Our Trip up

So!  You're checkng in...GREAT!  Let me catch you up.  My thoughts..

Well...  we wanted OUT of Cali and I was so happy to find out Charles got orders to Great Falls (Charles got excited later).  I would have rather gone to Cheyenne (I love you guys!!) but Montana is a sweet second. 

We left Lompoc, June 17 at 3pm (3 hours late) and it was a crazy mess.  Charles was driving a U-Haul, pulling his trailer with his Tbird on the back.  I was driving the Pathfinder, without the extra trailer.  A BIG problem b/c that extra trailer had tons of our stuff on it (on that trailer, my WASHER AND DRYER, ..my fire pit, lawnmower, vaccum cleaner..yeah, important stuff).  It was left behind b/c it wasn't towing right, so Charles decided he'd DRIVE BACK (from Montana..yeah) to get it.  So anyway, we left and didn't even get out of Cali that night.  Going through L.A. was just the WORST thing ever.  We inched our way through traffic there for THREE HOURS!  If Charles changed lanes, I became glued to his bumper..and if somebody didn't like it, I made enemies.  I got flipped off, cussed at..you name it.  I was just DYING to get out of this part of the country.  Never liked it anyway.

We spent the night in Barstow (CA) and left the next morning, went through Las Vegas and the fun part of the trip began.  Past Vegas I-15 took us through Arizona, for only, like half an hour.  As we have crossed the US a few times, it always amazes me how the terrain changes, almost (not always) by state.  California and Nevada had a scruffy, desert type of terrain.  Arizona and the Southern few miles of Utah had a red, rocky, orange, cliffy (grand canyon-ish?) appearance.  Once we were well into Utah it got VERY green, hilly......beautiful.  Amazing.  Just...gorgeous.  We stopped the next night in an extremely small ..town..or really just a spot, speck, on the map called Scipio, UT.  It was just a small ..gas station and one small motel off an exit.  It was super clean, and mountains, tall grass and super cool, clean smelling air all around.  There was a heated pool, hot tub and sauana..yeah!  We swam and soaked and got a GREAT nights sleep.

The next morning, it was drizzly and I didnt get a pic :(  I REALLY loved this small, little, comfy/soothing place and am pretty disappointed that we left so early that I didnt' even think of getting pictures.  Soon we went through Salt Lake City and on to Idaho.  Our sites were set on Helena, Montana so we had to REALLY make up for lost time (in L.A.).  Charlie was with Charles in the Uhaul, and I had Zak and Rusty.  Charles and I said we'd only stop if we HAD to.  We stopped every 3 or so hours.  Rusty was....just............perfect.  All 3 day of travel, I barely knew he was back there.  This day, we stopped, he pee'd, ate, slept a TON.  We covered 700 miles and yes, we made it to Helena! 

As we drove through Idaho, we began to see mountains.  Soon, they loomed..really really LOOMED, closer..and finally.. were in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.  We started seeing snow breaks.  Then, I told Charles that we were really close to the Idaho/Montana border and I wanted to stop and get a pic of the Montana State Sign.  He told me to go ahead of him and stop when I saw it.  Zak and I could barely tear ourselves away from the BEAUTIFUL, snow capped mountains on all sides of us, but eventually we did see the Montana State Sigh <3.  It was on a curve with a real steep grade, but we 'chanced' it. 

It's feeling real!

That night we made it to Helena.... our destination if we made up for lost time!  Yeah!  Another swim, warm soak..great nights sleep.. next day..on to Great Falls!

We woke up, ate, headed out and on the the MOST beautiful scenery..ever.  The Rockies are on both sides of Helena, steep, snow capped and gorgeous.  On the way out of Helena, we followed a beautiful river all the way down, dropped out of the mountains and finally.............after 1400+ miles and 3 days later, were on the flat road that took us down to Great Falls.  Zak and Charles saw a bald eagles' nest, Charlie and I counted down the miles.  And soon, we were in the city limits of our new town.  We drove straight to our new house......... which we'd not seen yet (only in pictures).. and loved it at first sight :)  Pictures of the house, coming up :)

Since today's post was so long, I'll continue later..but for now, enjoy the pics of our trip up!

Here we go! (click on pic to enlarge)  OOOPS, I need to edit this tomorrow so you can see bigger images.

Headed out of Cali..

LONG long road from L.A. to Las Vegas:

Thirsty dog in Arizona lol

My buddy, day 2

In Idaho, she gets crazy lol

 

We switch out... with Daddy

Northern Utah

  

 

Tired of mountains yet?  lol  How about a random Budweiser building in the middle of a field in Idaho..50 to 100 a miles away from anything lol

Or.............buffalo???  (Northern Idaho, near the Montana border) 

 

Driving through the Rockies, there is still snow!

We stop for gas in an itsy bitsy mountain town called Lima.  Old Man Rivers catches Charles just in time to gab about his 56 Tbird lol  LOOK at that snow, RIGHT behind them..and it's June!

Moving on down the road,..a mountain lake.  At this point, I begin to feel like Forrest Gump, when he relflected on all the things he saw when he was 'runninnnnngggg' all over the U.S.   This lake was just beautiful.  I saw the reflection of the mountains in it, but couldn't get that shot as we drove by.

A few hours later, descending.......Great Falls, an hour ahead!

More later!

charles, melissa, charlie and zak!