Hello friends, and thank you for being here with us.

Last time I (Michal) wrote, we planned on kayaking in the Upper Missouri River. 

If you read our previous posts, you probably noticed the recurring theme of plans changing and  new ones becoming our reality.

So… We didn’t reach our desired destination – A  left turn, as our GPS suggested, started as a relatively wide and paved gravel road. After about an hour it became a narrower path and slowly and gradually we found ourselves lost deep between the mountains, secluded from the rest of the world, with half a tank of gas, no cell service  and not knowing where and how to find a “real” road. After about 3 hours of driving, on narrow paths, up and down the hills of Montana, hitting the bumper and soaking in dirt and dust, we  met our angel in a pick-up truck. Angels in  Montana wear cowboy hats (apparently). We stopped next to him and first thing  he said was  – you look lost.

He was extremely nice and friendly, and gave us directions to a paved road and a gas station. We drove another two and a half hours on dirt roads through the hills all the way to highway 2, far far away from where we wanted to be, but  relieved and happy  we made it. 

Thanks to this  adventure, we found ourselves driving straight to Glacier National Park, and the Rocky Mountains. The weather gradually changed from the great plains, almost desert heat to snowy and chilly, foggy and rainy.

We camped two nights in the Native American Reservation campground at the bottom entrance of the eastern part of Glacier Park. Our site was secluded and on the little creek.

Just when the  sun set, I walked  through the woods and had a special moment with a fox. We were both a  bit scared, but also curious. We took a moment to stare and then each headed her way.

We were lucky to see a Grizzly Bear crossing the road right in front of our car, and then stopping by the side of the road to snack on the grass. We think she was a young female.

These encounters are exciting and impressive, and sometimes unbelievable, and are a big part of what makes this adventure – a great one.

We continued  on our way to the west side of the park, but had  to detour from south, since the middle section  was still covered in  snow and impassable. 

The  west side entrance allows only reserved cars in, which made it impossible for us to enter (we didn’t even know we are coming). It isn’t enough to have the national park yearly pass, they allow only a limited amount of cars to  drive through the park during the day, so we wore our adventure suits again and headed to the river  bank, where we heard  it  is possible  to boondock. Surprisingly we found a perfect spot by the North Fork  of the Flathead river all to ourselves on 4th of July. and the next morning we parked not far from the west entrance and walked in to get the inner shuttle that tours this part of the park. The beautiful glaciers  with green / teal / light blue colors, the  snowy peaks, and waterfalls all over were breathtaking. 

And off we go – Washington state calls and we have to be in Whidbey Island, near Seattle soon. We camped in a parking  lot of Cabela’s in Idaho, in a rest area along highway 2, in a county park. One night each, and  then more  driving. 

We drove through the North Cascades National Park, impressed and washed by its  beautiful mountains, trees, lakes and more and more snow. The heavy duty truck proved itself through the  mountains, and the drive was simple and  smooth.

We arrived  on time for Elan’s Week of teaching in the ‘sound circle Teacher training’ course on the sweet and beautiful Whidbey Island. More about theIsland and Washington soon.

there wasn’t a lot of time (or cell service) to work, scroll endless hours on social media, ask existential questions, or any carefree time. It felt good to be on the move, to be more in the realm of ‘DOING’, and a bit less in the ‘BEING’.

Another thing I noticed was  the shared excitements brought a new spirit to our relationship and the adventurous mode showered us with fun and lively energies.

That’s it for now.

Thank you for being with us on this journey,

Elan & Michal