#42: Montana

Since leaving to travel last fall, I was always excited to get to Montana. I had traveled to Montana as a child, and I couldn't wait to get back. With Glacier under my belt, I was ready to explore other areas in western Montana. I was craving some solitude.

Whitefish

Whitefish was my first stop after departing Glacier National Park - about 45 minutes away. Many of the places I wanted to visit I didn't know much about from this point on. I had only "heard" of these places for one reason or another. This "unknown" is a fun way to explore new places, though, because I have no expectations.

I loved Whitefish. It took only a few hours to walk around and absorb the vibe, but it was enough to know I dug it. When I return to Glacier one day, I will also return to Whitefish.

Missoula

It’s about a three-hour drive from Whitefish to Missoula. I didn’t have a specific camping location in mind, so I was winging it. Sometimes winging it poses its challenges: I had to resort to staying in a crappy RV park this time. I wanted to be close enough to the city for easy access, and choices were limited. I stumbled upon the place I ended up staying - no hookups, just a place to park it. Sometimes that’s just the way it works out.

The next morning I was out of there. I drove downtown to see what Missoula had to offer. It was Saturday, so the city was active. I witnessed street fairs, farmer’s markets, paddleboard yoga, vintage denim sold in the street, and more. I happily took in the small city I was told was hippy-ish. Hippy-ish or not, I enjoyed it.

In the afternoon, I visited a ghost town called Garnet. I love a good piece of history. Plus, the drive to get here was scenic through the mountains outside of Missoula.

My campsite that night made up for the less-than-ideal place I stayed the night before:

Bozeman

Compared to Missoula, Bozeman felt like a cosmopolitan city. I didn’t take photos here, but I walked around, popped into shops, and hit up a brewery for a beer and veggie burger. Cities are often challenging because camping options are limited, and parking the Airstream is challenging. I was also still interested in getting some solitude…

Big Sky

On the way from Bozeman to Big Sky, I passed through Butte. Butte felt like a quiet, outdated city. Although the buildings looked like they hadn’t been updated since the 1960s, it still had a unique charm.

Big Sky is a mountain town - a new one. The architecture was similar to that in Bend, OR: “mountain modern,” like this:

It is a ski town in the winter, but it is active with mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiast-types in the summer. The scenery was tremendous, and it’s no wonder Big Sky has been growing in popularity over the last few decades.

Cliff and Wade Lakes

Per a recommendation from a couple I met at a previous campground, I made my way towards Cliff and Wade Lakes. I was going only on this recommendation - I had no clue what to expect.

I followed signs and made my way to Wade Lake Campground. It was later in the day, but luckily there was a spot available to snag. I noticed signs for another campground called Cliff Lake Campground, but the road looked a little rougher.

The next morning I woke up and did a little exploration of Cliff Lake. There was a small campground - only six sites, but Cliff Lake was gorgeous and provided just the solitude I was looking for. The perfect spot, on a little peninsula, was unoccupied. I reserved it with my cooler and headed back to the other campground to pick up the trailer and set it up in my new spot. Check out this gold mine of a site:

I decided to stay here for as long as I needed some peace. Addie and I took advantage of some nearby hikes but mostly happily hung out in our *money* spot, enjoying the serenity.

I loved being here. Before I left to travel for a year, I pictured being in a place like this. It’s like my dream became a reality. That symbolism made this place so much more special. I stayed here for about four days, taking in the solitude and appreciating the risk I took to live in the now.

#26: US Route 395

As I mentioned in my previous post, US Route 395 runs north and south on the eastern side of the mountain ranges in California. Typically, when California is visited, people go north and south on the Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1), the 101, or the I-5. But 395 is a hidden gem (at least it was for me).

Heading north on 395, I based my next destination on where I could find decent camping. I read that there is a lot of free land to camp on, but I found a first-come, first-served BLM campground for $10/night. I figured that was good enough, and I could scope out more extensively once I arrived. This campground was outside a small town called Lone Pine.

Well, I landed this spot and couldn’t have been happier - especially for somewhat wingin’ it.

The remarkable thing about this area along 395 is that the terrain goes from the desert, right to the mountains. There is not much as far as foothills. Even after exploring the Rockies, I had never seen anything like this (maybe on the western slope…sort-of?).

I learned that the trailhead for the hike up Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous United States) is here outside Lone Pine. Also, Alabama Hills. Alabama Hills is where many-a-westerns have been filmed and is famous for its unique rock (hill) formations.

After hiking around Alabama Hills and exploring Lone Pine after grabbing some lunch there, I started doing some research on more places to hike. I wanted to experience the start of the Mount Whitney trail. I had read there was a beautiful lake about 3.5 up the Mount Whitney Trail. However, I debated doing this hike immensely. Because of COVID, the paved road to drive to the trailhead was closed. Having to walk/hike this road added seven miles to the already 7-mile hike. BUT, Addie and I were up for the challenge, so we got up early the next morning and were on the trail (well, road) by 6:45 am.

It was worth every step. I got to the lake, and I was the ONLY person there. No crowds. No voices. Nothing. Just Addie, serene nature, and me. Words cannot describe that 30 minutes I spent up there.

After a wonderful few nights in Lone Pine, my intention was to keep heading up 395. As they often do, my plans got diverted. Due to some logistical reasons, I backtracked a little after visiting Lone Pine and headed back south. Even though I loved the mountains, I also wanted to see the coast. And it made sense to go back and do that at this specific time before I got too far north. So, I headed back to the coast to conquer that leg of the trip. I would come back to 395 afterward. To keep things simple, though, I’ll tell you about the rest of my time on 395 in this post (even though I visited other places in between).

Before I left Lone Pine, though, Addie and I got up before sunrise to have a photoshoot. Check out these photos:

After an incredible three days at Yosemite (more on that to come later), the eastern entrance/exit of Yosemite dumped me right back onto 395. There were a few other small towns I wanted to check out, including Bishop, Big Pine, Benton, Lee Vining, and Bridgeport. Bishop was a fantastic place to get some errands done - wash the car and the Airstream, fill up propane, dump the black tank, and fill up the freshwater tank.

Big Pine and Benton were small western towns. I found some BLM land near a hot spring north of Big Pine and Benton to camp for a night or two. This area has a lot of hot springs. After testing out a few, though, I have decided that I don't love them. They are usually crowded, which means people have to wait to get in until others get out, and the water is shallow. With a murky appearance, the water is not so inviting. The campsite nearby worked out fine, though. Live and learn on the hot springs. It was still cool to check them out.

A few people I met in the hot spring suggested I check out a small ghost town called Bodie. It was on my way to Bridgeport, where I was going next, so I decided to make the stop (they had me at "ghost town"). It was AWESOME. The road to get there was a bit long and cumbersome (especially with the Airstream in tow), but it was worth it. After paying a nominal state park fee to get in, I was astounded at what I saw. It's like the townspeople just got up and left this place. Clothes were still hanging on hooks, bedding was still intact, and stores still had products on shelves. See for yourself:

After visiting Bodie, it was on to Bridgeport. I had a campground in mind after speaking to a couple while camping in the San Bernadino National Forest. I headed straight for it. Luckily, there were plenty of campsites available for me to cozy up in a prime spot.

Bridgeport is a small cowboy town. And it’s beautiful. Nestled in a grassy valley, surrounded by mountains, it’s very small-town America. See brochure below to get an idea. My campground was in some of the mountains surrounding the town - about a 20-minute drive outside. There are hot springs here, too, which I did check out. I found the same situation as the other one, so I never ended up going in. I did fall down while “hiking” to them in my Birkenstocks. That was fun (sarcasm).

Usually, wherever I go I try to find a cool hike relatively close by. I found one, but then stumbled upon a different one. It often works out that way. In fact, a lot of what I do works out that way!

This was my stumbled-upon hike. Barney Lake was my reward after about four miles.

My final stop on 395 was Mammoth Lakes. I met my friends Chris and Allison and their two kids for the 4th of July weekend. It. Was. So. Fun. We found some cool lakes, did some hiking with the kiddos, hit up a few breweries, and explored the area. I also really enjoyed staying in a condo for a few days and taking real showers (thanks, guys!). hehe.

If you haven’t gathered, I loved all my stops on 395. The best part about it was that 395 wasn’t even going to be part of my route until I spoke to people who told me it was a can’t-miss. They were right. I’ve found some new favorite places and I shall return to them one day. For now, though, there is more of CA to explore!

Also, I realize I rarely mention Addie in this post (shameful!). If you are wondering, she feels the same way as I do about all the places on 395 that we visited.