After getting back to South Bend from a wedding in Dallas on Sunday, we left bright and early Monday for our cross country adventure. We stayed in 5 different states in 5 different days – Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and finally Washington. The first night we stayed in Minneapolis with Patrick’s cousins in their GORGEOUS house, where they made us dinner and took us out for ice cream after. They may or may not be trying to get us to move there, and from what I saw, I wouldn’t be opposed. Fargo, ND was the next big stop along the way on day 2, where we grabbed some lunch at a place I found on my Food Network app (DELICIOUS FOOD!!) and scoped out some used bookstores on Patrick’s quest to find the out of print books missing from his collection. 😉

After Fargo, there was pretty much a whole lotta nothin’. I was expecting boring, having been warned ahead of time, but nothing could really prepare me for the nothingness we encountered for two days as we drove through North Dakota and the eastern part of Montana. We drove for hours without coming upon so much as a McDonalds, but we saw more than our share of cows and grass. There really wasn’t even that many trees. It boggled my mind. North Dakota was basically flat with rolling hills except for a 10 mile wide area where the ground seemed to be carved away and painted to create this beautiful landscape with bands of colors (Theodore Roosevelt National Park).

Theodore Roosevelt National Park







We couldn’t just drive by the World’s Largest Buffalo without stopping could we?



When we got to Montana, we were very fortunate to have been able to crash with one of Patrick’s B-school classmate who was from Montana. Once past the eastern part of Montana, we finally started to see some beautiful mountainous scenery, right before we arrived in Great Falls. (below: referred to as the sluices? Not quite sure…) If you ever find yourself in Great Falls, MT, I HIGHLY recommend making a trip to the Sip ‘N Dip, voted #1 bar in America, and rightfully deserving with their tiki tacky decor and mermaids. Yes. Mermaids. Every bar really should have mermaids swimming in a tank behind the bar.










Somewhere between Great Falls, MT and Coeur d’Alene, ID (our next stop destination) we saw a sign for a ghost town. In no hurry, we decided to check it out, only to find that it was 13 miles up into the mountains on a winding road that was only paved for the first 4 miles (of course we didn’t figuure that out until we got there). It boggles my mind to think that people once lived wayyyyy the heck out there in the middle of nowhere. Before a fire that destroyed half of the town buildings, this little mining town once was home to over 1000 people. While peeking into windows and poking around the little town, we were started by a woman who had been watching us on a security camera and had come over to investigate when we disappeared off the screen (we had turned the corner). Aside from being scared half to death, we were pleasantly surprised as she graciously opened up the door and gave us a tour of a couple of the buildings along with a bunch of cool facts about the town. She and her husband had retired and moved from Wisconsin, to live here in the ghost town, in a house powered by solar energy. I cannot even imagine…

On our way back to the highway we came upon what we are pretty sure is a hobbit house….(above right).

Despite it’s breathtaking sunset and beautiful appearance, this lake is apparently toxic. After years of mining, the silts from the industry had settled on the bottom of the lake and apparently creates some sort of toxicity when mixed with the oxygen created by the underwater growth. I guess they’re trying to clean it up, so that’s good. It’s too beautiful to be toxic!

Finally, after days in the car through some of the most boring terrain I’ve ever seen, we entered into Washington. Our home away from home for the next 3 months. Nothing super exciting, but the views out the window were pretty great. We stopped to stretch our legs after passing the exit for “The Gorge” (which of course Patrick wanted to see since Dave Matthews Band does a show there every year, but it was too far away) and took the opportunity to grab a few shots of this beautiful landscape. Still not many trees, but absolutely breathtaking.

After we moved our stuff into our surprisingly tiny apartment (We’ve stayed in crappy hotel rooms that were bigger than this place), we went out to grab some dinner and check out the Pike’s Place Market. Of course, being 6pm on a Friday, it was all closed, but we managed to get some dinner, see some sights, and for a moment forget that we would be heading back to a 435sq ft apartment that would be our home. Sigh. After a couple days, and feng shui attack, we finally settled in and bloomed where we were planted.

A few things of my first observations of Seattle –

–  EVERYTHING is green and overgrown. The fronts of houses are literally taken over by massive blossoming trees and bushes, and creeping vines, and grass that has gone to seed. It made me feel slightly claustrophobic at first with everything being so close to the road and/or hanging into it.

–  There are a lot of hippies and homeless people. Not necessarily one in the same, but sometimes they are both.

–  People drive really crazy and confindently, but are generally cordial to other drivers. A little more laid back than Chicago drivers for sure.

–  Apparently there is an ordinance that requires the fan in our bathroom to run for 8 hours each day. WTF. So weird, but super annoying when you basically eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom in the same room.

–  There are LOTS of cyclists – which if you know me, you’ll know that they are a group with which I have a love/hate relationship. I like the idea of riding a bike as an happy medium alternative to walking or driving, but I hate that they ride in the middle of the lane as if they are a car, yet fail to follow the traffic laws. Not to mention the fact that I have an irrational fear of them hitting a rock, falling over, and me running them over like road kill. Just sayin.

–  There are TONS of restaurants and TONS of options for every food lifestyle. I’ve had fresh caught Alaskan salmon and I’ve even tried some vegan food that was AMAZING! It’s got it all (except my family which is almost 2,000 miles too far away from me right now…)

Anywho, I will be sharing more from our summer adventures here on my blog, as well as some senior sessions that are coming up in the next month!!