TUESDAY 8/29:
I arrived in Bozeman to stay with Jamie's friends Katie and Dave Kemp. I spent the morning in the public library at Bozeman doing some much needed homework. Can I just say how fantastic this library in Bozeman was?! It was open and had binoculars so you could bird watch! It was perfect. I explored the town and met Katie and Dave in the later afternoon. They're absolutely some of my new favorite people. Katie and I went to their farmer's market and bought a TON of maple syrup for Dave's oatmeal, haha. We went to Red Tractor for pizza and to hear Dave play some music. It was a wonderful night, so wonderful that I decided to extend my Bozeman trip an extra day!

WEDNESDAY:
I had a few missions for the day: go to the food co-op, bike around town, see a friend (Nicole) from Boone at work. Isn't that just the best to-do list in the world? Katie and Dave gave me a huge generous gift card to their co-op, which was the greatest gift EVER! Healthy snacks for the road trip!

In the afternoon, I went over to the Taproom to see my friend Nicole at work. She's SO wonderful, we caught up and enjoyed the sunshine on the rooftop bar. Afterwards, I went and picked up bison for bison burgers that night. Dave grilled out, we had a delicious dinner and then went to the Cannery district to hear a cover band of The Band. Ha. I fell in love with Bozeman, oh goodness. It's so adorable with these gigantic mountains in the background. It's very similar to Asheville but smaller. I just really loved it there. I also really loved Katie and Dave, they were such excellent hosts. It was like I was with old friends the whole time.

THURSDAY:
I knew at this point I needed to head towards Idaho, so Katie chose a lake for me to camp. I stopped at Nicole Molloy's house for breakfast which was perfect. Nicole and I were good friends in Boone and moved to Asheville around the same time. Nicole ended up moving to Bozeman about 3-4 years ago, so I haven't seen her in that long! It was such a treat to catch up and chat about how things have been going. She also made homemade biscuits! After Nicole's, I drove through Montana towards Cliff Lake and Wade Lake on the border with Idaho. I arrived and got a campsite and marveled at the lake's beauty. It was bright green/blue in the middle of these fantastic mountains. I spent the evening drinking tea and watching the sunset on the lake which was so peaceful.

FRIDAY:
Goodness, it was a whirlwind! I woke up and drove to Driggs, Idaho. It's been really smokey out here because of the wildfires. It's been upsetting and sad to see the smoke cover the mountains when fires are so far away. I enjoyed the town of Driggs and ate breakfast at Pendl's bakery. My friend, Will Stubblefield, is a NOLS instructor out of Driggs and was in town for one night before heading off to another trip. I went over to the NOLS school for the afternoon, drank beers, and caught up while everyone unpacked and repacked for their new trips. The season was really winding down so it was a perfect time to meet the other instructors and see the school. They run all sorts of wilderness trips from many different base camps in the west, so it seems like a really cool organization to work for. Will and I know each other from college and he moved out west after a few years in Asheville. He's been running these trips for a few months straight, so it was perfect to have one day to hang out while he is in-between places. We had Huckleberry milkshakes at the Emporium in Victor, Idaho and checked out the fish in the Teton river. We headed back to Driggs (10 minute drive) and grilled out at the NOLS campus with all of the other instructors. They were so welcoming and fun, we watched a beautiful sunset together and enjoyed our night. We all slept in the dorms of the school which was a great alternative to sleeping outside!

SATURDAY:
I woke up Saturday and packed some stuff up. I feel like all I do is pack, unpack, repack. Ha. I am so excited to fly home in the next few days because I am going to send Jamie home with a LOT of clothes. I seriously wear the same groups of clothes all the time. The rooftop carrier is filled with clothes that I don't wear! That's why I feel like I am always repacking!!
Anyway, Will and I had breakfast at Pendl's (I know! It was that good!) and parted ways. I headed towards Victor to meet another friend from college, Nealy. She has 2 German Shepards, so we went on a good hike though the Tetons. After the hike, I made my way towards Bear Lake in Utah, hoping for a campsite. This place was magical! It was hot and dusty and then all of a sudden a huge lake that was bright blue! People have boats on it and it was VERY popular. I drove all around the lake looking for a campsite but they were all full. So, I drove towards Salt Lake City to see what I could find. It was a beautiful drive through these amazing canyons at sunset. I was really amazed by the drive but kept finding the campgrounds were full. I ended up sleeping in my car in a parking lot after a delicious Mexican food feast! All was well, but I definitely should have parked in the canyons so I could have enjoyed the night a bit more.

SUNDAY:
I drove into Salt Lake City and ran a few errands to start the day out. Salt Lake City is actually really cool! I have all of these preconceived notions of places that I have never been and when I visit a place, I am usually pleasantly surprised by how cool it actually is. I always thought of Salt Lake as dusty and hot, but it's actually pretty green. Trust me, it's still hot though. It's been in the high 90s (97 today) since I've been here. But that's a bit more motivation to wake up early and take naps in the afternoon! I checked into a hotel yesterday and lounged at the pool for a few hours. It was SO luxurious to have a comfy bed, AC, nice shower, and WiFi. I watched Netflix and ate dinner in bed! I soaked it ALL up! :)

MONDAY:
I checked out RootsRated for a hiking suggestion and got a great trail called Bells Canyon just outside of town. I woke up at 730 and got on the trail early so that I wouldn't be hiking in the heat. Or at least, not as much heat. That hike kind of killed me a bit, it was uphill, climbing boulders to get to the base of a waterfall. It was a great waterfall and a really perfect morning to do it. I finished around noon, ate a hotdog at J-Dawgs (not the best hotdog, Jamie), and then headed back to the hotel for a swim, shower, and PACKING. AGAIN! :) I'm flying at 7am tomorrow to Michigan for Devon's wedding. I'll leave my car at the airport and return to it next week after the festivities. I'm so excited to see Jamie and the rest of my family, it's going to be a great pause in this crazy trip.

So, what have I learned so far?!
I have always known I can do what I set my mind to, but this trip has really solidified that for me. I am able to live out of my car, make meals, camp, hike, navigate, and wander all on my own. How cool is that? I do whatever I want! BUT, with that comes a different feeling. I miss having a co-pilot to bounce ideas off of. If something doesn't work out right, I alone have to find the solution. I also find myself seeing something AMAZING and feeling like I need to share that feeling with someone else in order for it to be true. It's like I don't fully believe that what I'm seeing is COOL until someone else agrees. However, I think slowly I am learning a balance between the independence and dependence on others. I make friends when I want to interact. I randomly strike up conversations with other folks, specifically about what we're seeing or surrounded by. I also keep to myself if I feel like it. It's been very interesting to figure that balance out and I'm excited to see what else will come out of it.