OurGlobalAdventure

Heather and Darren's Travels

Author: Heather Hamilton (Page 20 of 21)

Campervan kickoff: Missoula to Canadian border

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On 27th April 2017

In 2017 Alaska Road Trip

Picked up from Missoula airport and we were off. The intention being to just get a few miles behind us and feel like we’d made some progress. Made it to the small town of Polson, Montana (well it seemed small at the time, we’ve been through a few smaller ones since) and set in for the night at Walmart, albeit a Walmart with a nice view.
Time to get acquainted with our pocket sized home from home. When you’re living in a space smaller than our walk in closet, what you have to be is organized. At least that’s what Darren told me on Day One. Which was just one of The Rules. Other Rules followed:

 – No solids in the toilet or you have to clean it out yourself

 – No passing a brewery within spitting distance without going in

 – No whinging about the cold

 – Darren can make up Any New Rules as he goes along at any time with no advance notice required.

The full day’s drive from Polson to Calgary was my first opportunity to get into the campervan routine. First of all, what do we even call this thing? A campervan? Mini RV? Truck camper? Adventuremobile? Let’s stick with campervan for now. The daily routine basically involves driving, stopping for coffee/treats/lunch/toilet, more driving, gawping at scenery, looking for wildlife, and the occasional hike/stroll/run.

First stop was of the coffee/treats variety. Huckleberry Patch in the town of Hungry Horse: purveyors of all things huckleberry. Huckleberry jam, huckleberry jelly, huckleberry syrup, you get the picture. Spoilt for choice, we loaded up with some huckleberry pie and preserves. For anyone not well acquainted with the huckleberry, it tastes kind of like a cross between blackberry and raspberry, without the seeds. Nom nom.


As we ascended the mountain passes skirting Glacier National Park in Montana, we came upon a herd of wild horses eyeing us warily, skittishly. Somewhat reminiscent of ponies trotting around the New Forest and yet their community is so remote, the terrain wild and frozen. These horses are hardcore. As for the coyotes – they breed them a bit bigger up here compared to ours. Or fluffier. I guess they just look bigger because of their woolly coats compared to their SoCal cousins.  


The official at the Canadian border seemed overly interested in where we were going and what we were doing. Bordering on nosy I thought. It’s a pretty quiet border crossing, as border crossings go, so I guess he’s got to earn his money somehow. Even asked if we had any alcohol (like of course we’ve got alcohol, we’re in a campervan on a road trip, what do you think!), to which Darren shiftily replied “Yeah, just a couple of beers”. Luckily the border guard left it at that.  

Camp Walmart 

By

On 25th April 2017

In 2017 Alaska Road Trip

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to a Walmart in the six years since we’ve lived in the US. Yet when you’re in a campervan, a Walmart car park becomes a thing of respite. A safe haven where you can park your camper when all else fails. Obviously it also helps if it’s close to a brewery.  

So the first two nights were spent amidst the glamour that is the Walmart car park. What IS handy about staying at Walmart is picking up a few random items that you forgot to pack/didn’t realize you needed/broke already. Top of that list was a hot water bottle to replace the one I brought to the US with me from the UK and have used intermittently over the last few years, only for it to choose the Alaska road trip as the time to start leaking and end its life. That’s timing for you! After randomly trawling the bedroom aisles in the home-store, I resorted to asking a girl in a Walmart uniform who I thought it was reasonable to assume worked there – only to be greeted with a blank stare. Little did she know that with my body heat at stake, I don’t give up that easily. My search continued.  Imagine my joy when I was thrown a hot water bottle lifeline in the pharmacy aisles. Don’t think we’ll be needing the enema tubes it came with though.

You’d think a Walmart superstore would be easy to find – but I have to disagree there. Distinctive blue sign, large letters, huge building, check. But seeing it and getting to it are two different things. Maybe three different things if you count the TomTom satnav calmly telling you to “Turn around when possible”, competing with Googlemaps on my phone which thought it knew better, not to mention me tossing in the odd helpful comment like “You should have turned off back there”. At least I’ll have plenty of time to work on my navigational skills on this trip.

And we’re off!

By

On 23rd April 2017

In 2017 Alaska Road Trip

That feeling of anticipation you get right at the beginning of your holiday. Counting down the sleeps until Today’s the Day, dreaming of places you’ve never even heard of. Like when you first went abroad, eyes wide at the thought of flying, amazed that the huge cumbersome steel monstrosity that defied gravity could actually take off. Or when you were six years old on Christmas Eve, putting a glass of sherry and some mince pies out, along with carrots for the reindeer.   

Combine that with the sense of relief you get after an intensive few weeks at work and I was So Ready. 

I breezed through security at Seattle airport, not even a brusque pat down, stocked up with lush handmade Seattle chocolate bars and walked out to the teeny tiny plane. The type with propellers – post world war two but not quite 21st century.

Nevertheless, I was very pleasantly surprised to find complimentary beer and wine on offer during the Alaska airlines flight. 


For everyone, not just the posh people at the front. Admittedly, there was barely enough time to down the one drink, so no one was going to be taking advantage. But in this world of mark ups and add on revenue, I found it quite refreshing.  

Touch down in Missoula, Montana, and Officially On Holiday!


Goodbye Seattle, Hello Missoula

Florida funshine

By

On 9th April 2017

In Florida

When the weather in Florida is not as hot as it’s cracked up to be, what you need is a game of table football to warm you up.  I don’t profess to be anything other than bad, really bad at table football.  Even so, I think Darren could have allowed me more than the one token goal.

Final score 9:1


From Orlando to the Orient.  Well… Japan.  OK, a Japanese restaurant.  Anyway, some rather decent food and drink.



And no visit to Florida is complete without catching up with our good friends and drinking buddies, Sam and Jim.  As always, a pleasure.  Starting with a couple of coronas on Fort Lauderdale seafront, the boys did a spot of people watching.  Or should I say girls-in-bikini-watching.  


With the weather back on form, it was back to the ranch for a chill out by the pool and a bbq with a ridiculous amount of tender, juicy porterhouse steak.  Somehow, the boys even managed to not burn the onions.  No mean feat indeed.



As the party continued and we rounded out the night, somehow this… led to this…


Diving in Key Largo

By

On 9th April 2017

In Florida

So you might be forgiven for thinking it all smells of roses in Heather & Darren’s Global Adventure blog land.  After all, like Facebook, this is the bright side of life.  The side you want people to see.  The social media equivalent of a postcard.  And yet, things don’t always turn out as planned.  Take our ‘diving’ trip in Key Largo.  Unfortunately, having driven 300 miles from Orlando down to the Keys to go scuba diving, our dive was cancelled due to low visibility, windy conditions and choppy seas.

So dive aborted, what else to do but drink beer, eat fresh fish, and watch the dolphins frolicking in the surf.  Sympathy please!



From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

By

On 9th April 2017

In Florida

A slight shock to the system coming straight from snowshoeing in Utah to green and humid Kissimmee, near Orlando in Florida. There’s worse places to go to an internal audit conference than Florida, I grant you that. But what to expect of a hotel flamboyantly named The Gaylord Palms? It’s right up there with, maybe even surpasses our local drinking establishment BJs (which we’re so used to now, it barely raises a titter). I’m not sure you could get away with it in the UK, at least not with a straight face – maybe with a nod and a wink and a nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more.

The Gaylord Palms hotel has a super sized biodome thing going on – picture a US version of the Eden project but with just one dome. 


 Think expansive landscaping, with theming ranging from the winding waterways and lush vegetation of the Everglades to the laid back Key West boardwalks.  Complete with floating yacht type restaurant.


 And get this – they even have alligators. In the hotel. Well, in this biodome of an atrium. Admittedly small ones, officially called hatchlings. And turtles.

And then into this setting, insert 1,200 internal auditors. Even the alligators were scared!


Snowmobiling

By

On 26th March 2017

In 2017 Utah Snowshoe trip

Darren: “Let’s try something new that we haven’t tried before”.  Me: “OK.” Because fat tire biking and running on snow is practically old hat now. Please don’t suggest skiing; please don’t suggest skiing.  Darren: “Snowmobiling sounds like a lot of fun. Let’s go find some deep powder in the wilderness and rrrrip it up!”  Me: “Cool!”

We were in a group of 8 snowmobiles plus a guide, with a pretty even split between doubles and single riders. I’d opted to sit behind Darren on our 550cc power horse, capable of 65mph. Kitted up in more layers than you can imagine, I was actually pretty toasty throughout, even as we picked up the pace. As for the seat – oh the seat! In stark contrast to the fat tire bike seat and with my tush still feeling delicate, this seat was squishy, it was bouncy, and it was large enough for both cheeks to nestle comfortably. Not to mention heated. Yes, one happy chick.


Some riders seemed intent on providing entertainment for the rest of the group. Like upending the snowmobile and ploughing into a fence. Like becoming airborne and ending up in a tree. Like taking all your clothes off and zipping around on the snowmobile in your bikini. I kid you not.  

We were about as far into the wilderness as we were going, in an expansive snow ‘bowl’ surrounded on three sides by high ridges, with the fourth ‘side’ looking out onto amazing mountain views. At which point, we were able to let rip and do our own thing. Our idea of doing our own thing was a few laps on the snowmobile, zipping up and down and thoroughly having fun. One of our fellow riders idea of doing her own thing was getting her kit off. Even the guide had never seen anything like it, I think it made his day.



Little did our guide know that his day was about to take a turn for the worse. When left to our own devices, he’d pointed at a particularly steep slope and warned us to not to attempt it, as our machines didn’t have enough power to get up it. Everyone dutifully stayed away – no incidents there. You might think then – that someone could make the logical leap that if a particular slope was too steep, then any other steeper or higher slope would also be a no go. Erm, no. At which point our three hour snowmobile trip turned into a four hour one, while we watched the guide frantically digging out the snowmobile from handlebar deep snow, with the rest of the group unable to assist due to the precipitous location our team member had chosen to face plant.

All that remained was the double quick journey back to try to make up some of the lost time. Which didn’t really succeed due to losing some people in a tree, more digging out of snowmobiles and more face plants in the snow.


 All credit to Darren though, as we remained upright throughout and made it back in one piece.

Keeping Busy

By

On 20th March 2017

In 2017 Utah Snowshoe trip

There’s no shortage of activities to do in Park City. Starting with fat tire biking. A bit of an acquired art, I started off on the snow, shall I say, carefully. Darren advised that momentum is my friend which gradually improved my performance, boosting my confidence as my speed picked up. What I didn’t realize as we cruised past the Olympic Ski Village (from the 2002 winter olympics), was that we were going downhill with the wind behind us.

As we continued on our loop trail heading back into town, now going uphill and into the wind, I started to really feel the 7,000ft elevation in my lungs. My speed slowed and my energy was failing me. I was truly put in my place when a runner cruised past me, overtaking with ease and disappearing off into the distance.

One more thing to note about the fat tire bike – other than how cool and what a lot of fun it was – was the seat. Skinny as the one on Darren’s road bike back home and most certainly made for boys, I cursed at the bruising blows I received (which I actively voiced at every bump just in case Darren was in any doubt as to my discomfort). As the ride progressed, I tried to hover over the seat to ease my numb bum, which only rewarded me with shooting pins and needles – and not in a good way. Note to self: when hiring bikes, make sure to request a cruiser style seat.

Some interesting artwork at the side of the bike trail. These could probably still go faster than me.

 

Next day was running. Probably the biggest drama was deciding what to wear. When I saw my running partner Paola kitted out with gloves, beanie hat and multiple layers, I did a sanity check, a weather forecast check, even stuck my toe out on the balcony to test the temperature. Barely above freezing, I added layers accordingly, and we were off.

I was hoping to see a beaver, as there are a number of sets, dams and evidence of their existence in the marshy river running alongside the trail. Unfortunately not.  

There’s a really tiny Paola way off in the distance if you look hard enough

Yay, snow free patch 🙂

 

The elevation was a factor once again, but on the whole I was able to keep up. That is apart from over the snowy sections where I demonstrated my surefootedness in a similar way as a toddler taking its first steps. Meanwhile, Paola elegantly trotted off into the distance, like a nimble mountain goat.

More fun ‘art’ at the side of the trail – any excuse for a diversion 😉

Given this was supposed to be a snowshoeing holiday, it was high time to head up to some deeper snow and don our snowshoes again. We were blown away by the impressive views from the top of Guardsman Pass (and nearly blown away by the accompanying wind). Very much off piste, we were able to break our own trails, meandering up and down the steep slopes and taking in the scenery – reminding us again of why we love snowshoeing.



I have been known to get a tad excited over seeing animal tracks in the snow. At a remote spot where we spied some fresh paw shaped prints, I was convinced we were on the trail of a mountain lion. I led Darren down the mountainside, closely sticking to the lion prints, eagerly anticipating this would lead us to its den. I started to get suspicious when the tracks were heading dangerously close to a mountain lodge. Then my anticipation was rudely shattered at the sound of a dog barking. I guess Fido and Rover have paws too.

Good Food with Great Company

By

On 20th March 2017

In 2017 Utah Snowshoe trip

The first thing we needed after our 2 night camping experience was… pizza. Or maybe a shower. But having been thinking about pizza for 3 days since our rather quiet Sunday night in Mormontown, the shower had to wait. Pizza had to be done, and it didn’t disappoint. Pizza addiction quelled, at least for the time being, we headed to the historic mining town of Park City, now skiing mega center and known for its annual hosting of the Sundance film festival.

Made a lovely, dare I say luxury change, to stay at a friends’ condo in Park City (thanks Phil & Paola!). Very nice pad, centrally located with all mod cons, fresh water, and we didn’t even have to get up in the night to put more wood on the fire.

Four nights with friends I’m sure won’t have done our livers any good. But we did at least soak up some of the bevvies with some good food. As we were five ex-Brits a long way from home, I rustled up a couple of curries (one beef and tomato rogan josh styley, plus a veggie roasted cauliflower, potato and spinach aloo gobi stalwart). Went down very nicely at the time but the condo did have a distinctive indian curry smell lingering in the air for the remainder of the trip. Oops, sorry guys!

In addition to another delicious home cooked meal, we acquainted ourselves with the local eating and drinking establishments in Park City. A lot of character and a lot of atmosphere. Including the High West Distillery, with its small-batch locally distilled or blended whiskies. The tasting highlight would have to be the world’s only blend of scotch, bourbon and rye whisky which managed to be sweet, spicy and smoky all at once.

Another must do establishment in Park City is Wasatch brewery. This brewery has a real sense of humor, turning out naughty beer after naughty beer, generally with a nod and a wink to the prevailing Mormon way of life. Their Evolution Amber Ale attributes the progression from ape to man – to beer. The Devastator Double Bock (a whopping 8% ABV) proudly claims: If you’re going to sin, sin big. Apparently it has a serious cult following – imagine that, a cult following in Utah. And the favorite has to be the Polygamy Porter, with its sister-wife the Polygamy Nitro Porter, it’s ok to love them both.

There’s a Moose Loose…

By

On 19th March 2017

In 2017 Utah Snowshoe trip

One of the best reasons to camp in a yurt in the middle of nowhereness is that you can head off on your snowshoes into even more remote nowhereness. We didn’t have much of a plan other than to head off up the valley, breaking trail through the deep snow. It wasn’t long before we picked up fresh deep distinctive tracks, which could only have been made by a moose. Mission set: track the moose, find the moose, get photo of said moose. (Spoiler alert… No moose sighting. No moose photo.)


I think the moose could have benefitted from a pair of snowshoes actually, as he didn’t always take the optimal route, and he must have been up to his knees in snow at times. It wasn’t long before he was joined by a second set of prints. Paw prints. Maybe a bobcat, maybe a mountain lion. Both sets of tracks closely followed each other for a good few miles up the valley. A sure fire game of cat and moose 😉 Second spoiler alert… no lion sighting either.
So distinctly low on animal sightings. But right up there in terms of wilderness snowshoe hikes. Here’s some photos from our day.


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