swim that purified the soul.

Our second day, we hiked to the top of mt. Scott, the hightest point in the park, before heading to Salishan Resort over on the Oregon coast.

Redwoods National Park

We woke up early (because we were sleeping with a random group of people) and headed north up the coast to Del Norte State Park. Along the way we saw trees that dwarfed the trees in Muir Woods, dolphins and seals swimming, incredible tide pools at Enderts beach, and prehistoric looking undergrowth that looked like a movie set.

It was a long day of driving, but we did manage a pretty awesome lunch spot.

(Yes, that is a fallen tree we sat on. It took some circus performer type of agility to get up there.)

What a cool campsite!

Muir Woods

The muir woods, just north of San Fransisco, was my first introduction to the giant coastal redwoods. In some ways, it was like starring up at the stars on a clear night. The longer you lay and gaze, the smaller and less significant you feel. The mass, height, and age of these trees is mind boggling. It is amazing to think that this living organism has been rooted right where you stand, and alive for over 2,000 years.

We spent our first night out of San Fran in the point Reyes hostel. It was a delightful surprise to find this charming little place at the end of the dead end road after a day of exploring the conifer giants.

San Fran

Well I am officially not a big city person. It was really fun for the few days I was there, but I was ready to get back out to open spaces. I ate some great food, met some good people, and saw a few of the sites. 

There was one site that was especially nice to see, and I'm not referencing the ballpark...

Yosemite Valley

Without a doubt, Yosemite Valley is an awe inspiring place. I packed up camp up in Toulumne before 6:00 am and headed down into the valley to attempt to get a spot at the famed Camp 4. It is in the registry of historic places for its contributions to rock climbing. I was able to get a great spot for the next couple nights. I could see Yosemite falls and El Capitan from just outside my tent. I shared the site with 4 other great people. We had two really fun nights sharing the adventures of the day around the campfire.

Unfortunately the snow melt was almost done, so the falls were pretty tame, but I took a few cool hikes, the best one was probably up the mist trail.

Without a doubt, the most spectacular experience thus far was the drive up to glacier point. There were incredible views of the glacier carved valley below. I sat up there for almost two hours in complete silence, just trying to breathe in and capture as much of it as I could.

It was brutally hot down in the valley, so before heading to San Fancisco, I decided to go for a swim in the Merced river. Not a bad view while cooling off.

On to San Fran to go see about a girl.