10 days on the road and we are back! We had an awesome time camping with Scout, Aim, Shane and Jasper. We learned a tonne about biking and camping in the wilderness from Aim and Shane. The trip can be summed up in a few lessons:
Day 1: KOA campground in Montana
Lessons:
K-Keep tent set up quick in the pouring rain at 11pm, in
the dark!
O- only really close neighbours at a KOA and most likely they will snore loud enough for you to hear them from your tent!
A-am comes EARLY when you are camped near motorbikers that need to fire up their bikes and let them warm up right outside your tent!!
Day 2: Yellowstone
Lessons:
Geysers are cool!
Before wrapping a rock from the firepit in a towel to take to bed with ya to keep your toes warm, make sure the rock has cooled off first. Should you omit the cooling step in the process you will burn holes in your towel!!!
Day 3- Grand Tetons, Wyoming
Lessons:
Jimmy's Mom, is a downhill bike ride. (Shane and Marty rode this one, Aim and I drove the shuttle, AKA, the minivan.)
You should never, ever under bungee while creating Tarp City!
Creating Tarp city, will keep you dry in the rain!!
Day 4- Craters of the Moon, Idaho
Lessons:
A great way to get fired from driving, is to talk too much, sing too loud and drive so irradically that the captain at the wheel of the Westfalia complains!!
Lava is hot and so were my feet for the first night of the trip!!!!
Day 5: Praire Creek, Idaho
Lessons:
You can camp in a National Forest, for free, and you can get your hair braided there for free too!
When camping in National Forest, bring your own sunshower, or "man up" and bathe in the lake!
2 adults and a dog, do fit comfortably on the lower bunk of the Westfalia!
When camping with "bike experts," like a Yeti employee, take advantage of his knowledge!!
Day 6- Praire Creek, Idaho
Lessons:
Aimee, is a great bike coach, she taught me a few key things about
going downhill, something that scares the hell out of me. The one that helped the
most, that day, was get your ass behind your seat, let your seat poke ya in the gut!
If you smile pretty, you can get a free boat ride, in a guy name Worthington's boat.
(Good thing Shane has a pretty smile!)
IF you can't manage to shave your legs in the sunshower, the creek works just fine!
Day 7- Downhill biked at SunValley, Idaho. Camped at Baker Creek (another free National Forest Campground)
Lessons:
Downhill biking scares the crap out of me, but today Shane taught me a couple of key things that
contributed to me finding more courage: let some air out of your tires for downhilling and put your seat
way down, so ya look like a BMX rider!
Marty learned, from the experts, Aim and Shane, how to change tires....3 times!!!!!!!
Day 8, Baker Creek, Idaho
Lessons:
Biking up, up, up hill, makes the dowhill much sweeter!
When an SUV pulls into your "middle of nowhere" campsite and four armed officers get out and show you
a poster of a "man on the loose," it makes ya wonder if your tent is a safe place to spend the night.
When a random truck pulls into your "middle of nowhere" campsite, and a guy gets out and tells ya that
he just saw a bear 100 feet from your campsite, it convinces you to stuff your air mattress into your van
and spend the night with your dog, and your fiancee in the cramped safety of locking doors!
Day 9-Bye to Aim and Shane, head for Sandpoint, Idaho...10+ hours of driving from Baker Creek
Lessons:
When the weather is rainy, might as well drive!
It is ok to sleep in a cheap, pet friendly motel, after that many hours and that much camping!
Day 10: Sandpoint, Idaho, still rainy, drove to Fernie and camped there that night in the provincial park!
Lessons:
Army surplus stores are treasure chests to be explored on rainy days!!!
Setting up the tent for the last time, is bitter sweet!
Day 11: Last day of trip! Fernie, British Columbia
Lessons:
Fernie has an amazing set up for downhill biking. There were trails that even I could do!! :)
It always rains when we are on vacation!
Feels great to come home, even if you find your kitchen sink has been leaking since you left!!!
3 comments:
What a fun time! I missed you like crazy and am happy you're home!
What a fabulous tour of some of the most beautiful spots I know! Treasure those memories, but plan to do it again sometime soon.
loved hearing of your adventures and am crazy jealous. would have been fun to join you! next year... :)
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