Just do it!

No, this isn’t a Nike plug. Rather to me, a reflection, that one of the greatest risks is to spend your life putting off doing what you want to do on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. For us, road trips seem to be one of our  current “do it now while we can” activities. Not that we’re old (60 is the new 40 right?) but you never know what the future holds. So cliche, but so true!

Back in 2020, only a couple months into the pandemic we took a road trip with my in-laws and visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. Then in 2022 we flew to Jackson with my parents to visit the same two parks. And now in 2024 we roadtripped again to that same destination, only this time we met friends there and explored the area with them. It’s amazing to me how we’ve been there 3 times in the last 4 years but they’ve all been very different experiences. And, we always see things we’ve never seen before and experience something new every time!

Probably the biggest (or maybe most impactful) new thing this year was that I booked our car rental for the right city and state. Winning!! Haha we actually only needed a car for one day because our friends from OR towed their car for us to travel around in. They towed and didn’t DRIVE their car because this was a camping trip:  they have a custom Peterbilt motorhome and we have our truck and trailer. Like I said before, old truckers never die - they just get a new Peterbilt! ;)

We met up with Paul and Bev in Alpine, WY for just one night. Man what a beautiful area! Right on the Snake River. And a beautiful campground as well. Grilled up dinner and talked about our upcoming adventures.

The next morning we drove up to Jackson, WY and stayed 3 nights at a campground right in town. It was a little tight but the staff couldn’t have been nicer and more helpful in making sure we got everything set up just how we needed. We explored Grand Teton National Park for a couple full days…. Took a boat ride on Jenny Lake, drove lots of paved and dirt roads, saw countless bison, and even had a dinner at The Mural Room in the Jackson Lake Lodge. Stunning beauty in that park…

After those 3 nights in Jackson we headed up to West Yellowstone, MT. Stayed at a campground, again in town, for the next 5 nights. Saw lots more bison but also elk, a moose, and a bald eagle just to name a few. Bev is also an avid photographer so we were in photographer’s paradise up there! So much beauty and SO many different landscapes so close together.  One minute you’re in trees so thick you can’t see daylight, and literally minutes later you’re in a flat almost desert looking area with geysers all around you! Then another few minutes down the road you’re at the edge of a lake. It’s really something spectacular to see and experience. One of my favorite memories from this visit was sitting for an hour or so watching a herd of bison move across the plain and seeing the babies play and run up and down the hills. I’ve never seen anything like that before, let alone in person! We saw the obligatory sights like Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Mammoth Hot Springs but also got off the beaten path and saw some beautiful new vistas as well. Took a little side trip to Virginia City which is an awesome old west mining town in Montana. The whole town is like a museum - super cool! We also visited the Wolf & Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. Great rescue facility with up close and personal viewing areas. They tell you the story of each animal and how they came to be there. Super cool place I highly recommend! And as usual, my hubby made lots of u-turns just so we wouldn’t miss anything!! Yellowstone was the nation’s first national park and it never disappoints.

Camping this trip (instead of staying in a hotel) was really great. Not only is it about a third of the cost of a room, but being outside and staying in nature was awesome. When all is said and done, we will have driven about 3,000 miles but the miles fly by for me, and as many of you know, my husband is a trucker and driving is his passion. He spent all of his adult life (up until 3 years ago) trucking from point A to point B to point C and then back to A, always with a destination as the goal. But now, the JOURNEY is the goal and the points, of which there are many, are mere stops along the way to take in the beauty of this great country and of this life we have been given….  So I say grab life by the horns and keep on truckin!