Hamilton, Montana – Bitterroot Valley
Located in the middle of the Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, is Hamilton, the valley’s largest community. Hamilton was founded by copper king Marcus Daly in the late 19th century and named after James W. Hamilton, a Daly employee, who provided the who right-of-way to the Northern Pacific Railway. Marcus Daly and was known as one of…
Bitterroot Mountain Valley
The Bitterroot National Forest has been occupied by humans for 8,000 years or longer. It is the homeland of the Bitterroot Salish Indians, along with other tribes such as the Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille, Shoshone and Nex Perce. The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805 was the first recorded contact of Euro-Americans here which accelerated in…
Devils Tower, Wyoming
Located in northeastern Wyoming, Devil’s Tower is a powerful astounding geologic feature protruding out of the prairie 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River – more than four football fields tall. The tower is America’s first national monument put in place on September 24, 1906 by US President Theodore Roosevelt. The monument’s boundary encloses an…
Trail End Kendrick Mansion | Sheridan, Wyoming
Trail End is a Historic Site on 3.8 acres and showcases a fully furnished historical house museum located at 400 Clarendon Avenue in Sheridan, Wyoming. It was inhabited by Wyoming governor and U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick, and thus is also known as the John B. Kendrick Mansion. The land was purchased in 1895 and construction…
Cheyenne, Wyoming | State Capitol
Cheyenne, Wyoming is the oldest and largest city in Wyoming with a population of 62,448. Established July 4, 1867, it is considered the nation’s rodeo and railroad capital – home to museums, historic hotels, mansions, steam engines, western-themed attractions, shopping, resorts and ranches. The city’s name was derived from the Cheyenne Native American people and is…
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan, Wyoming located at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains is located 20 miles from Buffalo, Wyoming, 3 hours from Cody, Wyoming, 5 hours from Cheyenne, Wyoming and 5 hours from Yellowstone National Park. This town of 17,860 was founded in 1882 and named after General Philip H. Sheridan. Wyoming’s Coolest Small Town This spruced-up…
Salt Flats, Utah
In northwestern Utah outside of Salt Lake City 110 miles, are the Bonneville Salt Flats – a densely packed salt pan, about 12 miles long, 5 miles wide covering approximately 46 square miles. The formation of the Salt Flats began at the end of the last Ice Age when the waters of ancient Lake Bonneville…
The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, Wyoming
Located 2 miles southwest of Big Horn, Wyoming and 15 minutes from Sheridan, Wyoming is The Brinton Museum located on the Quarter Circle Ranch, formerly known as the Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum. This 620-acre ranch was built in 1893 by William Moncreiffe, a Scottish immigrant and businessman. In 1923, Bradford Brinton, a machinery manufacturer, purchased the…
Occidental Hotel, Buffalo Wyoming
Buffalo, Wyoming is a city located at the base of the Big Horn Mountains between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore with a population of approximately 4,585. It is 40 minutes from Sheridan, Wyoming and 4 hours from Cody, Wyoming. As far back as 1880, during the rip-roaring days of Wyoming, the Occidental Hotel located in Buffalo,…
Drift Boating the Big Horn River
Fort Smith, Montana One of the pure joys of fly fishing is having the chance to float by drift boat 13 miles of the Big Horn River. We set afloat at Fort Smith, Montana, a small town located on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeast Montana. You realize the enormity of the river and the…
Livingston, Montana
Livingston, Montana is 1 hour to Bozeman Montana, 2 hours to Big Sky, 1 hour from Gardiner, Montana and the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Between Gardiner and Livingston is the 53-mile long Paradise Valley on highway 89 and one of the most breathtaking valleys in the west. Yellowstone River runs thru it, framed…
Mountain Meadow Wool Mill
Established in 2007 in Buffalo, Wyoming at the base of the Big Horn Mountains, this family-owned and operated full-service wool mill produces over 1000 pounds of wool from local Wyoming ranchers each year. Visit their website here and watch a video on how their mill was started. The environmentally-friendly facility is fully sustainable utilizing bio-degradable…
Pflueger “Medalist” Fly Reel
In 1881, Ernest F. Pflueger first started manufacturing fish hooks called “The Enterprise Manufacturing Company”. When his son E.A. Pflueger took over his father’s company, he expanded the business to all aspects of fishing tackle and gear. Recently, as I browsed through the isles of the “Best Out West” antique store located on North Main…
Winter Fly Fishing Tips to the Patient Angler
By Carl Conrad Fly fishing throughout the cold winter months takes a high level of tolerance. Unlike the spring and summer months, where trout have increased energy and healthy eating habits, patience, is the name of the game when fishing winter conditions. New to winter fly fishing, I visited Fly Shop of the BigHorns in…
Little Sur River, Big Sur Coast, California
The Little Sur River is located within the Big Sur rugged coast on the Central California Coast. Approximately 25 miles in length, the river originates at Ventura Double Cone, the highest peak in the Ventura Wilderness at 4856 ft, and flows westerly to the Pacific Ocean. Most of the river’s watershed is in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los…
Keyhole, Big Sur California
Located 40 miles south of Carmel on California Pacific Coast Highway, is Pfeiffer Beach is located near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur is definitely off the beaten path, but well worth the drive. It is a bit tricky to find: At Big Sur Station on Highway 1, look for Sycamore Canyon…
Seal Rock, Pebble Beach, California
Located along 17-Mile Drive… Located on 17-mile scenic coastal drive north of Cypress Golf Course and Crocker Grove and south of Point Joe and Asilomar Beach, is Seal Rock Beach. Owned and operated by Pebble Beach Corporation, the 17-Mile Drive is a 17-mile scenic loop hugging the coastline and accessible through four entrances: main entrance…
17-Mile Drive
My yellow Labrador and I walk everywhere thru Carmel. On at least one of our daily walks, we get asked for directions by lost tourists on how to get to the Carmel Ocean, Pebble Beach Gate, or 17 mile Drive. It’s confusing with the winding streets, lack of no addresses (Carmel does not have any addresses…
Big Sur Bixby Bridge
Recently, we drove south of Carmel 18 miles to Big Sur in search of adventure and four-wheel drive dirt roads. Our adventure took us to Coast Road and Bixby Creek Road, which forks off from Highway 1. Bixby Creek Bridge, also known as Bixby Bridge or in earlier years, is known as Mill Creek Bridge or…
Cambria, California
Cambria remains very dear to our hearts as we owned vacation rentals in this part of California for many years. It is located in halfway on Pacific Coast CA Highway 101 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, 10 miles south of Hearst Castle, 2.5 hours south of Carmel and a fantastic drive down Big Sur….
The Best and the Worst of the 2019 Road Trip
We made it – 4,840 miles. In 21 days. The 2019 Road Trip is finished. On every Road Trip, there is always good times and bad. On the last night of the trip over a whiskey, we sit down and reflect about the trip and sum it all up. Here is a summary of this…
Twin Bridges, Montana
Twin Bridges, Montana is located 1.5 hours from Bozeman, 2 hours to Yellowstone National Park and 26 miles north of Dillion, Montana on Montana highway 41. This small western town founded in 1864 with a population of 418 dates back to 1805 when Lewis and Clark’s main expedition camped at Beaverhead Rock (now a state…
Big Sky, Montana
Big Sky is located in southwest Montana, 45 minutes from Bozeman, 2 hours from Livingston and 15 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Tucked away at the base of Rocky Mountain range with dense forests and the Gallatin River it is accessible from highway 191 from Bozeman or Yellowstone. Lone Peak Mountain is 11,166 feet in elevation…
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is located in southwest Montana 2 hours from Gardiner, Montana, 1 hour from Livingston, Montana and 1 hour from Big Sky, Montana. The population is 45,250, making it the fourth largest city in Montana. In 1864, the town was founded and later incorporated in 1883 by John M. Bozeman who established the Bozeman Trail…
Gardiner, Montana
Gardiner, Montana is 3 hours from Cody, Wyoming, 1 hour thru the breathtaking Paradise Valley to Livingston, Montana, and 5 miles from the north border of Yellowstone National Park. Nestled between Absaroka-Beartooth and the Gallatin Mountain Ranges, Gardiner was the original entrance to Yellowstone Park. This frontier town dates back to the 1830s when the…
Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson, Wyoming is located 1 hour from Dubois, Wyoming, 30 minutes from Grand Tetons National Park and 1 hour from Yellowstone National Park. Jackson is an high end “authentic Old West town” with a population of approximately 9,577 and an elevation of 6,237 feet, balloons in size during summer with tourists and winter with ski…
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is south of Yellowstone National Park, 30 minutes to Jackson, WY, 1.5 hours from Dubois, Wyoming and 3 hours from Cody, Wyoming. This park spans 310,000 acres so a fraction smaller than is adjoining neighbor Yellowstone. Grand Tetons National Park was created in 1929 by President Calvin Coolidge with the Teton…
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is located 1 hour from Cody, Wyoming, 4 hours from Buffalo, Wyoming, 1 hour from Livingston, Montana. Yellowstone is 2,219,789 acres – nearly three times the size of Rhode Island or Delaware – spilling over from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone was the world’s first national park created in 1872. Years prior,…
Dubois, Wyoming
Dubois, Wyoming is 1 hour from Jackson, Wyoming, 2 hours from the Grand Teton National Park and 4 hours south of Cody, Wyoming. The French word, Dubois means “voice”, was named after Fred Dubois, an Idaho senator at the time. The town is situated in Wind River Valley, “the valley of the warm winds” by the…
Cody, Wyoming
Cody was founded in 1901 by “Buffalo Bill” Cody and is known as the “Rodeo Capitol of the World.” Cody is located 2.5 hours from Sheridan, Wyoming and and 2 hour from Yellowstone National Park via the East entrance. To get to Cody, you have to either go thru the Bighorns on Highway 14 from…
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho is located in southern Idaho 2 hours from Boise, Idaho, 2.5 hours from Idaho Falls, Idaho and 1 hour from Hammett, Idaho. Twin Falls is best know for Shoshane Falls which is located a few minutes out of town. It is a mid-sized town of 49,200 people and was named after a…
Buffalo, Wyoming
Buffalo, Wyoming is 6 hours north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 4 hours minutes from Cody, Wyoming, 30 minutes from Sheridan, Wyoming, 3 hours from Laramie, Wyoming and 4 hours from Yellowstone National Park. This town with a population of 4584 in northern Wyoming, is tucked into the rolling plains of the Bighorn Mountain foothills. Buffalo…
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Steamboat Springs, Colorado is located 5.5 hours from Park City, 2 hours from Laramie, Wyoming and 2.5 hours from Denver. Summer temperatures are moderate dry heat in the mid 80s with bright blue skies and falls to around 60 degrees. The Yampa River flows thru The Yampa River passes through the town connecting one side…
Hammett, Idaho
The little town of Hammett, Idaho is adjacent to the Snake River on Idaho highway 84 and 1 hour from Boise, Idaho, 1 hour from Twin Falls, Idaho and 5 hours from Twin Bridges, Montana. The Snake River is a major river approximately 1,078 miles long in the USA Pacific Northwest flowing thru Wyoming from…
Ketchum-Sun Valley, Idaho
Ketchum, Idaho is located in the Wood River Valley 1.5 hours north of Twin Falls, Idaho, 2,5 hours to Boise Idaho and 4.5 hours Twin Bridges, Montana and 4.5 hours to Yellowstone National Park. There is a fantastic city park across the street from Atkinson Market, one of the best little in-town markets catering salad…
Park City, Utah
Park City re-invented from a mining town Park City, Utah located halfway between Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. The town is at an elevation of 7000 feet in the Wasatch Mountain Range which runs about 160 miles from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. To the west side of the range is the…
Elko, Nevada
Interstate Highway 80 Our 2nd stop on our 2019 Road trip was Elko, Nevada leaving Grass Valley, California on Interstate Highway 80 thru Donner Mountain, Truckee and Reno. Reno to Elko is all desert, 100-degree weather but a well-groomed 4-lane flat highway with a speed limit of 75-80 mph. This freeway is a major route…
Grass Valley, California
First stop on our 2019 Road Trip, is the historical mining town of Grass Valley. It was our first stop too in 2014 Road Trip. The town was part of the gold rush in the 1800’s and holds a lot of history. Grass Valley, a small town in the Sierra Nevada Foothills Grass Valley is…
Pebble Beach US Open
Pebble Beach is 100 years old this year, established in 1919. It celebrates with the hosting of the 119th US Open 2019, one of the most celebrated golf events at the Golf Capital of the World.
Pebble Beach History
Pebble Beach, California – the history….The name Pebble Beach was originally given to a rocky cove, a small part of the Rancho Pescadero Mexican land grant awarded to Fabián Barreto in 1836. The grant extended along the Pacific coast from Rancho Punta de Pinos(Point Pinos near Pacific Grove) and Seal Rock south to Carmel-by-the-sea and…
Del Monte Forest
The Del Monte forest located in Pebble Beach, California is dominated by the Monterey Cypress tree. There are only two small areas that are naturally first-grown Monterey Cypress (all others have been planted) – Pebble Beach at Cypress Point to Pescadero Point and Carmel Bay at Point Lobos. The forest also contains other important tree…
The Lone Cypress
Standing alone on a granite pedestal on 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California is the world-famous Lone Cypress. Wrapped in fog and pounded by waves, it has clung to its ledge and weathered storms for 250 years. One of the most photographed trees in the world, it symbolizes individualism, strength and ruggedness. Featured as one…
Casitas de Lemos, Pebble Beach
Perched high on a sand dune at the entrance to Indian Village on 17-Mile-Drive, is a Forest landmark, the storybook “Hansel and Gretel” cottage known as the “Gingerbread House” or “Casita de Lemos”. Colorful roof tiles make it very recognizable. Del Monte Forest Conservancy added this 1.02 acre property to Indian Village in 1993, accepting…
Carmel-by-the-sea, California
Enchanting coastal town Carmel-by-the-Sea, or sometimes shortened to Carmel, is an enchanting California coastal city on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. Carmel-by-the-Sea is located on the Pacific coast 15 miles north of the world-famous Big Sur, north of Los Angeles 330 miles (6 hours) and 120 miles (2 hours) south of San Francisco. …
Monterey, California
Monterey, California is located just a few short minutes from Carmel and Pebble Beach. Alvarado Street is the main street of Downtown Monterey and has a mixture of restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, theatres, smoke shops, and retail stores to stroll thru. In the middle of Alvarado Street, is the 15,000 square foot Golden State Theater. Originally…
Hearst Castle, California
The Enchanted Hill Cambria remains very dear to our hearts as we owned vacation rentals in this part of California for many years. We became members of the Friends of the Hearst Castle and our homes were on their site as recommended places to stay. Cambria has benefited greatly from the building of the Hearst Castle, “La Cuesta…
Santa Barbara, California
Ahhh……Santa Barbara…this popular tourist destination has been one of our favorites for many years located on the Pacific Ocean with the Santa Ynez Mountains as a backdrop. Beyond the Santa Ynez Mountains is the Los Padres National Forest and Channel Islands National Park is located 20 miles offshore. “Santa Barbara” was named by Sebastian Vizcaino…
San Diego, California
Having lived in San Diego for 27 years, we experienced many of the unique places that the city has to offer. Being a major tourist destination hub there is indeed a lot to visit, but being a local we were able to explore many things visitors don’t find! The center of San Diego was originally…
Coronado, California
Who doesn’t love Coronado? The Coronado beach is hands-down my favorite of all the beaches in San Diego county, not to mention they have a section of the beach dedicated to dogs year-round. The small island village is so relaxing and takes you back in time. During the tourist season the population doubles, but on…
Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite National Park is located on the western side of the California Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and boasts a size of approximately 1,200 square miles. This video below by Expedia is very informative if you are planning to visit. We utilized our fabulous Roadtrippers app cross country from the Monterey Coast trying to stay off the major freeways,…
Manzanita, Oregon
Manzanita is 40 miles south of Astoria, 15 miles south of Cannon Beach, 2 hours west of McMinnville and 200 miles north of Bandon on highway 101. Both towns have the cutest beach cottages! It is a much smaller town than Cannon Beach, but we fell in love with Manzanita beach….miles and miles of beach…
Cannon Beach, Oregon
One of American’s Best 100 Art Towns If you never been to Cannon Beach, Oregon, add it to your bucket list of small towns. Cannon Beach is a mini version of Carmel-By-The-Sea, California with shops, galleries, live theater, market and restaurants. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Mountain Range just north of Manzanita,…
McMinnville, Oregon
Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley McMinnville, Oregon is located at the junction of the Yamhill River in the Willamette Valley counties. It lies 35 miles southwest of Portland and 2 hours west of Cannon Beach, Oregon. The city is home to Linfield College and the Evergreen Aviation Museum with a population of about…
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Oregon Wines – a worldwide reputation Located southwest of Portland and north of Ashland, is the Willemette Valley Wine Country – making a name for itself in the wine industry. Oregon has a much cooler climate than California’s wine regions, making it perfect for growing not just Pinot Noir, but also Riesling, Chardonnay and Gamay….
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is at the foothills of the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges, 3 hours southeast of Bandon and 15 miles north of the California border. Many of Ashland’s historic buildings have been preserved and restored. The city has 48 individual structures and 2 historic districts (the Ashland Railroad Addition District and the Downtown District) on the National Register of Historic…
Bandon, Oregon
Bandon Dunes, a golfers dream Every golf fanatic has probably wanted to go to Bandon Dunes and has it on their bucket list. My husband did and for months he organized his trip, ordering new gear from Rock Bottom Golf, his favorite go-to-golf store. It is located 3 hours north of Ashland and 5 hours south from Cannon…
Leavenworth, Washington
A Bavarian village full of charm Full of Bavarian charm, Leavenworth village is architecturally stunning. As you walk the streets, you can hear various languages all around you: Russian, German, French. With approximately 1900 people, the town is located 3 hours east of Olympia at the base of a ski mountain and the start of…
Walla Walla, Washington
One of the most fertile areas in the country Walla Walla was a big surprise we were not expecting…very clean town with a restored city center of restaurants, galleries, historical brick buildings, and shops. Located 6 hours east from Olympia and 3.5 hours south of Leavenworth, the area is one of the most fertile agricultural…
Olympia, Washington
Washington’s State Capital City With 46,000 people In Olympia and another 60,000 in Tumwater-Lacey district, the area consists of about 100,000 people. It is located west 3 hours from Leavenworth and 5 hours from Walla Walla. Olympia is Washington’s state capital. Situated high on a knoll overlooking Capital Lake and Puget Sound, the Legislative Building…
Ellensburg, Washington
Internationally known for Hay Ellensburg, Washington is where we traveled years ago to pick up our yellow Labrador when he was a pup. He was only 8 weeks old when we flew up to get him from the breeder, Tiger Mountain Pointing Labs, a great breeder if you are looking for a lab. The town…
US Hwy 12
We took a cross-country route from Whitefish/Kalispell to Missoula, Montana, then over to Wala Wala, Washington by following Interstate 93 to Interstate US Hwy 12. I-12 is 99 miles of a winding road, but very scenic following the wide Clearwater River, with many rapids and great scenery. During this trip, you travel thru 3 states: Montana, Idaho…